Tuesday 4th February 2025

Will Scott has once again produced the great majority of bird records. A Coot on Loch Skerrols is an uncommon bird, with rarely more than one or two seen each winter. Yet, in the early 1980s, as many as 50 were seen on a single loch. There were also 6 Goldeneye on the loch, while a Shelduck flew high to the NW and a male Hen Harrier also flew N. There was a single Pink-footed Goose with the Barnacle Geese north of Esknish and 10 Tufted Ducks on Loch Finlaggan, with two Crossbills in the trees close by. Looking across to Jura from Ardnahoe, Will spotted 4 White-tailed Eagles chasing each over on Jura. His flock of Fieldfares on Sunday weren't the only ones on the island, as 93 were foraging on the Gruinart Flats, there were 52 in fields near Loch Skerrols and 30 at Ardnave. This is many more than usually seen in winter. Also at Ardnave there were 41 Bar-tailed Godwits, 27+ Chough and an immature Golden Eagle.

Elsewhere on the island, Ed B. heard singing Mistle Thrushes at Cornabus and David W. saw an Iceland Gull flying over Giol on The Oa. Billy Stitchell in Caol Ila continues to attract birds to his garden feeders. For the past week, he's been feeding about 15-20 Goldfinches, was well as the "normal" Blue, Great and 2 Coal Tits, plus a few Siskins which he's not seen for a while. A Wren has apparently been checking the feeders (!) and 6 Dunnocks have been feeding on the spill from the feeder on the ground below. Meanwhile, two Bullfinches have been stripping the new growth in the garden.

Not on Islay, but certainly worth looking out for in the spring as the Barnacle Geese now in Ireland head north, is an albino Barnacle seen  last weekend in a flock of c.1000 at a haunt in the west of the country and reported to me by my good friend, Martin Enright. Such birds are very rare. I've not seen one as white as this for many years, though "washed-out" birds are seen a little more often.