Saturday 25th February

Eyes down for a full house of Islay birds. 

Simon Knight was the latest in a very long line of people to record the glaucous gull at Uiskentuie. Does it ever move?! Simon also had 2 WTEs from the viewing platform at Gruinart. Ashley Saunders picked up "2 cackling/canada x barnacle hybrids" on the Gartbreck road, before seeing a pair of merlins mating on a telegraph pole at Mulindry and an otter at Bunnahabhain. Later in the day they saw an imm golden eagle on the Glen road, an adult WTE over Jura and a young WTE hunting barnies at the Woollen Mill. 

Chris Mills had the female surf scoter in with around 100 common scoters out from Bowmore. In the afternoon he had 3 WTE between Lochs Indaal and Gruinart and this great view of a merlin...

...perched on a fence post on the Carnain - Coullabus road. Steve Rogers finishes off our visitor reports with 3 WTE high over Kilnaughton. 

Our own Mary had a singing skylark down in bandit country at Claddach. It was that kind of beautiful day. Gruinart is very busy with woodcock at dusk at the minute, it's a fine sight with Venus and Jupiter looking spectacular in the SW sky. 

Speaking of beautiful things, here's Oa warden David Dinsley with an excellent short film he made about about twite and other Oa things. Well worth a watch. 

Thanks to all the above.