What a difference a day makes! The weather yesterday was not much different to today - pleasantly warm, sunny and light easterlies, but the birding was very different. The difference being that yesterday nobody went birding and today someone did! That someone being Jim Dickson who is over for a week or so and immediately began notching up some good sightings this morning before most of us were up!
Jim started at Loch Indaal from Port Charlotte on flat calm seas, with single Great Northern and 2 Red-throated Divers and 4 Common Scoter. Further up between Bruichladdich and Gortan were 31 more Common Scoter and 3 summer-plumaged Slavonian Grebes. At Uiskentuie and further into the Loch were 132 Ringed Plovers, 95 Dunlin and 22 Knot. Heading up to Loch Gruinart, the Craigens side was checked first: 1 Whimbrel, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Greenshank, adult and juv. White-tailed Eagle, a female or immature Goosander, 16 Knot, 47 alba Wagtails including good number of White Wagtails and 70 Linnet. Further along things got even better with a male Yellow Wagtail and a Green Sandpiper - both Islay rarities, plus young Ruff, 4 Common Terns, a ringed Peregrine on prey. Searching up the other side of Loch Gruinart produced Kestrel, 80 Goldfinch and a juv Whinchat.
Afternoon excursions continued with a Sparrowhawk at Nerabus, along with another Whinchat, 40 Chaffinches, and lots of alba Wagtails and hirundines. At Octofad a Carrion Crow was seen. Back around Loch Indaal later produced 52 Wigeon at the Gaelic College and a squashed dead Barn Owl on the road between there and Bridgend. The day finished with a count of 1,520 Greylag Geese at the top end of Loch Indaal.
A very full-on day, and he even had time to take a few photos - many thanks Jim:
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