Sunday 1st January 2023

 

A cool, dry and calm day to start the year. And what a start to the year! Yesterday’s rarity – the Surf Scoter did remain for others to see, but its finder, Jonathan Farooqi was on a roll and has had what must be one of the best day’s birding on Islay for rarities on record. I’ll let him tell the story:

 “Here’s some of our sightings from a very special day on the island…....We started the day at Blackrock where the sea was even calmer than yesterday. The female Surf Scoter was still close inshore with the Commons and we were able to count at least 18 Slavonian Grebes, 11 Great Northern Divers and 33 Long-tailed Ducks across the bay. It was even possible to see and hear the Long-tails displaying due to the lack of wind.

Next we headed up to Gruinart where thousands of geese were on the flats. A Red-breasted Goose among the Barnacles was a very nice surprise. Other sightings included 21 Whooper Swans, 4 White-tailed Eagles and a Greenshank on the estuary. 

At Loch Gorm, the female-type Marsh Harrier was quartering the edge of the loch and a male Hen Harrier sat nearby. Viewing from the road near Ballinaby we were able to see a drake American Wigeon roosting on the near shore but finding somewhere to view it from was difficult and always through grass. Two drake Pochard were also present.

Thinking the day couldn’t get any better we decided to have a walk on the beach at Machair Bay. I picked up a harrier over the fields at the north end, and looking through scopes, we were astonished to see that it was a juvenile Pallid Harrier. We were able to watch it for about an hour as it hunted pipits in the crop at the top of the bank. To round it all off, a juvenile Glaucous Gull was sat on the rocks at the north end of the bay.

 I’ve attached a few back of camera and phone-scoped shots. Now time for a rest I think!

 Thanks Jonathan – a great account of a superb day’s birding. (There have only been 8 previous accepted records of Surf Scoter on Islay, 3-4 of Red-breasted Geese, about 10 of American Wigeon and a Pallid Harrier found by Neil McMahon on Islay this autumn was a first (and for Argyll I believe). Whether this is the same bird that has been here for months, or a different bird is up for discussion).

There were others of us out there today enjoying the good weather and the birds in other areas. Here is Phil Edward’s account of what sounds like a very enjoyable day:

“Happy New Year to birders near and far … and in between.  Up (far too) early this morning to go and see the female Surf Scoter but still later than Terry and Jonathan who kindly pointed it out doing what I really felt like doing – sleeping.  It woke later and did scoter-stuff like diving and preening.  I’m not a UK lister, but it is always nice to have a new UK bird.  Loch Indaal was calm and full of birds.  I was happy to leave the exact counting to the others but I had four Red-throated Divers in the scope at one time, 20+ Long-tailed Ducks calling and displaying; over 100 Eiders with most on the far shore off Kintra Bay, GND, Slavonian Grebe, Common Scoter, three male and one female Goldeneye, numerous Red-breasted Mergansers, Shags, and Cormorants.

Then up the eastern side of Loch Gruinart to Killinallan.  Thirty-odd Fieldfares and ten Redwings were in the fields near Erasaid on the way, some of which kindly posed for photos.  The Loch itself held numerous (uncounted) waders including over 1,000 Golden Plovers drifting in the air overhead, Lapwing, Redshank, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, a few Curlew and Ringed Plover.  Further up there were 2m 1f Goldeneye, seven Whooper Swans, a Greenshank, and a GND.  We stopped at the gate across the track below Killinallan and walked out along the beach and around the Point with that rarest of things occasionally accompanying us – sunshine!  We turned up 32 Turnstones, four Sanderlings, one Bar-tailed Godwit, 40+ Lapwings, two Rock Pipits and an adult WTE soaring overhead.  At the head of the Loch on the way back in the afternoon, there was a tight flock of at least 100 roosting Bar-tailed Godwits and two adult WTE on the edge of the marsh on the western bank.

Very best to all”

I popped out myself to see the Surf Scoter still there this afternoon amidst a fine display of ducks and divers. The Long-tailed ducks were particularly fine – calling, displaying and looking splendid. I was just a couple short of Jonathan’s count of 33 this morning – that falls just one bird short of the highest count ever of 34 in the winter of 1991/1992. After that I thought, as it was a day for rare wildfowl, I should go and check different areas to Jonathan, so took a look at Loch Skerrols where some very good rare ducks had been seen by us all last winter. Sadly, today it was fairly quiet – just a few Mallard, Wigeon, Teal and Tufties.

George Jackson sent in some notes from his home at Coultorsay:

“Hi there. Within last week, had a Treecreeper in the Coultorsay garden just once; up to 18 Curlews feeding in fields above Loch Indall; Friday (30th) a large Sparrowhawk near Bruichladdich distillery; on Thursday and Friday a single, definitely morose/sick looking, imm. Whooper near Sunderland farm. Yesterday, 31st, rounding off the year at Ardnave loch, six Goldeneye (2 fem each accompanied by 2 displaying males); 4 Mallard and 1 Heron (facing away from the loch shore and didn’t move in 40+ minutes - hope that isn’t sick). Today, start of 2023!, first Tree Sparrow of the winter in the garden, then up to 1.30pm got a sight of the Surf Scoter at Blackrock. Thanks to everyone who keeps the blog going - sounds as though there’ll be plenty to hear about in 2023”

I’ll finish with the rarity photos plus some further lovely images c/o Phil Edwards.