Tuesday 23rd May

Firstly, some notes from the Glasgow RSPB group from yesterday, clearly enjoying their time on the island:

"Had another great day on Monday. Went to the Oa and got a pair of Golden Eagles, Kestrel, Peregrine, Fulmar, a couple of Chough and a Rock Pipit at the American Monument. At the car park we got a single Twite on the feeders and when we arrived there was a baby Adder, about 6 inches long being very feisty making its way across the gravel.

Heading back to Port Ellen we got Stonechat, Whinchat and a Whitethroat along the roadside. At Kildalton, we walked to the boat house and got Great Northern Diver, Great Crested Grebe and driving back heard Chiffchaff, Cuckoo and Blackcap. After dinner we drove to Loch Gruinart and heard probably 1 Corncrake calling at the visitor centre (about 10.15pm) but as we drove back looking for owls we heard Snipe drumming, Grasshopper Warbler and lots of other small birds which I thought wouldn't be out at night."

(The Great Crested Grebe is a scarce bird on Islay - only 33 records in 47 years to 2020 and only one previous May record - worth checking out and investigating???)

After last night's Corncrake survey, there was much talk on the WhatsApp page about the species today. On my route last night, where I was noting 6-8 in past years, I only heard two - both somewhere up behind Burnside, but another probably different bird has been reported calling at Conisby where there was only deathly hush at midnight last night! Other Corncrakes have been heard by Margaret Brooke up by Kilchoman and another at Ardnave. Louise Muir is keeping tabs on all these which will help (I hope) put a clearer picture together of how many we've got on Islay this summer.

In other news there appears to be "other birders" on the island who have not heard of the blog or WhatsApp! Jim Dickson found a report on Birdguides today of a pair of Velvet Scoter on the loch at Easter Ellister. There is often a male that mysteriously turns up in the middle of summer (it has been doing it for years and must be ancient by now) "paired" with a female Common Scoter, so if the female is a Velvet Scoter this year it will be a turn up for the books.