Wednesday 28th, Thursday 29th and Friday 30th August

On Wednesday and Thursday the weather continued in its unpleasant formula of a bit of sunshine fooling us into thinking it was summer followed by black clouds and torrential downpours. It has gradually improved and Friday is pleasantly dry and sunny with a decent few days of weather forecast ahead of us.

The only report for Wednesday was from David W. on The Oa of 12 Redshank heading west over Glen Astle.

Thursday produced a Ruff  and Black-tailed Godwit at Loch Cornabus c/o Ed Burrell, 2 White-tailed Eagles seen by Emily McGarva at Claddach and a remarkable count of 575 Sanderling at Loch Gruinart from James How. That is almost double all previous high counts of the species on Islay.

Today, Gary T. found the usual White-tailed Eagle loitering on the grassy islands at the top of Loch Indaal near Bridgend, where later he saw two "teasing" several hundred Greylags. Gary was also watching on the Big Strand  where there were a few waders including 51 Ringed Plover along with 22 Pied Wagtails and 6 Ravens. Ed Burrell had a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Balaclava, heading towards The Oa - this is an unusual/new area for the species to be sighted on Islay. Ed later noted 6 Golden Plover at Cornabus. Linden up at Gruinart found a couple of Grey Plovers, while Mary Redman down at  Currie Sands was watching a ring-tail Hen Harrier and a couple of Choughs.

On my return from one of the Book Festival meetings this evening there was a young, fledged Tawny Owl by the livestock market at Bridgend. We first saw it when a car went over it as it sat in the middle of the road. We were close behind and unavoidably did the same thing as it first looked like a bit of rubbish in the road. We turned around to pick up what we assumed was going to be a corpse, but found the ground clearance of each car had been enough to leave the owl totally unharmed. I picked it up, assuming it was at least injured, but could see that the wings and legs were all intact. It gave me a finger-puncturing squeeze from its talons and flew away strongly into the woods - an extraordinarily lucky escape!

Sunday 25th, Monday 26th & Tuesday 27th August

Sunday was basically a day of more or less unrelenting rain with no bird observations.

Monday was a little better, being mainly dry, but still nothing much like summer. I saw a Little Egret on Loch Gruinart in the afternoon and there was discussion of migrating Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Clive Mc. having counted 145 passing down through Gruinart and 35 over the Big Strand since the 18th. David D. commented he had seen "a couple of hundred" on Loch Kinnabus "a couple of weeks ago" - a fairly high non-passage count for this species on Islay.

Today, it started out wet and nasty but turned into a bright, dry and warm sunny afternoon. Gary T. reports a Merlin chasing Goldfinches on the Oa road at Ghoil Farm and Steve & Lyn Rogers had a young Wheatear in their garden at Emerivale, near Port Ellen.

James had reported a White-tailed Eagle last Saturday that had a black ring with white lettering, which he read as G3 with a number 4 below. David Jardine has emailed to say that the colour-rings should have two numbers below the G3,  so at present it doesn't look as if James' ring will be fully traceable.

 

Saturday 24th August

Another day of the same unpredictable weather: rain, then shine, then rain , then shine.........

A further note from yesterday, that I overlooked was of a Whooper Swan with Mute Swans at Port Ellen seen by Fiona Morton in the morning.

James today started things off with 4 Ruff, 13 Black-tailed Godwits a "handful" of Wigeon and a Peregrine chasing everything seen from the North Hide at Loch Gruinart, followed by  13 Brent Geese, 11 Knot and 180 Sanderling. He also noted a colour-ringed White-tailed Eagle with a black ring with white letters G£ with a 4 below. Hopefully we can work out its origins.

Gary T. Saw the Osprey again today up on the Killinallan side of Gruinart (photo below) plus a single Whimbrel.

Later at Gruinart were 2 White-tailed Eagles noted by Linden and in the evening a wader count by Clive Mc. produced 480 Dunlin, 370 Sanderling, 300+ Ringed Plover and 3 Greenshank, while Andy Harris spotted a Merlin hunting over the fields there. The count of Sanderling seems to be the highest on record. The previous highest tallies being 364 in August 1990, 326 in September 2009, 347 in January 2014 and 320 in September 2020, when counts over 300 were considered nationally important.

I had a look on Loch Skerrols this afternoon where a single Wigeon was seen with a few Tufted Ducks and 22 Mallard.

Friday 23rd August

The gale force winds and rain causing flooding in other parts of the UK today didn't reach this far where it was another day of occasional showers and bluster in between sunnier periods.

A late report for yesterday from Linden was of a Little Egret and Greenshank up at Gruinart.

Today's news kicked off with reports from Clive Mc. of a leucistic Ringed Plover at the airport along with a Wheatear and a White-tailed Eagle feeding on a carcase on the nearby beach. Gary T. noted the Little Egret and Osprey at Bridgend. Later in the day Clive was back at Creag Mhor, Gruinart where he counted 170 hirundines (mostly Sand Martins) feeding low over the water and 3 Brent Geese - an early start to our autumn passage of the species, coinciding with the first arrival of the species back in Ireland with 80 in Belfast Lough according to Tom Lowe.

Wednesday 21st & Thursday 22nd August

There was plenty of rain on Wednesday, which finally dried up in the early morning of Thursday.

Yesterday Gary T. and Linden K. both watched an Osprey - presumably the same bird, at one time at Crosshouses on Loch Gruinart and another over Loch Gorm. Jim Dickson did a "pelagic" from Kennacraig to Islay and back again  to check out possible seabirds on the crossing. He found 2 Great Skuas near to Port Ellen and an Arctic Skua over Texa. The return produced another Arctic Skua, 2 European Storm Petrels, but no Manx Shearwaters.

With an improvement in the weather (still breezy from the SW, but dry and a little sunny) I foolishly became inspired to try a seawatch at Frenchman's Rocks this morning from 8-10am. There were 248 Manx Shearwaters in the first hour and 568 in the second. There was also a continual (uncounted) trickle of Kittiwakes and 70+ Gannets over the rocks, along with a few Fulmars. Best sightings were singles of Sooty Shearwater, Black-throated Diver and European Storm Petrel/ A few waders passed by - 22 Bar-tailed Godwits, 5 sanderling, 8 Whimbrel and 3 Dunlin. Surprisingly there were no auks seen.

After my return, Jim Dickson messaged to tell us of a fantastic seawatch off Malin Head, just across the water from us on the Irish coast. apart from Great & Cory's Shearwaters, Sabine's Gulls and Pomarine Skua there was an albatross - probably Black-browed. Simply not fair!

David d. was also seawatching off The Oa early this morning with even less to write home about than my effort. hundreds of Manxies, a single Arctic Skua, a couple of Puffins and a Sandwich Tern.

Monday 19th & Tuesday 20th August

The mix of rain and showers continues and worsens! Much more stormy on Tuesday with heavy showers including hail. Tomorrow looks even worse with increasing winds from the SW and more continual rain.

Yesterday Gary t. reported good numbers of waders in Loch Indaal including a single Ruff. He also noted 3 Wigeon at the mouth of the River sorn at Bridgend and a Peregrine chasing the smaller waders.

Clive McKay had a Great Skua and 7 Whimbrel flying up Loch Gruinart and a Swift over his house at Garra Eallabus.

Today Clive had a Marsh Harrier at Kilnave and 22 Commic Terns and 20 Black-tailed Godwits going up Loch Gruinart.

Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th August

Two more days of intermittent sunshine and showers.

George Jackson had 3 Greenshank flying South, calling, between Bruichladdich and Port Charlotte, on Friday evening and also notes a build-up of finches, mainly Goldfinches, with a flock of 30+ - around Coultorsay where a second brood of Swallows seem close to fledging.

Yesterday's news was of a White-tailed Eagle and a Kestrel above Loch Cam seen by Gary T. The loch also held a Red-throated Diver. Down at Claddach, Mary Redman noted 4 Golden Plover, while David D. had a Merlin near Cornabus.

Clive McKay was back and had an Osprey making unsuccessful dives into Loch Gruinart. He also made a count of 50 Black-tailed Godwits flying south over Uiskentuie.

The sole report today (Sunday) is from Linden who saw a White-tailed Eagle this evening flying up Loch Gruinart. 

Friday 16th August

 Another day of sunshine and showers.

Linden started the day's reports off with a Sparrowhawk at Gruinart (I saw one race through my garden in Bruichladdich later in the day). Alistair Hart tried another sea-watch at Frenchman's Rocks this morning finding a Great Skua and an unidentified storm-petrel amongst the usual suspects.

Later in the day Linden was further afield and had a Golden Eagle at Gruinart followed by Twite at Smaull and 4-5 Hen Harriers in total in the Loch Gorm/Gruinart area and a White-tailed Eagle at Machir Bay.

To round the day off Alistair reports a Long-eared Owl between Portnahaven and Claddach.

Tuesday 13th, Wednesday 14th & Thursday 15th August

Three days with not a lot to report other than very variable weather: some real downpours of rain between bright sunny spells.

David D. had a Great Skua near the American Monument on The Oa on the afternoon of Tuesday,

On Wednesday Louise Muir saw a Little Egret at the mouth of the river sorn at Bridgend and Linden Kingston recorded 2 Peregrines up at Gruinart.

Today Mary-Ann Featherstone saw another, or the same, Little Egret up at Kildalton while Gary T. had a couple of White-tailed Eagles on Loch Indaal up at Bridgend merse. David D. had a probable Green Sandpiper flushed up and away from Loch Kinnabus by a Hen Harrier before 100% positive ID could be attained. 

Sunday 11th and Monday 12th August

Quite changeable weather with sunshine at times but rainy and stormy weather passing through at others.

Yesterday there were reports of White-tailed Eagles and Red-throated Divers in various locations, but most notable sightings were a Kingfisher found by Martin Armstrong at the mouth of the river Sorn at Bridgend and 3 rather out of season Wigeon at Loch Cornabus found by Ed Burrell.

There were no reports of birds seen today.

Saturday 10th August

A generally quite pleasant sunny day with a light breeze.

Choughs were on the radar today: Mary Redman saw a pair down at Portnahaven area yesterday which were the first for a while. Cameron Murray had a large count of 18 (including good numbers of young) near the American Monument on The Oa today, where he also noted Twite at the feeders. Later a Carrion Crow was noted at Cornabus and then a Sparrowhawk at Kildalton along with two lots of two Crossbills. 

Friday 9th August

The day started out wet and breezy, but gradually got sunnier, but still with a breeze from the SW.

After yesterday's message from Alistair Hart on the birding WhatsApp about going to Frenchman's Rocks to sea-watch this morning, I was inspired to join him. The rain conveniently did what it was supposed to do and stopped more or less as we set up. But as so often is the case sea-watching here, the reality didn't live up to the expectations. A light stream of Manx Shearwaters, Kittiwakes, Gannets and Fulmars went by accompanied by occasional Guillemots, a few Ringed Plover and Dunlin and a Sparrowhawk nipping past - but that was it apart from a single distant Puffin.

Elsewhere, Gary T. enjoyed "wee flocks" of Linnets feeding on the flowers near Finlaggan Visitor Centre and a Merlin at Mulreesh. Another Merlin was seen by Alistair at Easter Ellister.

Bird of the day goes to Ed Burrell who had a male Marsh Harrier at Loch nan Gabhar, near the Machrie.

Thursday 8th August

The day of the Islay Show, with decent dry sunny weather in the morning deteriorating to rain and increasing wind in the afternoon and evening.

Gary T had further sightings of an/the Osprey up at Bridgend where he also had a single Greenshank and a general build up of waders across Loch Indaal including Black-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel.

Tuesday & Wednesday 6th & 7th August

Mostly sunny and pleasant yesterday, but slightly windier and raining today at times.

A late not for Monday came in, with Alistair seeing a Storm Petrel from the ferry over to Islay.

Yesterday James and Gary T. were finding Ospreys (two at one time) in the Loch Gorm area. There were also 2 Greenshank, a couple of Hen Harriers and a sub-adult White-tailed Eagle spoofing the Greylags.

Otherwise, there were some interesting non-avian sightings, with Mary-Ann Featherstone finding a Yellowtail Moth - apparently a new species for Islay.

Martin A. had some lovely views of Bottlenose Dolphins in Kilnaughton Bay - a pod of 10 or more that could be the same ones that were close in at Port Charlotte a couple of days ago.

The only notes so far today are from Martin Douglas on Jura who watched a White-tailed Eagle over Small Isles Bay and from Mary Redman who saw a Swift over Port Charlotte this afternoon.

Thursday 1st - Monday 5th August

Apologies for the long gap between posts, but rather than posting "nothing much if anything to report" each day, I thought I'd wait till something happened. But nothing has! However, I think the silence has gone on long enough and I didn't want our "vast numbers of avid readers" to think that the blog had completely gone away.

Weather these past 5 days?: well a few lovely days of sunshine and warmth with a few periods of cloud and rain - even periods of strong winds at time - so typical of an Islay summer.

Birds these past 5 days?: just two reports of passing Hen Harriers and a Red-throated Diver in Small Isles Bay on Jura.

The most interesting bit of bird news is very belated and relates to midsummer's day. I include it here as a request to you all not to overlook records that you think might not be important - especially breeding records. One reliable observer whom I'll not "name and shame", mentioned in passing this week that they had climbed up and around Beinn Bheigier (our highest spot on Islay) on the summer solstice and had several  Golden Plovers (3-4 pairs?) doing classic "distraction display" antics as some plover species do to try and coax you away from their nests or chicks. This is considered proof of breeding by BTO Breeding Atlas standards and is thus the first apparently definitely confirmed breeding of Golden Plovers on Islay that I can find since 1993. There have been other records since, hinting at breeding and no doubt a few breed every year, but there has been no definite proof recorded for 31 years! The moral of the story is - however insignificant you may think your sightings (especially breeding records) may be, they may not be. So PLEASE submit your sightings as they will all go into the Argyll Bird Club database and may prove valuable, interesting statistics in the future, if not now.