Tuesday 5th March

I don't know what the weather was like on Islay today as I'm writing this from southern England. But it was obviously good enough for folks to be out birding and send in the following reports:

Theo from Nature Scotland was at Gruinart first thing where there were two Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Little Egrets, 2 Hen Harriers, 2 White-tailed Eagles and a Golden Eagle. Up at Ardnave were 18 Choughs, 33 Whooper Swans, 10 Goldeneye, another Hen Harrier and some Twite mixed in with a flock of Linnets. This afternoon off Bowmore he noted 18 Long-tailed Ducks, 7 Slavonian Grebes, 15 Goldeneye, 8 Red-throated and 10 Great Northern Divers, 50 Eider, 80 Common Scoter, 20 Red-breasted Mergansers and a Black Guillemot. Finishing up at Loch Gorm there were 7 Tufted Ducks and a further 12 Goldeneye. Assuming that all the Goldeneye seen today are different from each other, that would be a substantial total of 37 birds.

Mary Redman reported from Claddach down on the Rhinns, where there were 4 Whoopers this morning, and 10 there in the afternoon. Also down her way were 2 White-tailed Eagles, Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Mistle Thrush and a few Choughs.