Sunday 6th March

Another glorious day of bright sunshine and blue skies with not too much wind.

My assessment that nobody had been out birding yesterday was wrong. A large flotilla of 26 birders sailed across from Northern Ireland for the day in two boats. They caught up with the 3 Lesser Scaup at Loch Skerrols and generally reported a good day out was had by all.

Also, visitor John Sharpe had his first day on the islandyesterday and reported a fantastic first day, going to the Oa after arriving in Port Ellen. Highlights were a flock of around 80 Twite by the path to the American monument, a brown Merlin near the monument and Golden Eagle and Peregrine soaring around the cliffs to the east. Then two adult White-tailed Eagles over the wet fields at Gruinart rounded off a good first day.

John was out again today in the continuing fine weather saying “it couldn't help but be another fantastic day. The highlight for me was tracking down the Cackling Goose near Easter Ellister this morning”.  His other noteworthy sightings were: 5 Long-tailed Ducks off Uiskentuie, immature White-tailed Eagle spooking a large flock of White-fronts at Kilchiaran, 2 male and female Lesser Scaup at Loch Skerrols, and c50 Chough and 13 Twite at Ardnave.

Chris Corrigan is another newly arrived birder and he too saw a couple of the Lesser Scaup along with Twite and White-tailed Eagle at the Oa. On Loch Indaal were 6 Pale-bellied Brent Geese at Blackrock and a female Greater Scaup from the waste pumping station viewpoint at Bowmore.

More reports of White-tailed Eagles came from Mary Redman who saw an immature bird down at Claddach and from Mark Shields up at Gruinart with 5 sub-adult White-tailed Eagles talon grappling and generally “larking around”.

 Mary-Ann Featherstone reports the Great Spotted Woodpeckers are now active at Kildalton and Shona Isla saw 6 dolphins at Port Ellen in the bay towards the lighthouse.