Friday 30th & Saturday 31st May

Two further days of SW breezes bringing in changeable, but not unpleasant weather -long sunny periods broken by occasional dark cloudy spells and sometimes quite heavy rain showers.

Yesterday Mary-Ann Featherstone reported on successful hatching of 5 cygnets to her regular Mute Swan pair at Kildalton. commenting that it is the first time in 7 years that they have got this far in the breeding cycle. These confirmed breeding records of any species are always valuable for the database.

Mary also sent in a great photo of a Golden-ringed Dragonfly which she had seen on her home territory - and as bird news is sparse, it is a good opportunity to include it hear to brighten up the blog!

Today's only sightings comes from Tom Gifford who watched an Osprey perched on a telegraph pole near Loch gorm having caught itself a fish: and from Malcolm O. who reports that, what is presumably the now fairly long-staying Magpie, has been seen at Glenmachrie near the airport. It was seen to take an Oystercatcher chick.

Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 27th, 28th & 29th May

The weather now in a more typical pattern of sunny spells with showers, or, today, overcast and damp with light drizzly rain. Temperatures a lot more moderate and a light to fair SW breeze.

There were no bird sightings reported on Tuesday or today. Yesterday provided a single note concerning a slightly "extralimital", but interesting report from David Jardine of 16 Great Northern Divers on the ferry between Colonsay and Port Askaig with 23 Black Guillemots counted in the sound of Islay.

Monday 26th May

 Some heavy periods of rain on and off al day between some sunshine and clouds.

The only bird news comes from Ed B. who had a rather late Pink-footed Goose with Greylags over at Cornabus today.

Sunday 25th May

A few intermittent, squally showers with this SW airstream, but otherwise bright and sunny - as is expected when it is the Sunday of Feis Ile and Bruichladdich have their open day.

The only bird news came from Clive McK. who had a good look around lochs Gruinart and Indaal today without finding very much other than 11 Whimbrel at Gartbreck and a hunting White-tailed Eagle at Gruinart.

Saturday 24th May

Rain overnight and into the morning gave way to a sunnier afternoon, but it clouded over again by early evening and drizzled some more with a light SW wind sure to bring more unsettled weather to us over the next few days.

A little bit of bird news for you today:

Gary T. saw a couple of Common Scoter on Loch Gorm and a Whinchat on the shore there. Mary Redman noted a trio of fledged Ravens down at Currie Sands, Portnahaven, while Clive McK. had 4 Little Terns, 53 Oystercatcher and 45 Ringed Plovers up at Gruinart. "Bird of the Day" goes to Ed B. who found a Magpie at Cornabus - quite likely to be the same individual that has been seen in a few different places on the island over the past wee while.

After my recent note asking for details on Sand Martin colonies on Islay, David Livingstone sent in a note of a new colony at Kilnaughton produced by recent erosion of the shoreline:

Thursday 22nd & Friday 23rd May

The sunny, dry weather continued into Thursday, though with a cooler breeze and more cloud showing at times. Finally, on Friday, the weather broke, with solid cloud and some lovely light refreshing rain. The wetter weather has come just in time to rain all next week when Feis Ile is on!

The only bird notes in for Thursday were from Hedley Wright who found Hen Harriers at Blackrock, Loch Tallant and Mull of Oa.

Today, Gary T. also saw Hen Harriers - two of them over Ballygrant, plus a Great Spotted Woodpecker flying across the road - also near Ballygrant.

Later on Hedley noted a Golden Eagle at Kilchoman and Clive McK. had the year's first Arctic Skua (dark phase) north over Loch Gruinart.

Billy Stitchell sent in a couple of fine photos of his resident Bullfinch male up at Caol Ila, which he thinks is nesting nearby.

Wednesday 21st May

A cooler breeze today, but still bright, dry and sunny - though there is a promise of rain by the coming weekend.

My day started early (midnight to be precise) as several of us carried out the first of 3 Corn Crake surveys over Islay from midnight to 3am. I covered the northern part of the Rhinns from north of Bruichladdich down to just south of Port Charlotte and heard three calling birds.

The only other bird news today is supplied by Hedley Wright who counted 12 Black Guillemots at Port Askaig and a Hen Harrier over Loch Gorm.

I wandered up to Killinallan and noted a small Sand Martin colony (c.15 holes) in a sand bank in the dunes - I expect there are several others and I'll try and find the time to look further here and in other locations I know they are present. It would be useful to hear of other colonies that are dotted about Islay - please let the blog know if you come across any.

Tuesday 20th May

Perhaps not quite as warm as some of the previous days, but still dry, bright and sunny throughout, with a light breeze.

Gary T. reported an Osprey being chased by corvids at Loch nan Cadhan near Lily Loch this morning. Hedley Wright found a male Hen Harrier near Kilchoman distillery and 4 Whimbrel near Bruichladdich this evening.

Monday 19th May

A slight change in the weather today! Still dry and sunny, but there was a stronger breeze and some occasional spells of quite stormy looking cloud cover.

The only bird note for today was a Swift over the moorland trail at Gruinart seen by James H. this morning.

Hedley Wright saw a male Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly today, also noted yesterday by David D. along with other records of interesting butterflies, damsel and dragonflies.

Sunday 18th May

 Weather? - "same old" - unrelenting sunshine, light breezes and heat.

Yesterday, up at Ardnave Clive McK. had a good count of 120 Bar-tailed Godwits, while Hedley Wright found a lone Whimbrel in the same area today.

Many thanks to Martin Harris who had his last day birding on Islay today and sent in a few more records:

In the Sound of Jura between Feolin Ferry and Port Askaig: 3 Great Northern Divers including 2 stunning adults, plus 1 Red-throated Diver. On The Oa: 2 Golden Eagles, 3 Wheatears. 2 Ravens with chicks in a nest on the cliffs  near the American Monument. Kilnaughton Bay and Singing Sands: 2 White-tailed Eagles overhead including an immature bird and rarest bird of the day - a Magpie towards the lighthouse.

This morning Martin A. reported on a good walk along the woodland tracks at Avenvogie with lots of singing from the breeding birds - Willow Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat along with Redpolls, Bullfinch and 4 Cuckoos.

Down at Port Charlotte this morning I found 7 Red-throated Divers feeding offshore.

Saturday 17th May

Hot, dry, sunny, light breeze - perfect!

Some additional records for yesterday from Martin Harris who had a Red-throated diver off Port Mhor in the early evening then found a drake Garganey at RSPB Gruinart from the South Hide later in the evening along with 20+ Black-tailed Godwits.

Today, Martin noted an adult White-tailed Eagle and 9 Black Guillemots at Port Askaig. Clive McK. had his first Spotted Flycatcher for his garden this year up at Creag Mhor and newly arrived visitor Hedley Wright was pleased to find 13 Choughs at Machir Bay.

I checked out the lochs at Ballygrant, nan Cadhan and Skerrols today but found all very quiet indeed, though all held nesting Mute Swans - a pair on a nest at Skerrols, a brood of  9 cygnets on nan Cadhan and 5 cygnets at Ballygrant, where Goldcrest was singing in the woodland.

Over on Jura, Louise Muir saw a Woodcock at Craighouse.

Friday 16th May

 The heatwave continues...........

Martin Harris sent in the following selection of sightings: At Blackrock and the nearby beach were 16 Dunlin. At Rubha Ban there was an adult White-tailed Eagle and a pair of Shelduck with young. Up at Bunnahabhain were 3 Eider, 3 Black Guillemots and 2 Willow Warblers. Sitting for an hour at Port Mhor this morning produced, amongst other things, 11 Common Gull, 1 Great black-backed Gull, 8 Arctic Terns, 3 Stonechats, single Dunnock, Cuckoo and Sedge Warbler, a couple of Buzzards, a passing Gannet, plus Linnets, House Martins, Starlings, plus 9 Golden Plovers flying past.

David Livingston sent in a couple of classic spring photos of our breeding birds:

A female Mallard with ducklings at Kilnaughton Bay

A Lapwing chick on the road down to the Machrie Hotel & Golf Course

Thursday 15th May

Slightly cooler today with a breeze from a more northerly direction, but still dry and sunny.

Martin Harris sent in a few interesting and useful records from the last three days:

Tuesday 13th - a Tawny Owl calling over at Kildalton.

Wednesday 14th - singing Stonechat and Sedge Warbler at Port Mhor with 9 Common Scoter offshore.

Today - 2 Golden Eagles and 2 Hen Harriers on the RSPB Gruinart moorland trail. Lapwing with chicks at the South Hide where Grey Heron, Shoveler, Snipe drumming and Sedge Warblers sang. Up at Ardnave he counted 24 Whimbrel, 6 Chough, plus Wheatears, Snipe and of course, many Meadow Pipits and Skylarks.

I spent a large part of the day on The Oa, with a good chunk of the time looking for yesterday's Woodchat Shrike with no luck. However, it was a fine day to be out, I saw my first Whinchats and Spotted Flycatchers of the year (David D. scored at least 5 on The Oa today) and watched some great aerial displays from a couple of adult and an immature White-tailed Eagle over Cragabus.

On the small wetland loch at Cornabus I noticed the drake Wigeon still present and Ed B. was pleased to find Teal with young there for the second year running.

Darrell Lawson was out and about with his camera today and sent us these great images - thanks Darrell.

A Corn Crake peering out from cover:

A Cuckoo being mobbed by a Meadow Pipit:

The male Velvet Scoter at Easter Ellister

The drake Velvet with a drake Common Scoter and what appears to be a female Common Scoter for company.

Wednesday 14th May

A bit breezier during the day today, but still bright, dry and sunny.

The day started off with interesting non-avian records of first arrivals of Painted Lady butterflies and continued during the day at various locations across Islay. The first records were followed swiftly by a sighting of a distinctly uncommon species for Islay - a Magpie seen by Mary R. down at Portnahaven - Jim Dickson commenting that there has been a bit of a recent influx into areas of Argyll where they are less usual.

A little later Steve & Julia Garnier located the Snow Goose, still on Loch Gorm with a bunch of Greylags. I popped down to Easter Ellister to check out the scoter sightings of yesterday, finding a drake Common and drake Velvet Scoter on the loch, but no sign of the female.

Martin Harris, visiting for a few days noted 10 Choughs at Machir Bay and a further 12 at Sanaigmore, plus 6 Arctic Terns off Port Mhor.

David D. upped the non-avian sightings at lunch-time with a record of Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-Moth on The Oa. Later still he and Hannah Stanger very much upped the day's bird sightings with a fantastic find of a male Woodchat Shrike at Upper Cragabus. This is only the 3rd Argyll record, the first was a juvenile at Kilnaughton Bay, Port Ellen on 16 September 1996 and the second was in May 2013 on Tiree.

Tuesday 13th May

The hot, dry, sunny weather continues................

The RAFOS team reported that the drake Velvet Scoter that turns up every summer on Easter Ellister loch has turned up again - it must be an ancient bird! It was accompanied by not one, but two female scoters reported as also being Velvet, though in previous years it has always been accompanied by a female Common Scoter. It would be good to check them out....

Elsewhere, Andrew Lear found a pair of Kestrels at Port Askaig, while Steven and Julia Garner hiked to the top of Beinn Bheiger and confirmed that despite the invigorating climb, birds are few and far between up there! Their best find was a Grasshopper Warbler halfway up the climb.

Our American birding friend Darrell Lawson found a Snow Goose on Loch Gorm and provided the photo below - an interesting/rare find, but as always with this species, its origins are suspect.

By way of contrast, Fiona McG. sent in this lovely photo of a very common bird caught in full flight by a camera trap at Shorefield near Bruichladdich today.

Monday 12th May

Light rain for a sustained period overnight was a welcome change, but the day progressed again into a sunny, warm, calm summer's day.

Bird news today included a note from David D. that an immature White-tailed Eagle was doing its best at keeping the ever-increasing Greylag Goose population in check as it went after goslings at Kinnabus.

Up at Craigens, Clive McK. was delighted to see a fine male Greenland Wheatear and a full summer-plumaged Golden Plover along with 50 Ringed Plover.

The RAFOS team are back on Islay again, enjoying a week of birding and survey work including very useful WeBS counts. They counted 70 Whimbrel at Kilchoman yesterday and 50 today in what has become a record year for numbers of this species passing through Islay on spring migration. They also saw a Spotted Flycatcher at Kilchoman.

Visitor Darrell Lawson enjoyed a boat trip to The Oa today seeing all the usual seabirds and sent in a couple of photos for us.

Sunday 11th May

 Clear skies, sunshine and light winds with a high pressure system hanging over the UK suggesting this amazing weather may continue for some time yet.

An addition to yesterday's bird sightings comes from Martin Armstrong and Bob Davison who were at the S. Hide Gruinart in the evening finding 6 Ruff and a Wood Sandpiper. Two broods of Greylag goslings were noted near Sanaigmore by Andrew Lear.

Today there were further reports of Spotted Flycatchers - one at Coullabus on the Oa c/o David W. and 2 at Lagavulin c/o Martin A. Other notable sightings included a Black-tailed Godwit at the S. Hide, Gruinart seen by Andrew Lear with David D. finding a Marsh Harrier near Risabus on The Oa. Steve & Julia Garner are visiting again and found 6 Crossbills in the pines near Bunnahabhain this morning.

Othe than that, there are various records on Cuckoos here and there, a White-tailed Eagle way up towards Rhuvaal, a few Sanderlings at Rhuba Ban, plus several adders and an early Marsh Fritillary butterfly.

Friday & Saturday, 9th & 10th May

 The weather continues to be almost too good to be true - sunny, dry and bright, warm in the day, cooler at night with light winds. 

Yesterday Gary T. had another Osprey sighting over Gartness. I saw 4 superb, breeding-plumaged Great Northern Divers in Kilnaughton/Port Ellen Bay. Clive McK. was out at Gruinart again in the evening  and found a male and 4 female Ruffs, 45 Dunlin, but no sign of the Dowitcher on the floods.

Today James H. had what I believe is our first of the year Spotted Flycatcher for Islay in his garden at Gruinart, while Clive Mck. scored our first Swift of the year over his house a little further up the road towards Ardnave.

Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th May

Further bright, dry and sunny weather today, with a light, cooling breeze at times, though seas flat calm.

Clive McK. reports a fine Golden Eagle over his house at Gruinart in the morning and the LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER still at the North Hide RSPB Gruinart this evening. Wayne Speight had a couple of Grasshopper Warblers near Fairy Hill, Kildalton and Christine Menzies sent in this fine photo of a male Hen Harrier from Kilnaughton.

Today, (Thursday) I was on Jura for the day and found 2 Tree Pipits at Tarbert, had a trio of Hen Harriers high in the air at Lussa and a Golden Eagle overhead at Lealt. Whilst buying a bottle of the very fine Lussa Gin at the Lussa distillery, Claire Fletcher told me of a Magpie seen on Jura at Inverlussa and Lussagiven on 6th April - only the 5th record I have for the species on Jura.

Tuesday 6th May

 Another day of fine sunny weather with almost calm conditions.

The unusually large numbers of Whimbrel passing through and stopping over on Islay continues, with Ed B. counting 186 at Kintra (up from 64 yesterday). I was on Machir Bay in the afternoon and there were 50+ out on the sands for a while - no idea what they might have been feeding on there, but Clive McK. reported 20+ at Creag Mhor, Gruinart feeding on leatherjackets in the fields. 

In the afternoon James H. was watching from the North Hide at RSPB Gruinart and found a LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER - only the 5th recorded on Islay and possibly only the 6th for Argyll. Clive found it a little later into the evening and added single Ruff and a Stock Dove which flew over to Craigens.

Sunday 4th & Monday 5th May

Two days of bright, dry and sunny weather, though with a cool breeze at times.

Many thanks to Malcolm O. for doing the blog in my absence. I appear to have returned at a fairly quiet time with few bird notes reported.

Yesterday Wayne Speight noted a couple of Cuckoos at Ballivicar and Mary-Ann Featherstone found a lovely Hummingbird Hawkmoth at her home in Kildalton.

Today Mark Cubitt found a Wheatear near Gruinart, Louise Muir had the Osprey again over Loch Skerrols and James How counted a whopping 185 Whimbrel at Machir Bay in the afternoon.

Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd May 2025

A bit of drizzle Friday morning, then becoming sunny again, but rather spoilt by the cold northerly wind.

Friday was a quiet day for birds, but Alan and Karami found a Golden Eagle, a male Blackcap and a Grasshopper Warbler at Loch Skerrols. On Saturday, their last day, they had some more nice sightings, including another Golden Eagle, this time at Ardnave, where they also saw a Turnstone and watched a Great Skua off the NW side of the peninsula, and there were still some Whooper Swans on the Gruinart Flats. Their best sighting, though, was in the afternoon of 2 Ospreys fishing in Loch Skerrols. There's been one around for a while, but 2 together is unusual, but maybe promising for the future. It is surely only a matter of time before this species breeds here, but they need to arrive in March if they are going to, but there's no harm in prospecting a year or two beforehand!

More Whimbrels were seen on Saturday, including 74 by Ed at Cornabus and 30 on the golf course seen by Mark Cubitt.

Thank you to Alan and Karami for your daily contributions to the blog.

Here's a Gordon Langsbury photo of an Osprey. I think a fish maybe about to be caught!

 

Thursday 1st May 2025

Some rain overnight and a few very light showers in the morning, before clearing to mostly overcast, while it was noticeably cooler during the day.

Visitors Alan and Karami reported a flock of about 15 Whooper Swans on the Gruinart Flats, which are quite late migrants, considering that the first birds seen moving north this spring were in the middle of March.

Whimbrels were present in record numbers, with Dave Wood  counting 126 at Laggan Point, which would have been a a new record flock, the previous highest being 106, if visitor Ian Mears hadn't seen, at almost the same time, no less than 232 at Ardnave, made up of a single flock of 150 feeding among the cattle, plus another 70 on Nave Island and 12 other heading north. In addition to all those, Gary had earlier seen 30-40 in the fields behind Gortain. We've probably had over 200 on the island before, but not, I'm certain, nearly 400.

Tuesda7 29th & Wednesday 30th April 2025

Two fine days, Wednesday in particular becoming sunny and warm.

Tuesday's bird records came largely from Alan and Karami Ure, who saw a female Hen Harrier on the moorland south west of Loch Allan, and heard a cuckoo at Lily Loch. Swallows were flying in the fields near Newton, while along the shore between Bridgend and Bowmore were a pair of Barnacle Geese, presumably the pair I saw last week, as well as Black-tailed Godwits and Knots. They also had a clear view of two Common Terns from the pier at Bowmore.

On Wednesday, returning visitors Steve Murray and Alan Cole were back on the island for a 70th birthday celebration, and while normally they come to see the geese they are enjoying the migrants that aren't here in March. Staying near Bridgend, they saw a Cuckoo before breakfast, a Grasshopper Warbler reeling near Carnain, with many Sedge Warblers and also a Snipe sitting out in the sunshine. 

James had a good morning on the Gruinart reserve with 6 Common Whitethroats, 3 Whinchats, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, 3 Cuckoos. 1 calling Corncrake, a water rail, and an Osprey flying north. And Mary Redman reported a Common Sandpiper on the beach at Claddach and two flocks of Whimbrels in the fields.

Finally, DeeDee MacGowan posted a recording of no less than 4 Corncrakes calling at Port Wemyss/Portnaven first thing in the morning.