Wednesday 6th November

Another dull, overcast, but basically dry day with light winds and occasional attempts by the sun to break through the grey.

Ed B. started the day's reporting with 4 Pink-footed Geese on re-seeded fields at Ballivicar. Gary T. came in with a Kestrel over stubble fields at Newton and the usual White-tailed Eagle on Loch Indaal at Bridgend. Malcolm O. found a lone Pink-footed Goose at Ballinaby, apparently avoiding the company of nearby Barnacle and Greylag Geese.

Neil McMahon and the Naturetrek group spent all day in the field. Over on Jura, apart from plenty of Otters, they had 6 Great Northern Divers at Craighouse, 30 Lesser Redpolls south of Lussagiven, 25 Eiders and 2 more Great Northern Divers in the Sound of Islay. On Islay were a few of the usual divers, ducks and Black Guillemots off shore around Port Charlotte and Bruichladdich. They also had both eagle species and a Grey Plover, Greenshank and 5 Pink-footed Geese on Loch Indaal.

James H. had found single Jack Snipe, Bullfinch, Treecreeper and several Goldcrests on the RSPB Loch Gruinart reserve. I took a walk along Loch Indaal on the Gartbreck side finding a further Greenshank and a count of 75 Shags. I assume that these are likely to be different from the 160 I counted up at Ardnave a couple of days ago - and different from the sizeable group counted in Port Ellen Bay, suggesting a substantial number possibly over 300 on the island.