The weather was not exactly as predicted, being misty, light drizzle at times and much cloudier than forecast. However, the winds were very light and plenty of us were out birding.
This morning the Red-breasted Goose was relocated by Steve Percival at Craigens and Greg Hughes reports a Marsh Harrier at Gruinart. On Loch Inmdaal I watched c.70 Common Scoter, 7 Long-tailed Duck, 10 Slavonian Grebes, 6 Red-throated and 2 Great Northern Divers from Black Rock, where a Brambling was heard flying over. A little later at Gartmain were 52 Whooper Swans, 6 Canada and 69 Brent Geese, 2 more Long-tailed Ducks, an adult pair of White-tailed Eagles and 26 Red-breasted Mergansers. We went on to The Oa RSPB reserve, where a juvenile Sparrowhawk dashed in to successfully snatch one of c.25 Twite at the feeders. Back at Port Ellen there were 34 Ringed Plovers on the beach in the bay and later in the afternoon we stopped again at the top of Loch Indaal near Bridgend where 680 Wigeon were counted along with a Little Egret.
The Little Egret was of interest because at the same time Clive Mc. at Gruinart was making another Islay record count of 13 Little Egrets - ours boosting it further to 14 birds on the island. Clive also added a further 16 Brent Geese at Gruinart to our 69 on Indaal and counted a substantial 1,100 Golden Plover present.
Mike Bell was active today too, finding 3 drake Pochard and 3 Goldeneye at the NE corner of Loch Gorm. At Gartbreck he found a Grey Plover and 2 Greenshank, while back at Gruinart, he also counted the same tally of Little Egrets, a juvenile Ruff, 9 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Greenshank, 940 Lapwing and got the Golden Plover total up to 1,720, with 2 Bullfinch on the woodland trail.
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