Tuesday 26th December - Boxing Day

A fine change in the weather to bright, mostly dry, with calm and sunny conditions. This allowed the traditional sight of local folk getting out for a leg-stretch after eating too much yesterday - which is exactly what I did. First call was Machir Bay where a flock of 35 Ringed Plovers cavorted on the beach with numerous dog and toddler walkers. We then went on to Gruinart spending much of the rest of the day diligently searching amongst umpteen thousand Barnacle Geese for the Red-breasted Goose seen there yesterday (reported too late for yesterday's blog). We didn't find the goose, but it was a delight to be out in the sunshine amidst the usual Barnie spectacle. We finished at Blackrock ticking off a few Long-tailed Ducks and Slavonian Grebes on a flat calm loch Indaal.

Phil Edwards had been out too and sent in some omre lovely photos and this report:

"Today the weather relented and we walked around Ardnave enjoying the views that make Islay so special.  On Ardnave Loch were 6 ad and 8 imm Whooper Swans (yet when we returned 5 hours later there were 12 ad and 3 imm so clearly they move around a bit) plus seven male and one female Goldeneye and two Golden Eagles overhead.  A walk along the beach on the east side of Ardnave, around the Point and back along the west produced 11 Great Northern Divers, 2m 1f Red-breasted Mergansers, 1m 1 imm m and 5f Eiders, 1 Greenshank (east), 11 Purple Sandpipers, 113 Sanderling (photo count), 19 Bar-tailed Godwit (all last three on west coast), 22 Curlew, 14 Oystercatcher, 10 Turnstone, 4 Ringed Plover, 3 Redshank, 1 Golden Eagle, 2 Buzzard, c.20 Shag, 16 Cormorant (roosting on Nave Island), c.30 Common Gull, 1 GBBG, a few Herring Gulls, 2 Rock Pipits, 14 Meadow Pipits, 1 Raven, 6 Rock Dove, 7 Reed Bunting, c.10 Chaffinch, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Blackbird, 1 Dunnock, c.100 Starling.  There were 2 Chough on the beach by the old fish-farm, 2 by Ardnave Farm, and then a flock of 44 over the car park as we arrived back with a flock of 32 Twite also there to cap things off.  Great day!!"