Wednesday 10th, Thursday 11th & Friday 12th December

Three days of variable weather - some dry and sunny, but quite a lot more windy and raining.

I think all our visiting birders must have left and the resident birders are staying indoors as there have been no notes sent in at all other than from Ed B. today of a White-tailed Eagle chasing our precious Greenland White-fronted Geese as they came off their roost at Cornabus this morning. If only we could train the eagles to concentrate on Greylags and feral Canada Geese and leave the White-fronts alone!

Tuesday 9th December

 A very mild, but predictably nasty day with strong southerly winds and a fair bit of rain, but not becoming truly unpleasant until evening. No sightings came in until 9.30 this evening, when Ric Else and Hazel Watson who are making their first visit from Rathlin Island sent in their observations. Despite the appalling weather they seem to be enjoying themselves:

"We're over on Islay for a few days this week and have been enjoying your blog, which has been brilliant for inspiration and planning our visit. We live on Rathlin Island, from where we can see Islay every day, but this is the first time we've ever managed to make it over for a visit. We're glad to finally get to experience Islay ourselves and it's been fantastic so far!

Obviously the weather conditions today were a little challenging, but we were keen to get out and see what we could find. There's probably nothing particularly notable to local birders, but we were excited to see at least nine Choughs and a Hen Harrier around Machir Bay, and just as daylight faded we watched an adult White-tailed Eagle flying low over Loch Gruinart, putting up many thousands of geese as it went - exactly the scene we had imagined seeing here! Also Purple Sandpiper at Machir Bay and a Kestrel at Loch Gruinart.

We did encounter a few ringed birds during the course of the day:

• We see you have recently recorded White-fronted Goose CZY at Carnduncan, but it was there in the same place again today.
• Barnacle Geese Yellow H|US and White VTN (we think?) were both in fields near the road that runs along just south of Loch Gruinart.
• A Chough at Machir Bay had Yellow/Yellow colour rings on its right leg. We can't see the ring on its left leg in any of our photos, but perhaps it's identifiable from the partial combination?"

Sunday 7th & Monday 8th December

Thanks to Malcolm O. for blogging for me while I was away last week. I came back to Islay yesterday in moderate winds but heavy rain that had the roads flooded in places. Today was a little brighter, but the next two days look to be nasty with gale force winds from the south and south-west and more heavy rain. 

With weather like that it is not surprising that bird sightings have been few. The only note for yesterday was a count of 46 Brent Geese on the tideline just south of Blackrock as I drove home in the afternoon. Today Clive McK. reports 8 Long-tailed Ducks close to the Gaelic College near Bowmore in Loch Indaal.

Saturday 6th December  

A slightly better day, after 21 mm of rain fell at the Airport in the 24 hours up to 6am Saturday morning, with the gale having subsided. 

Only two observations were received, one from Steve Rogers who saw 2 Chough flying over Emerivale towards Port Ellen at 3.15pm. When I was first visiting Islay in the 1960s and 1970s, seeing Chough on the beach in front of Port Ellen was a regular occurrence, but back then The Oa was much more important for breeding Chough, using the many caves, than it is now.

The other was from Billy Stitchell who found 8 Bullfinches feeding on buds along a track in the forestry near Cluanach. Here's one of his photographs of one of the birds, which he admits is not a very good shot, but it shows the light conditions he had to work with.

 

Wednesday 3rd, Thursday 4th and Friday 5th December 

Wednesday was quite nice with some sunshine, Thursday had less sun and some rain, and Friday had rain and a south-east gale.

Three days without a single bird record being received is a bit depressing for your blog writer who doesn't want it to extend to four days, so has made up this entry with observations of his own. 

On Wednesday, I was out checking on Greenland White-fronted Goose flocks seeing how well they have bred this year which, thank goodness, is a little bit better than in the last few years, with the percentage of young in the flocks looked at so far averaging 13.5%. This is a considerable improvement on the last three years, which have been 3.3%, 2.3% and 3.9%, respectively, well below the level required to maintain the population numbers. The world population of this subspecies, which is only found in Scotland, Ireland and Wales (just a handful), in spring 2024 comprised just 15,043 individuals, the lowest since coordinated counts began in 1982, down by an alarming 16.6% compared to the 18,027 counted spring 2023, a reduction of 30.0% compared to spring 2019 and down 57.7% from the peak population count in spring 1999. Habitat loss, competition with other geese on the Greenland breeding grounds and climate change are all playing a part. (Thanks to Tony Fox and Ian Francis of the Greenland White-fronted Goose Study for these figures.)

Still with Greenland Whitefronts, I was pleased to read three neck collars at Carnduncan, CZJ, CZY and V3C. The first two were caught and marked at Ballinaby in winter 2018/19 and have been seen here in subsequent winters, though were not spotted last winter, so it is good to know that they both are still alive.  V3C was also not seen last winter, but this is a more interesting bird in that it was ringed at Loch Ken in Dumfries and Galloway as long ago as winter 2008/9, where it was seen in 2009/10 before moving to Islay in 2010/11 and coming here every winter since.

Finally, I spread bird seed on the small lawn in my front garden and in front of my office window. I feed a lot of House Sparrows and took this photo on Friday morning. It isn't pin sharp because taken through the window, but there are 70+ visible, plus a few Chaffinches and some more obvious Starlings. 

 

 

Tuesday 2nd December 

A dry day with some sunshine but also a strong south-east wind.

Just one record received today, but an interesting one of a Water Rail seen by Mary McR. crossing the road just south of Bruichladdich, dodging the traffic to move from the marshy ground on the shore side of the road presumably heading to the ponds behind Shorefield house. The vast majority of records of this species come from the Gruinart area where up to 10 birds can be heard calling in the spring. This was for long thought to be the only regular breeding place, but in 2003 Clive McK. used recorded calls to try to elicit responses from birds at night, when they are most active and vocal. Noting that the main habitat for them on the island was Phragmites (Common Reed), but also swampy areas around small lochans and even overgrown ditches, Clive considered that there could be as many as 50-70 pairs on the island. As this was over 20 years ago, if anyone wants an interesting project for next spring, then repeating Clive's survey would certainly be one.

Here's a Gordon Langsbury photograph of this very attractive, but rather secretive bird.

 

Monday 1st December 

Apparently the meteorological first day of winter, it was bright and a bit breezy and reasonably mild.

Only two bird observations were received, but both of interest, being a Little Egret at Loch Kinnabus seen by David D., and a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Cornbus reported by Ed B., neither exactly regular at those localities. 

Sunday 30th November 

Another nice day of sunshine but with quite a number of showers, mostly short-lived, then rain arriving in the evening with 13 mm by midnight at the airport.

Yesterday's report ended with sightings of two White-tailed Eagles flying across the Sound to Jura, and this one opens with another juvenile seen doing so by Gary T., who then found the reason for this movement when he spotted no less than four birds feeding on something tasty on the shore just north of Inver Cottage. There was also a Golden Eagle flying over the moorland behind.

Gary then moved to Finlaggan and found Crossbills feeding in the trees around Finlaggan House as well as two otters in the Loch.

Mike and Helen Boothman have ended their holiday here and tried to make us jealous with sightings of Ptarmigan and Black Grouse in Perthshire today. Nice try, guys, glad you enjoyed your stay and thanks for your records.

Following my sighting of a very large flock of Stock Doves on Friday at Cluanach, today, just over a mile away at Cattadale, Billy Stitchell found over 100 on a stubble field with several of them taking advantage of the nearby burn to have a bathe.

 

 

 

Saturday 29th November 

A dry day with light winds for a change.

Mike Boothman was at Ardnave in the morning and found two Snow Buntings on the track before the kissing gate and commented on their beautiful markings, while a little later Jonathan Dolbear spotted a White-tailed Eagle out on the flats at the head of Loch Gruinart.

A very interesting observation came from Ed B. of a leucistic Barnacle Goose at Cornabus. He thought it was probably the same one which was here last winter as a juvenile. As it is reasonably distinctive, has it recently arrived from somewhere else or just been difficult to see in a large flock?

About lunchtime, visitor Helen saw a male Hen Harrier head north past Lyrabus, commenting that it was nice being able to watch it while consuming coffee and cake! 

In the afternoon, Mike Boothman saw 4 Long-tailed Ducks on Loch Indaal, east of Blackrock, while Gary T. saw a Kestrel on the east side of Loch Finlaggan. Kestrels have declined as a breeding species over the last few decades, as there were at least 10-12 pairs breeding in the 1970s-1990s, but the best estimate nowadays is about 5-10. All records are welcome, please.

Jonathan was at Port Askaig and saw two White-tailed Eagles, one a juvenile, flying over the Sound to Jura.

The late Gordon Langsbury took this splendid photo of a hovering Kestrel.

 

Friday 28th November 

The overnight southwest gale and a few heavy squalls continued all morning, gradually moderating in the afternoon. The ferry and the plane stayed at home in the morning, but birders were out.

Mike Boothman was in the southeast in the morning seeing a ring-tail Hen Harrier at Ardilistry and he also flushed a woodcock from woods near Ardmore House. I was driving the Glen Road and near Cluanach counted a flock of c.520 Rock Doves in a grass field, along with some sheep and 83 Greenland Whitefronts. The Rock Doves were feeding in a tight flock in the shelter of some trees and my count was a minimum because of the lie of the ground. The field was fairly shaggy and the doves were presumably feeding on grass and other seeds which must have been quite plentiful. This is one of the larger flocks recorded on the island, beaten by 800 and 600 in 2007, with the 800 at the same location. There is no estimate of how many pairs breed on Islay, but this number suggests a gathering from a considerable part of the island.

Just before midday, Clive McK counted 61 Curlew, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and 1 Black-tailed Godwit feeding on pasture at Garra-Eallabus on the side of Loch Gruinart, noting that one of the Curlew had a droopy left wing and was presumably the same bird which was present in the area all last winter.

In the early afternoon, Mike Boothman was still near Ardmore House, at Port Mor (not the one on the Rinns), watching a Great Northern Diver, a Black Guillemot and 2 female Goldeneye, also seeing another Woodcock. Jonathan Dolbear at the same site a little later on reported that the diver was accompanied by an otter!

The choice of a photograph for today is a pretty obvious one, taken by Gordon Langsbury.

 

Thursday 27th November

The southwest wind steadily increased during the day, reaching gale force and accompanied by squally showers.

A female Brambling was seen by Gary T. in a flock of Chaffinches at Carnain, and David D. reported that the one seen by him at Kinnabus was still there today. The majority of Islay records are of ones and twos, with flocks of over 10 quite rare. One assumes that they leave Scandinavia and cross the North Sea in flocks but then must split up as they cross Scotland. Gary also saw 30 Light-belled Brent Geese at Carnain with a further 10 along at Blackrock.

Jonathan Dolbear was in the Gruinart/Ardnave area and saw a single White-tailed Eagle out on the sand, and also a single Gannet flying over Eilean Beag, off the west coast southwest of Nave Island.

Wednesday 26th November

Breezy from the SW with overcast and rainy conditions all day and some nasty windy weather forecast for the next couple of days.

Louise Muir found a Purple Sandpiper at Crackaig, Jura this morning - remarkably, this is only the 7th documented record of the species for Jura!

There were Bramblings noted by David D. at Kinnabus and Billy Stitchell at Caol Ila. Jonathan Dolbear had 2 White-tailed Eagles at the top of Loch Indaal at Whin Park then another 3 on a kill in front of the Visitor centre at RSPB Loch Gruinart.

Tuesday 25th November

A bright and sunny day with very light breezes.

A variety of bird reports from across the island today, starting with a Yellowhammer at Kinnabus on The Oa seen by David. D. Michael Boothman was watching Loch Indaal in lovely calm conditions off Blackrock and found a total of 19 Long-tailed Ducks, while down at Bruichladdich I watched a group of winter-plumaged Black Guillemots by their home at the pier. Michael was later over at The Oa and had 14 Twite at the RSPB Car Park where they enjoy the bird feeders. Jonathan Dolbear was up at Gruinart watching a young and 2 adult White-tailed Eagles near to the RSPB hides and Golden Eagles at Killinallan and Saligo. Final notes came in from James H. with a Jack Snipe seen at Gruinart this evening and from Clive McK. who had a Barn Owl at Creag Mhor.

Monday 24th November

 A quite pleasant dry and sunny day with light to moderate winds.

Jonathan Dolbear saw the Red Kite again on the Kilchoman side of Loch Gorm in the morning. I popped out to try and find it but it had moved on - a flushed Woodcock at Ballinaby was the consolation prize. Later Jonathan was at the Ardnave end of Loch Gruinart where he counted 5 immature White-tailed Eagles - the beginning perhaps of an almost expected winter influx to Islay of birds from other areas of Scotland to feast on geese - or is it just the local young getting together? The fact that one was on a kill may account for the concentration of birds.

Michael Boothman was also over at Ballinaby and counted a flock of 30 Redwing and Fieldfares.

I was called out to Port Charlotte in the morning to see a couple of mystery waterfowl sat on the sea just 100m offshore. We've had a few odd looking geese reported over the past few months and this pair join the top of the list of  feral/hybrid weirdos, with both sporting odd bumps of feathers on top of their heads:

Sunday 23rd November

A rainy, grey and cool day with light winds, with very little bird news to report.

Jonathan Dolbear had 2 White-tailed Eagles over Machir Bay in the morning, Helen Boothman seeing another at Gruinart in the afternoon along with 2 male Hen Harriers. At Blackrock she found 6 Twite, 16 Brent Geese and 8 Common Scoter. Clive McK. finished the day's sightings with a Short-eared Owl over the Gruinart to Ardnave road.

 

Saturday 22nd November

Mild again with drizzly weather from the SW.

Mary Ann Featherstone sent in a note of a Magpie seen up at Kildalton on 19th November.

Clive McK. noted a gathering of feeding thrushes - 20 Redwings, 11 Blackbirds and 4 Song Thrushes - on newly flooded fields at Creag Mhor and had a family of 4 Whooper Swans flying in over Loch Gruinart.

Martin A. found one of the Red Kites over the High Road near Duich Lots and Ed B. found a Jack Snipe at Cornabus. Fiona McG. made a count of 16 Snipe off the Shorefield pools at Bruichladdich and visitor Jonathan Dolbear found one of the Snow Buntings up at Ardnave.

Friday 21st November

Slightly milder today with winds at times from the SW. Scattered light rain between sunnier spells.

Rob Leslie, visiting Islay again noted a Barn Owl along the road between Bridgend and Bowmore last night. This morning he found the Kingfisher, 27 Brent Geese and a White-tailed Eagle at the top of Loch Indaal near Gartnatra and was up at Ardnave later where he counted 10+ Choughs, a Hen Harrier and the 2 Snow Buntings with a sighting of the Cackling Goose at the turn-off to Killinallan - the same bird also seen by Clive McK. a little further up the road at Craigens. Steve & Lyn Rogers had another White-tailed Eagle over at Kilnaughton. David D. watched a pair of Golden Eagles hunting Pheasants on The Oa with a third, young eagle chased off by the pair. Martin Armstrong had a Water Rail at Nerabus with Pat Jackson seeing another by the River Sorn in Bridgend Woods.

Gary T. was out at Finlaggan and Mulreesh and got "Bird(s) of The Day" when he found 2 Red Kites, which corroborates Marcus Covell's report of one a couple of days ago - the first sightings this year I believe.

Thursday 20th November

Another cold day with frost and wintry showers overnight, but clear and sunny for much of the day.

Morven Laurie of NatureScot kindly sent in the first international count of geese for the season carried out on 18/19 November. The totals were 33,307 Barnacle Geese, 5,157 White-fronted Geese and 1,442 Greylags.

The only other bird news today came from Gary T. who found the 3 Snow Buntings up at Ardnave (photo below). They were with a Reed Bunting and flushed by a passing Hen Harrier. There was also a Golden Eagle seen.

Tuesday 18th & Wednesday 19th November

Two days of mostly moderate northerly winds with sunshine interspersed with cold wintery showers. Wednesday's precipitation turning at times into hail and even very light snow flurries.

The only bird news yesterday came from James H. reporting2 White-tailed Eagles at Gruinart, 2 Golden Eagles at Killinallan and 3 Snow Buntings at Ardnave.

Today Mary R. found an adult and young Whooper Swan on the beach at Currie Sands, Claddach. This is an unusual habitat and possibly due to them having just arrived exhausted from Iceland where apparently there are still plenty of the species waiting to make their way south. Ed B. had 4 Pink-footed Geese with Greenland White-fronts at Cornabus, while James H. upped his Golden Eagle tally at Killinallan to 3 today along with another at Gruinart and 2 White-tailed Eagles as well as the 3 Snow Buntings still at Ardnave.

Monday 17th November

Sunny and calm for much of the day, with a little cloud and rain coming in by late afternoon.

Louise M. reports a Crossbill at Sanaig Wood on Jura this morning. David D. had a Merlin at RSPB The Oa car park, and Clive McK. looked out on a millpond flat sea from Blackrock on Loch Indaal this afternoon where he counted 17 Long-tailed Ducks.

Sunday 16th November

A bright, fairly calm sunny and dry day today until a bit of cloud and rain set in for a while in late afternoon.

Marcus Covell sent in a note for Friday reporting a Red Kite at the Woollen Mill and two adult White-tailed Eagles at Dun Nosebridge.

Robbie Brookes was out pre-dawn/sunrise and found 2 Woodcock on the roadside at Lyrabus and 3 more on the RSPB  Woodland Trail.  Later he had the exciting sight of a White-tailed Eagle take a Barnacle Goose on the flats at Gruinart. 

My birding friends Alan and Margaret Heavisides left Islay today, but had time to check out the calm waters of Loch Indaal on their way to the ferry this morning finding 10+ Slavonian Grebes, 15 Long-tailed Ducks, 12 Red-throated Divers and 80 Common Scoter.

Saturday 15th November

 A strong, cold easterly wind, but dry and mostly bright and sunny.

Additional news from yesterday comes from Laura Edwards-White who saw an Arctic Tern up at Killinallan - the latest record ever for Islay and the bird behaving oddly in the windy weather, apparently feeding over flooded fields. Robbie Brookes sent in a photo of his Canada Goose from yesterday, which as, he remarked the Cackling Goose. There was also a count of 24 Whooper Swans at Loch Gruinart.

Stuart Ainsworth was the The Oa RSPB reserve and counted 25 Twite at the feeders, a Golden Eagle overhead (photos below) and 2 Snow Buntings.

Today's sightings kicked off with Robbie Brookes seeing a Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle and Merlin up at Kilnave. I was out with friends and also had quite a run of raptors in our journey around the Rhinns: Merlins at Loch Gorm and Ardnave, Peregrine at Kilnave, a couple of adult White-tailed Eagles at Loch Gorm and a juvenile at Kilnave along with a Hen Harrier. Mary R. had another Hen Harrier near Bowmore while Paul Nurden saw another White-tailed Eagle at Claddach "stalking" Whooper Swans (Photo below). Laura had anotehr Golden Eagle being mobbed by Peregrine  and Buzzard over Braigo and Barn Owl and Hen Harrier at Coullabus.

We finished the day at Gartnatra where 27 Brent Geese were floating about on the tide. Robbie finished with a Woodcock over the road at Lagavulin at dusk.

Friday 14th November

 A lovely, bright and sunny day with no rain - but with winds from the north and east it was distinctly colder with a light to moderate wind causing further chill.

Louise Muir reported "a fall" of Woodcock on Jura yesterday with "lots" in the Sanaig forest this morning - I wonder how many?

Laura Edwards-White found Chough, Hen Harrier and 2 Kestrels up at Kilchoman church and crags this morning, while Robbie Brookes found a Canada Goose at Gruinart near the Killinallan turn-off plus Merlin and 2 Buzzards. He also counted 50+ Fieldfares along the Bunnahabhain road and a Greenshank at Bridgend.

I was out birding with friends at Loch Gruinart this morning and found the usual suspects - adult White-tailed Eagle, single Little Egret, 3-4 Greenshank, 20 Shelduck, 4 Black-tailed Godwits and searched hard among the Barnies for anything unusual but had no luck - though there was a very odd pale-headed, pink/orange-legged goose hanging out with the Barnies looking like some nasty hybrid! Less usual was a juv Long-tailed Duck - not common in this location. This afternoon we went to Loch Skerrols where the IW Ring-necked duck showed quite well in a choppy loch with 60 Tufted Ducks. Up at Bridgend were 1,220 Golden Plovers out on the sand flats.

Thursday 13th November

Unpleasant weather in the morning with stronger winds from the north, and plenty of rain. A little brighter in the afternoon. With the weather as it was, it is no surprise that bird sightings were down today:

Mary R. watched a young White-tailed Eagle feeding on a dead Whooper Swan at Portnahaven this morning. Stuart Ainsworth had a couple of Razorbills off Bruichladdich, Then a pair of Hen Harriers at Ballinaby early afternoon, plus a male near Craigens late afternoon. He also found 4 Goldeneye (3 male) on Loch Skerrols, but didn't manage to see the 1W Ring-necked Duck that was there again this morning. Keith & Rosie Barnes had a Golden Eagle on a recently killed goose near Machir Bay and Nick  Skilbeck had another at Finlaggan. Jacob New found the Cackling Goose on the Gruinart Flats and finally James how had a Snow Bunting on the road between Gruinart and Loch Gorm.

Below - a photo courtesy of Stuart Ainsworth of a fine drake Eider resting on a rock in a choppy sea today.

Wednesday 12th November

A day of varied weather - overcast with persistent drizzle between brighter sunny drier spells. Light winds throughout.

With quite a lot of visiting birders on Islay at the moment, the weather didn't put people off venturing out. Stuart Ainsworth found 3 Grey Plovers at Loch Indaal first thing and a/the Cackling Goose near to Gruinart House. Robbie Brookes noted a White-tailed Eagle near Bowmore and a couple of Little Egrets and a Sparrowhawk at Gruinart. Clive McK. counted a substantial flock of 2,000 or more Golden Plover at Gruinart, plus 380 Lapwings and a Merlin. Georgia Platt had 3 Snow Buntings at The American Monument on The Oa, while Clive McK. saw 4 more near Blackrock on Loch Indaal. Richard Lamb had a Golden Eagle at Kintra and Barn Owl at Glenegedale. 

But it turned out to something of a "red letter" day, with Keith & Rosie Barnes recording a Red-necked Grebe near Blackrock, Laura Edwards-White reporting a female Ring-necked Duck on Loch Skerrols and Will Miles and Martin Culshaw finding a Red-breasted Flycatcher at Portnahaven - all of these are a locally very scarce species. Trumping these exciting finds was a report of a juvenile ELEONORA'S FALCON over Gruinart, seen by Will Miles and Martin Culshaw. I believe this would be a first record for Argyll. Possibly the same bird was seen by Andy Cox later on.

Needless to say, all of the rarer species in bold above require descriptions to confirm their identity if they are to be accepted into the annals of birding history! The grebe, duck and flycatcher descriptions are required by Argyll Bird Club as regional rarities (email to: abcrecorder@outlook.com). The Falcon and Goose are national rarities and so detailed descriptions are needed by British Birds Rarities Committee. So please make the effort to submit notes otherwise these excellent sightings will be lost. 

Tuesday 11th November

A mostly overcast, grey and rainy day with moderate southerly breezes.

Stuart Ainsworth started things this morning with a Brent goose associating with the Barnies on the fields at Gruinart. The Worcestershire & Malvern RSPB group are visiting and sent in a long list of birds seen including a Pink-footed Goose and a couple of White-tailed Eagles on Loch Indaal at Bridgend. At Gruinart they found the Green-winged Teal, a couple of Grey Plovers, and single Greenshank and Black-throated Diver, 2 more White-tailed Eagles and a Golden Eagle on the hills above. The most unusual record was an Arctic Tern (photo below) - there have been only two other November records on Islay and this is the latest. Back at Blackrock were 5 Long-tailed Ducks and 50 Brent Geese. The group took a number of good photos credited to Paul Nurden.

And these thanks to Stuart Ainsworth:

Monday 10th November

Back to grey skies and rain today this morning, but a little brighter in the afternoon with light winds and still quite mild.

Early this morning Mary R. was watching a Barn Owl at Claddach. By midday Stuart Ainsworth had found the Cackling Goose on the Gruinart RSPB reserve. David D. had a Brambling and a Merlin at Kinnabus and Stuart had found a lone Pink-footed Goose near Ballinaby (photo below).

Stuart watched at Blackrock after that and counted 2 Slavonian Grebes, 5 Long-tailed Ducks, 30 Dunlin, 15 Common Scoter and a couple of Gannets. Over at Gartbreck Mike Taylor had another Merlin and a young Hen Harrier.

Sunday 9th November

 A pleasant dry and fairly sunny day with a SW breeze, but still quite mild.

Reports came in yesterday from Malcolm O. of a trio of tagged/marked Greenland White-fronted Geese seen at Octovulin. All three had been ringed on Islay in the winter of 2015/16 and have been seen just about each winter since in more or less the same location.

It has been a busy day today with lots of visiting birders joining the WhatsApp group and covering different parts of the island. Frank Cavanagh reported a European White-fronted Goose on Gruinart Flats - this is a very much less often race of the species here on Islay. David d. had a Merlin hunting thrushes at The Oa car park amid good arrival of winter thrushes on The Oa today. Ed B. had a Brent Goose inland with Barnacle Geese at Cornabus. Laura Edwards also saw a/the Merlin at The Oa plus 2 Golden Eagles at Kilchoman and a total of 4 Hen Harriers and a Woodcock on the edge of Loch Gorm. Emilie Shuttlewood went up to Ardnave Point and found a Grey Plover another Hen Harrier and a Woodcock, while Stuart Ainsworth was also walked to Ardnave Point and counted 16 Choughs. Fiona McG. had a further 8 Choughs at Port Wemyss. Stuart also took a photo of a Canada Goose close to the RSPB Gruinart Visitor Centre, which Steve Percival reckons is the Cackling Goose.

Steve & Lyn Rogers did their regular WeBS count at Loch an t-Salein finding amongst other things 6 Red-breasted Mergansers, 12 Wigeon, 111 Greylag Geese and a Little Grebe. They also had a late Blackcap at their feeder in Emerivale, Kilnaughton.

Our much appreciated resident wildlife photographer Billy Stitchell sent in a few photos taken while out in yesterday's good weather:

Saturday 8th November

A pleasant, dry, mild and sunny day.

Bird of the Day goes to Frank Cavanmagh who found a female Black Redstart this morning at Crosshouses.

Stuart Ainsworth had a Water Rail near Bridgend this morning. Gary T. was watching the birds coming and going from his feeders at Ballygrant (seeing a good count of 13 Coal Tits there yesterday, 7 Bullfinches nearby today and several ringed birds coming in to feed and wondering where they are from. He also had a Kestrel nearby. Frank reported "thousands" of Golden Plover on the flats at Loch Gruinart and later found a Canada Goose close to Craigens that was probably the "Lesser" Canada Goose that has been observed by Steve Percival recently. This evening, David D. had a Woodcock at Cragabus.

Friday 7th November

 Intermittent light rain, light winds and cloud all day.

All the birding news came from this morning:

Gary Turnbull went from Balulive to Finlaggan and had a raptor-fest: 3 Buzzards, 1 White-tailed Eagle, 1 Golden Eagle, 2 Hen Harriers and a Kestrel. Steve Percival was at Ballinaby and found the Lesser Canada Goose there again.

Thursday 6th November

Mild and mostly dry with light winds, but a lot of cloud.

The Red-breasted Goose was located again today by Steve Percival. This time it had gone to fields up by Grainel, near the RSPB Visitor Centre.

Gary T. was on the shores of Loch Indaal and noted a Sparrowhawk hunting the Chaffinch and Twite flocks at Carnain and a total of 16 Shelduck off Whin Park.

Wednesday 5th November

After a pleasant day's weather yesterday it was back to overcast with a lot of steady rain again today - though still quite mild with light winds.

Birding news was limited, though the Red-breasted goose was relocated on the flats at Craigens, firstly by Steve Percival in mid-morning then, still in the same place in the afternoon, by others. Hilary Jordan reports 3 Long-tailed Ducks, 20 Common Scoter a few Red-throated Divers and Slavonian Grebes off Blackrock in the late afternoon.

Tuesday 4th November

At last a dry, mild and quite sunny day with light winds - a pleasure to be out!

Steve Percival was out, presumably checking Barnacle Goose colour rings, and came across the Red-breasted Goose near Crosshouses/Blackrock. The bird was first found on 18th October but not seen since, despite there being plenty of birders in the field. Good to know it is still making Islay its winter home!

Elsewhere, David Wood saw a Short-eared Owl at Glen Astle.

Monday 3rd November

Another mainly grey, cloudy and rainy day - just a few breaks of dry with sunshine, but very mild with light to moderate mainly southerly winds.

Ed Burrell was out after dark finding his first few Woodcock around the forestry on The Oa. Mary Redman had a flock of 10+ Long-tailed Tits and a Merlin  at Easter Ellister plus 3 Choughs and a Raven at Octofad.

Sunday 2nd November

Mostly cloudy, cool, with a SSW breeze and rain showers throughout the day.

The Naturetrek group with Neil McMahon departed today, the final reports being 2 Red-throated Divers still close-in at Port Charlotte and 11 Whooper Swans at Kilnaughton Bay - different birds to the 9 I saw flying south down the middle of Loch Indaal at Port Charlotte at lunchtime. Steve Percival reports a Cackling Goose at Leek, while Calum Urquhart noted a Todd's Canada Goose and Pink-footed Goose at Sunderland Farm. Mary R. had 2 Brent Geese near Bowmore. 

Val P. ands I spent some time at Loch Gruinart in the afternoon with a high tide pushing the birds off the flats. The Green-winged Teal was again visible from the N. Hide. Between there, the S. Hide and Craigens there was a total of 33 Whooper Swans including a couple of adults with seemingly 6 cygnets. 6 Little Egrets were scattered across the area, several Hen Harriers and a couple of White-tailed Eagles occasionally spooked all the waders including 350 Golden Plover at Craigens where there were at least 60 Redwings. The RSPB floods held 110 Pintail, 10 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Greenshanks and 30+ Snipe as well as uncounted large numbers of Lapwing, Teal, Curlew and Redshank.

Billy Stitchell was out with his camera today and noted a flock of about 30 Redwing & Fieldfare and a few Starlings at Cluanach - photos below.

Friday 31st October & Saturday 1st November

The weather on the 31st wasn't quite as unpleasant as the day before - just cool, damp, with a moderate breeze from the south and rain showers at times. The 1st was slightly better again, with a bit of sunshine and calmer weather, though still damp at times and becoming colder and blustery by late afternoon.

Friday was Mike Hill's last day on the island finding a final look at a White-tailed Eagle harassing the geese a Gruinart and several small groups of Fieldfare between Gruinart and Kilchoman. Thanks to him for his records while here. 

Sophie Jackson had a Golden Eagle at Ballinaby and a Merlin near Sanaigmore as well as "lots" of Little Egrets at Gruinart. Hannah Stanger had a Water Rail flushed from a ditch near Kinnabus.

Neil McMahon was returning with a second Naturetrek group, seeing many Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills plus a few Gannets and single Puffin on the crossing. As they approached the Sound of Islay there was a White-tailed Eagle over Jura and 12 Whooper Swans flying south high overhead.

Today Neil's group reported 2 Red-throated Divers, a Razorbill and several Guillemots off Port Charlotte early this morning, along with an Otter. Later, at Bowmore were 5 Common Scoter close in plus 12 Brent Geese and 6+ Yellowhammers behind the Round Church. Ed Burrell watched a pair of White-tailed Eagles take down a goose at Cornabus and Steve Percival notes a Cackling Goose with Barnacle Geese at Nerabus.

I checked some of the freshwater lochs for ducks this afternoon, finding 65 Tufted Ducks, 2 female Scaup, 3 drake Pochards and 3 female Goldeneye on Loch Skerrols, but found Lochs Ballygrant and  Nan Cadhan completely duck-free! Loch Gorm wasn't much better - just 5 Cormorants, 3 female Goldeneye and 5 Shelducks, which suggests that the Tufties move between lochs according to weather and feeding conditions as there were quite a few on Loch Gorm a week ago. On a recently cut/failed crop of Barley at Sunderland there were 140 Common Gulls, 50 Herring Gulls, 20 Black-headed Gulls, 180 Jackdaws and 45 Rooks (but only 2 Hoodies!) all feeding on the stubbles and waste.

Neil and his group went up to Ardnave Point braving the sometimes squally showers and saw the following: 2 Hen Harriers, 18 Chough, 10 Twite, 2 Snow Buntings, 5 Grey Plovers, 40 Sanderlings and a steady stream of Kittiwakes and Gannets offshore. On the return they noticed 15 Whooper Swans near the RSPB Visitor Centre at Gruinart.

Neil kindly sent in these photos of the Snow Buntings seen: