Thursday 22nd June

No change in the weather: hot and sunny as usual..................

Margaret Brooke sends in a variety of observations from her neck of the woods, seeing a  Stoat with a mouse on road on the way to Gruinart and notes of breeding birds: a nest of Barn Owls with 4 owlets, "her" young Buzzards still on the nest on the crags. and 2 young Choughs successfully fledged.

Malcolm Ogilvie is finding further interesting and rare moths for Islay. He says: "The attached seems to be only the fourth record for Islay and, suiting its slightly less than stunning appearance, it is called, quite accurately, Small Dotted Buff, and was about 13mm (half an inch) long".

David Dinsley reporting from The Oa mentions a Corn Crake calling there this afternoon along with Yellowhammer in song at Callumkill. He also mentions "stacks of invertebrates on the wing" including Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, Grayling butterflies and  Black Darter and Keeled Skimmer dragonflies. 

Finally Gary Turnbull notes that the young Glaucous Gull is still loitering on occasions at Uiskentuie and is fast becoming one the longest-staying of its species on Islay.