Sunday 18th October

Another very pleasant day with light south to SSE winds, clear, sunny and dry.

A few additions to yesterday's good haul of birds came in after I wrote the blog too early yesterday evening:

Rogan W. added single Gadwall, Ruff, 5 Greenshank, 3 Blacko-tailed Godwits and 18 Pintail at RSPB Gruinart. Theo with his Nature Scotland group saw Redwing, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Barn Owl at Foreland and had 21 Brent Geese, 2 Greenshank, 15 Knot, 7 Long-tailed Duck, 3 Tufted Duck and a Little Egret on Loch Indaal. John Miles was also watching on Loch Indaal during the day and noted a Whimbrel, 21 Slavonian Grebes, 6 Great Northern Divers, 20+ Red-throated Divers, 10 Long-tailed Duck, 34 Common Scoter, 26 Turnstone and 50+ Ringed Plover.

Today continued the good birding, kicking off with a report for late yesterday from an unknown observer, presumably here but not on the WhatsApp group of a juvenile Snow Goose at Leorin. Rogan was quick off the mark and found it (plus a Merlin, Yellowhammer, 2 Grey Wagtails and a White-tailed Eagle), sending in the photo below. 2019 was the last time this species was recorded on Islay, and this one, a juvenile bird arriving with the big influx of Barnacle Geese would suggest a genuine wild vagrant rather than a feral bird. The other good, but sort of expected rarity was later in the day when Theo's group located a Richardson's type Cackling Goose up on the fields close to the RSPB Visitor Centre. We seem to get 1-2 of these each year, but this one is quick off the mark!

Other Stuff: Mary R. noticed an unusually large gathering of c.200 Jackdaws near Claddach this morning. Jim Dickson saw similar numbers at Machir Bay yesterday and it is interesting that there was an arrival of 450 on Bardsey Island in the Irish Sea yesterday where they used to breed but no longer do so. Theo increased the Pochard count on Loch Gorm to 3 drakes, along with c.50 Tufted Ducks and a White-tailed Eagle. On The Oa David D. recorded a Chiffchaff today (and a Willow Warbler yesterday) with Redwings heard flying over last night. Teresa Morris was at Saligo finding 11 Twite and Andy Howard found 2 Little Egrets up at Killinallan on Loch Gruinart. Rogan had the Whimbrel again off the Gaelic College, where the Scaup were still present, as were the 2 Snow Buntings at Carnain. Mike Whitcombe witnessed the inevitable preying on Barnacle Geese by a couple of White-tailed Eagles at Gruinart this afternoon and finally James H. noted our first Fieldfare of the autumn at Gruinart along with a very high count of 85 Snipe from the S. Hide.

Some later news in this evening:

Theo and his group added several good records including a Carrion Crow with Hoodies at Loch Gorm where there were also 2 Sparrowhawks. 45 Ringed Plovers were counted at Machir Bay. At Ardnave they saw a Greenshank, a Merlin that had taken a Rock Pipit as prey, 1 White-tailed Eagle, 20 Sanderling and 2 ring-tail Hen Harriers.  Finally, at Gruinart were Peregrine, 4 different Golden Eagles, 2 adult and 1 immature White-tailed Eagle, Kestrel, male Hen Harrier and Grey Wagtail, 10 Grey Plover, 6 Greenshank, 10 Brent Geese and a heard Water Rail.

Rogan was still out birding this afternoon and clocked an adult Bonaparte's Gull (photo below) flying past the Gaelic College - there have only been 4 previous records on Islay - a great find!

There was a report on Ebird from an unknown observer (possibly a Heatherlea group?) of a Red Kite between Loch Gorm and Gruinart this afternoon. 

Saturday 17th October

Very light winds, dry with sunshine all day - glorious - a day with plenty of birds and plenty of birders enjoying them.

Nicky Betts started the ball rolling with this sunrise photo indicating what a pleasant day it was going to be. Jim Dickson came over for the day and joined ranks with Rogan W. to test out a possible route for a possible future Bird Race Day. They zoomed about all over the island with Rogan notching up 94 species at the last count. He started with Redpoll and Great Spotted woodpecker at his home at Dunlossit, while Jim saw aa Kingfisher as he arrived at Port Askaig. I bumped into them while birding at the top of Loch Indaal in the morning where species seen from the Gaelic College included 12 Red-throated Divers, 1 Great Northern Diver, 6 Long-tailed Ducks, 2 Scaup, 2 Slavonian Grebes, 12 Common Scoter 7 Canada Geese and a Greenshank. Further round at Carnain we noted the Great White Egret and 2 Snow Buntings - photo below - (Theo de Clermont with his group finding 3 there later on). These were amidst vast numbers of Barnacle Geese resting on the low tide flats. Jim made the effort to count them and estimated 9,000. Here and at BlackRock we noted another Great Scaup, 150 Golden Plovers, single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and White-tailed Eagle. 

I did a count on a flat calm sea of birds in Loch Indaal from Bruichladdich: 53 Common Scoter, 83 Eider, 23 Red-throated, one Black-throated and 4 Great Northern Divers, 2 Black Guillemots and single Common Guillemot.

Rogan and Jim continued their journey to Loch Gorm: 5 Pink-footed Geese, 2 Little Grebe, 978 Barnacle Geese, 5 Whooper Swans, 169 White-fronted Geese, At Loch Skerrols they found 2 Goldeneye and the first Pochard of autumn/winter -  single drake. 56 Whoopers (21 juvs included) were still on the fields at Rockside. Up at Gruinart they found 4 Little Egrets at the S. hide and a Merlin at the N. Hide. Returning via BlackRock another look produced 17 Slavonian Grebes and 2 Goldeneye. Finishing up at Loch Lossit Rogan reports a juv Golden Eagle and a Coot with 50 Redwings close to Lily Loch.

Other birders had all sorts of other sightings without the dashing about. Clive McK. and Teresa Morris amongst others were stationed again up at Gruinart noting continuing small groups of incoming Whooper Swans, but nowhere near as many as yesterday. Clive had 700 Golden Plovers at Gruinart, Teresa counted 32 Ringed Plovers at Killinallan, plus 29 Chough and 7 Twite. As the day unfolded, more White-tailed Eagles centred on Gruinart, presumably attracted by the large numbers of geese. Reports came in intermittently from Clive, Teresa and Nicky Betts of 3, then 5 then 6 and finally a tally of 11 White-tailed Eagles all hanging out together up and down the loch!!

Elsewhere on Islay, David D, had 3 Redwings and 96 Barnies straying over to Loch Kinnabus and 11 Great Northern Divers and a juv Arctic Tern at Claggain Bay.

A neck-collared White-fronted Goose seen at Loch Gorm was a bird ringed on Islay in the winter of 2019/20 and which has been seen in the same area of Loch Gorm/Carnduncan every winter since.

Friday 16th October

The weather took a bit of a turn for the good today - though there were still light intermittent showers between largely sunny conditions. The main change was a high pressure system prevailing over the north Atlantic producing moderate NW winds - colder, but perfect conditions for arrivals of geese and swans. And arrive they did, after a long wait, large numbers could be seen flying in all day and dropping onto the flats at Gruinart to rest before dispersing somewhat, perhaps to feed by the evening.

Clive McK. and Teresa Morris spent much of the day (9 hours in Clive's case) watching and counting at Gruinart. This produced a tally of 13,000 Barnacle Geese, just 69 Greenland White-fronts, 59 Greylags and 284 Whooper Swans. Clive noted that the influx peaked around midday. There were reports of Whoopers in small groups and flocks all over the island, but how many were different to those counted at Gruinart is impossible to know. All in all, a spectacular day of the anticipated return of the wintering wildfowl!

Other birds of interest today included Clive's record of 170 Kittiwakes flying up Loch Indaal this morning - very odd, and much the largest number seen "inland" away from the usual sea-watching/offshore sites. I was up at Gruinart enjoying the goose-fest this afternoon and found 4 Little Egrets and 55 Great Black-backed Gulls on the loch, 53 Snipe from the S. Hide and 750 Golden Plover and 24 Black-tailed Godwits from the N. Hide. Visitor Nicky Betts watched a Golden Eagle feeding on a hare, and one of apparently 7 White-tailed Eagles over Loch Gruinart frightening the newly arrived Barnacle Geese.

A photo of Loch Gruinart c/o Clive illustrates the better weather today, which hopefully will prevail into tomorrow and the next few days, though the winds are set to change back to southerly on Sunday, so tomorrow might be the best bet for further large arrivals of geese for a while.

Thursday 15th October

Another day of unsettled weather - moderate SW/W winds and heavy cloud with showers to start with , then slightly brighter with sunny spells between further heavy, squalls and rain at times.

Rogan W's watch at the Sound of Islay near Port Askaig produced single Great Northern and Red-throated Divers, 34 Shags, 10 Gannets, a Mistle Thrush flying between Islay and Jura and, most unusually a Kingfisher.

Whooper Swans were on the radar again today, with David D. seeing 28 flying over Kinnabus (plus a Merlin) and myself counting 10 (6 young) on Barley stubble at Sunderland and 53 on similar fields just harvested but in a very muddy, water-logged state at Kilchoman. The Kilchoman birds were part of a mass of many hundreds of gulls, Greylags and Barnies feeding on the spilt grain and exposed invertebrates. Towards Machir Bay there was a flock of 70 Linnets.

The "odd goose" saga continues just as we thought it was over with the predation of one a few days ago. But apparently there is a second bird on the island at Bridgend Flats discovered by Mary R. The debate on Chinese Goose versus Swan Goose also continues: the dead bird being declared Swan Goose (the wild species counterpart of the domesticated Chinese Goose) and the still extant bird probably being Chinese Goose. 

Back to more interesting wild birds, Bill Bealey had 100 Golden Plover, 60 Lapwings, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and 6 Curlew on the fields around the North Hide at Gruinart.

Teresa Morris was up at Ardnave today and photographed the gathering Choughs in the late afternoon - count the dots to work out how many!

Wednesday 14th October

Strong southerly winds with a largely overcast sky and rain showers.

Teresa Morris had small groups of Whooper Swans totalling 20 birds heading south down Loch Gruinart at Craigens this morning. These were the only sightings of Whoopers noted today.

David D. sent in a couple of photos of the odd-looking Swan Goose/Chinese Goose that has been seen intermittently over the past few months on the Rhinns. He found it predated, probably by the local Golden Eagle over on The Oa. David also found a Goosander on Loch Astle and a vey cryptic Jack Snipe nearby:

Spot the Snipe!

Ian Hastie took a walk up to Ardnave Point finding 2 White-tailed Eagles, single Golden Eagle, Jack Snipe, Greenshank and 2 Red Grouse. The grouse were in a slightly odd location well to the north on the Ardnave peninsula - maybe the strong south winds blew them there! At RSPB Gruinart were 120 Golden Plover a couple of ring-tail Hen Harriers, 5-6 Pintail and a large count of Snipe - 30-40 on the floods and another 60 flying in.

Rogan W. did a 45 minute watch this afternoon on the Sound of Islay noting amongst other species, single Red-breasted Merganser, a flock of 7 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Great Black-backed Gulls, 3 Grey Herons, 3 Ravens and 3 Gannets.

Tuesday 13th October

Strong southerly/south-westerly winds bringing periods of sunshine between heavy, squally rain.

Teresa Morris was counting mostly in the Gruinart area again today and continued to note small groups of Whooper Swans (a total of 68 today) coming in despite the winds in the "wrong" direction. She also saw a Golden Eagle taking prey at Craigens and had a group of 14 Brent Geese, there being a further 10 seen by myself at Loch Indaal at Gartnatra, then 17 there seen by Ian Hastie. Clive McK. found 3 White-tailed Eagles at Killinallan and later counted 345 Wigeon, a Greenshank and increased the Brent tally to 21 birds at the Gaelic College. Rogan W. did a watch of the Sound for 30 minutes this morning noting his "usual" 3 White-tailed Eagles on both sides of the Sound, 9 Gannets and 14 Wood Pigeons south and 6 Eiders. Over on The Oa David D. saw a Merlin at Kinnabus.

Teresa provided further fine photos depicting the changeability of today's weather:

Monday 12th October

Strong southerly winds with plenty of rain and cloud.

Steve & Lyn Rogers sent in their WeBS count for yesterday on Loch an t-Salein recording 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 9 Red-breasted Mergansers, 4 Wigeon and 21 Shag amongst other species.

Despite winds from a generally southerly direction, there was a fairly large arrival of Whooper Swans throughout much of the day. Teresa Morris started the count of this species before 8am at Gruinart with flocks flying south totalling 140 birds with further small groups totalling 38 in the evening. Bill Bealey added a further c.40 birds in the Gruinart area. Clive McK. reported about 110 Whoopers in the same area, but currently it is not sure if these are additional or part of the same. 

Other birds of note today include: 12 Brent Geese at Craigens c/o Teresa, 5 more c/o Ian Hastie at the top of Loch Indaal. Single Jack Snipe recorded by Ed B. at Cornabus and James H. at Gruinart where he counted a substantial number (78) of Common Snipe. Redwings are beginning to appear - Ed B. had a few at Cornabus and Teresa tallied 28 around Loch Allan. Ian Hastie also had a Black-tailed Godwit with the more usual Bar-tailed godwits on Loch Indaal near the Gaelic College. Rogan W.'s contribution today was of a latish Swallow at Bowmore.

Sunday 11th October

A much nicer day with light southerly winds, sunshine and dry throughout.

Rogan W. did a "big Bird Day" county yesterday and despite appalling weather managed to record a very respectable 91 species - finishing predictably with Tawny Owls calling at his home near Port Askaig

Whooper Swans continue to come in and wander through, noted across the island by several different observers. totals for the day look to be c. 130 birds.

Similarly widely observed were Barnacle Geese with 250 accompanying c.800 Greylags in a field of very poor, possibly abandoned barley at Port Charlotte and c.750 at the top of Loch Indaal in the afternoon.

Other species included numerous White-tailed Eagles scattered here and there - Loch Gruinart, 2 at Port Askaig, flying across Loch Indaal to Carn from Gartbreck. David D. found the Great White Egret and Curlew Sandpiper still at Loch Gruinart and a Greenshank and Little Egret from the Gaelic College in Loch Indaal (where I saw a couple of Brent Geese). David also found our first Redwings (3) of the autumn at Kinnabus.

Rogan did a watch on the Sound of Islay for an hour noting amongst other thins a Buzzard flying from Islay to Jura, 2 very active White-tailed Eagles, 12 Gannets, 3 Grey Herons and a Red-throated Diver.

Teresa Morris was stationed up at Killinallan for much of the day and her totals included: 47 Whooper Swans (part of the total above), 404 additional Barnacle Geese, 3 White-tailed and 1 Golden Eagle, 2 make Hen Harriers, 47 Knot.

Teresa provided another lovely photo to illustrate the contrast between yesterday's weather and today:

Saturday 10th October

Strong WNW winds with often heavy, squalls and rain in between sunny spells.

Despite the unpleasant weather several of the more stalwart birders were out and about. Teresa Morris was watching in the Loch Gruinart and Ardnave area for much of the day finding among other things 32 Whooper Swans amid numerous Greylags and Barnacle Geese, 2 immature and one adult White-tailed Eagles at Craigens, a Little Egret, 27 Knot, 35 Choughs, a Merlin and Golden Eagle and 2 Greenshanks.

Ed Burrel watched a female Peregrine take down a Barnacle Goose out of a newly arrived c.100 at Balaclava - possibly the same large female Peregrine hunting Rock Doves that David D. saw at Kinnabus (with 6 Whooper Swans on Loch Kinnabus). Rogan W. noted a Golden Eagle and Curlew Sandpiper up at Gruinart, 450 Barnacle Geese at Craigens, the Great White Egret on the floods and a male Hen Harrier at Bun an Uillt. Later at Carnain he counted 35 Knot with 172 Bar-tailed Godwits. Clive McK. upped the Barnie total later with a count of 1,600 on Loch Gruinart and saw 20+ Greenland White-fronted Geese at the top of the loch. This evening Rogan was still out birding at Loch Skerrols where he found 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

With the strong winds with a slightly northerly element to them, Clive and Rogan braved the appalling weather to do a sea-watch this morning for about 3 hours at Frenchman's Rocks with moderately good results: 58 Brent Geese, 107 Barnacle Geese, 2 Little Auks, 73 Black-headed Gulls, singles of Grey Phalarope, Arctic Tern, Storm & Leach's Petrels and Great Northern Diver.

James H. was out in the late afternoon doing a final tally of wildfowl at Gruinart: now 4,820 Barnies, 5 Pink-footed Geese, 18 White-fronts and 27 Whooper Swans, where he added a single Ruff and 5 Black-tailed Godwits to today's list and upped a few day-counts with 4 White-tailed Eagles, 7 Little Egrets

Teresa's photo typifies today's weather!

Friday 9th October

Winds from a westerly direction , increasing in force towards the end of the day and bringing with them intermittent squally showers for much of the day.

Clive McK. and Teresa Morris tried a sea-watch at Frenchman's Rocks, finding an Arctic Skua, 4 Pintail and 3 Black-headed Gulls. Rogan W. noted 4 Swallows still around Ballygrant, a White-tailed Eagle at Keills and 20 Brent Geese near the Gaelic Centre on Loch Indaal. James H. found a Curlew Sandpiper (photo below) from the South Hide at RSPB Gruinart. both he and Clive noted increasing numbers of Snipe scattered across the island including 30+ at the South Hide. There was a Common Tern here at Bruichladdich.

Over on Jura, Bob Humphreys had a couple of Grey Wagtails at Tarbert and 3 Herons at Craighouse.

Thursday 8th October

The day's weather gradually deteriorated from dry with light winds to cloudy with lots of rain as another stormy period threatens for the next couple of days. The winds have gone round to a more southerly direction, so the influx of geese and swans fizzled out a bit.

Only 27 Whooper Swans were noted and no major arrivals of Barnacle Geese. Jeff Duncan saw 4 White-tailed Eagles over Loch Indaal in the morning at Pot Ban, then a Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail and some Bullfinches at Port Askaig. Elma Leisk had 7 Little Egrets again on the south side of Gruinart, plus a single Brent Goose. Teresa Morris did a walk around the Kilinallan area in the morning recording 32 Ringed Plovers, 24 Twite and 17 of the day's Whooper tally.

Clive McK. sent in a note about the various thrushes etc. feasting on rowan berries in his garden at Creag Mhor, plus this video of visiting Bullfinches doing the same.

Wednesday 7th October

Light winds continue for the moment from a WNW direction. Mostly sunny but a few light rain showers.

The geese and swans continued to arrive and pass through today. As yesterday, small groups of both Whooper Swans and Barnacle Geese were arriving throughout much of the day, but Clive McK. and Teresa Morris combined forces and counted fairly constantly in the Gruinart area where most were arriving before passing down the island. They tallied 120 Whoopers with probably a further 30 birds elsewhere, so perhaps 150 today. 502 Barnacle Geese were counted at Gruinart and there were 250-300 settled on the flats at the top of Loch Indaal by midday.

Other birds noted today included 2 Black-throated Divers and 15 Common Scoter from Rogan W. at Blackrock, 2 White-tailed Eagles and a Merlin at Gruinart by Clive McK. who also had 2 Great Northern Divers flying south at altitude down the loch there. Teresa counted 72 Lapwings near Craigens, Elma Leisk had 2 Swallows at Kintra and Jeff Duncan had another at the Port Charlotte waterworks along with a ringtail Hen Harrier on the Bolsay track. He also upped the autumn Little Egret tally with 8 seen Bun an Uillt.

Over on Jura, Louise M. had been out at the fairly remote west coast spot of Glenbatrick and reports 2 White-tailed Eagles, single Peregrine, Buzzard, Curlew, Whimbrel, Redshank, plus 7 Ringed Plovers and 8 Great Black-backed Gulls.

Yesterday on Jura at the much more accessible Craighouse, Bob Humphreys took this photo of a juvenile Common Tern.

Tuesday 6th October

Very light WNW winds, dry and fairly sunny.

The change in wind direction and weather meant the start of the exodus of our Barnacle Geese that were staging in Iceland has begun - as predicted by Ed Burrell in the first post on the WhatsApp group this morning. It is always exciting to witness the arrival of the winter birds - especially on such a pleasant day as today.

There was a continuous buzz of reports from many of the resident and visiting birders of small groups and some larger flocks of both Barnacle Geese and Whooper Swans coming in to Islay throughout the day. Typically, they arrived in the NW, often around Gruinart. Some of the Whooper Swans were carrying on south, some stopping briefly and then continuing, others stopping longer. Whoopers were seen all the way from Gruinart, to Loch Gorm, The Oa and down to Claddach. Largest groups included flocks of 20 to over 70 and it is difficult to be exact about numbers, but Clive McK. has saved me the job of estimating what went through as he sifted through the data and messages and reckons c.125 birds. Barnacle Geese were less obvious to start with, but by the end of the day they built up a bit and Clive McK. estimates 458 individuals arrived along with our first 7 Greenland White-fronted Geese (James H. checked Gruinart in the evening and noted 300 Barnies settled there).

Other species noted today include the Great White Egret still at Gruinart. Rogan also saw 2 Glossy Ibis there this morning, but I couldn't find them in the afternoon. Rogan noted 6 Bullfinches at the RSPB car park at Gruinart and the first Slavonian Grebe of the winter at Blackrock. Clive recorded two Great Northern Divers at Gruinart, Mary Redman had 2 White-tailed Eagles coming off McKenzie Island where the seals are beginning to pup. I counted two flocks of Rock Doves: 80 on stubble at Sunderland and 110 on stubble at Ballinaby where there were also a loose association of 124 Skylarks and a flock of 23 Golden Plover. Greylags were gathered on Loch Gorm where I counted 1,900, with a further 240 at Craigens later. Jeff Duncan had another White-tailed Eagle at Port Charlotte and 2 Black-throated Divers off Blackrock in the evening.

Bob Humphreys was over on Jura today and had 15 Linnets at Lagg and took this great photo of a female Sparrowhawk at Craighouse.

The wind is supposed to swing round to southerly again by tomorrow afternoon so it will b e interesting to see if the influx of geese and swans continues................

Monday 5th October

The weather continued overcast and drizzly for much of the day, brightening a little by the afternoon. The winds moderate from the SW.

Thanks to Malcolm for blogging while I was away at SOC conference this weekend.

Rogan W. had a juvenile Moorhen on Loch Ballygrant and a male Hen Harrier near the Gaelic College, followed by a Chough at Loch Bharradail. Golden Plovers were counted - Jeff Duncan seeing 9 flying past Port Ban and Teresa Morris finding 38 at Tormisdale. Teresa was also at Currie Sands where she noted 6 Choughs, 2 Turnstones and Rock Pipits. Over on the other side of the island David D. had a Merlin near the Machrie.

Christine Menzies noted a "charm" of 12 Goldfinches on the High Road plus 2 Golden Eagles near Emerivale. Here at Bruichladdich the Starling roost on the pier persists, though only c.300 birds in attendance tonight.

With the winds turning slightly westerly, Clive McK. tried his luck with a 2 hour sea-watch from Frenchman's Rocks with some good results - 123 Brent Geese in seven flocks and single Leach's Petrel and Storm-Petrel plus Sparrowhawk and Peregrine seen on the nearby coast. He also connected with the Great White Egret on the Gruinart Floods and notes that the House Martin nest at Creag Mhor is still active - lets hope the weather brightens up for the adults to find enough food to feed their late brood.

Bob Humphreys is over on Jura for two weeks and sent in a whole bunch of records for his first week there - too numerous to list here, but very useful from an area where we receive so few records of even the most common species. He also sent in a few photos for us to enjoy.

Sunday 4th October

The word 'dreich' perfectly describes today: when it wasn't raining it was drizzling, and vice versa, all accompanied by a SW breeze.

Mary R. forgot to mention that she saw a Wheatear yesterday with a flock of 8 Pied Wagtails at Port Mor, then, this morning, Rogan W. spotted a Common Snipe feeding among a flock of Starlings on a roadside verge at Keills.

The only other observations came in the afternoon from Cathy Earle who saw a Black-throated Diver in Claggain Bay, while Teresa Morris went to the South Hide at RSPB Loch Gruinart from which she saw the Great White Egret feeding, a Curlew Sandpiper with Common Snipe and Lapwings on the edges of the scrape, and a female Merlin which flew past in front of the hide.

Saturday 3rd October 

A mainly southwest and quite strong breeze with the occasional heavy shower.

Rogan W was out early, finding 13 Light-bellied Brent on Loch Indaal between Bridgend and Bowmore, with 183 Wigeons, 3 Turnstones, 2 Knots, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 2 Cormorants in front of the Gaelic College, as well as a White-tailed Eagle having its breakfast out on the flats. On his way round the head of the loch, he found a flock of 27 Goldfinches at Carnain, with a Red-throated Diver offshore, and 12 Common Scoter at Blackrock, just 2 of which were female. On the way to Gruinart, he saw a ringtail Hen Harrier and 7 snipe, before reaching his target, the Great White Egret, which was still present, along with 6 Shovelers, 2 Pintails and a Little Grebe, plus the Glossy Ibis, a male Hen Harrier and 2 Moorhens. 

Around midday, Cathy Earle saw the resident Whooper Swan, which has a wing condition and has been at Gruinart for some years now. Visitor Jeff was happy to find the Great White Egret later in the day, and also watched a Peregrine hunting Lapwing, an Osprey flying low over the reserve as well as a sparrowhawk. Earlier in the day he had seen a Merlin near Carnduncan and a Kestrel at Saligo, then on the east side of Loch Gruinart he saw another Merlin, as well as Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwits and 2 Little Egrets, and, finally, a Red-throated Diver at Uiskentuie and a Swallow west of Port Charlotte.

The Great White Egret obliged Rogan by posing for this photo. 

 

 

Friday 2nd October

A strong southerly wind with quite a lot of rain in the middle of the day.

Quite a busy day on the birding front, starting with Louise M seeing 10 Ravens sitting on and flying around the telecoms mast at Craighouse, Jura. Then, still in the morning, David D reported 7 Whooper Swans on Loch Kinnabus, clearly newly arrived migrants, while he also noted a Corncrake still present on the farm. About 2 hours later, Ed B saw 7 Whooper Swans dropping in at Ballivicar, clearly the same birds now needing to feed. In between, Rogs had a Common Sandpiper at Loch Ballygrant.

Billy Stitchell's garden at Caol Ila this morning held 4 BlueTits, 2 Lesser Redpolls, a Robin, 6 Great Tits, several House Sparrows and a Grey Wagtail 

Bird of the day was undoubtedly the Great White Egret spotted by Cathy Earle from the South Hide at RSPB Loch Gruinart around the middle of the day. She didn't have her camera with her but managed the photo below showing the Egret beside a Grey Heron. In the late afternoon, it was joined by two Little Egrets.

Elsewhere, Mary R saw 25 Golden Plovers at Claddach, Rogs saw a female Hen Harrier at Loch Lossit, Teresa Morris reported a White-tailed Eagle near Craigens Cottage, Gruinart, while Clive McK counted 23 Greenshanks on Loch Gruinart, one short of the Islay record, as well as noting a sudden increase in Red-breasted Mergansers, up from the usual 8-9 to 22. He also saw 7 Little Egrets.

Here's Cathy's photo of the Great White Egret. It may not be of the standard we usually try and post here, but the bird is unmistakable. Note the Grey Heron just to its left.

 

 

Thursday 1st October

Weather very similar to yesterday, but basically drier, with light to moderate winds from a generally southerly direction.

Cathy Earle  and Rogan W. both noted male Hen Harriers as they birded across the island today - one between Portnahaven and Kilchiaran, the other near the airport. Mary R. saw a Grey Wagtail at Gleann near Octofad then a couple of White-tailed Eagles at Uiskentuie. Clive McK. up at Gruinart  confirms the late nesting House Martin still with a single fledgling plus 4 Mistle Thrushes and 8 Brent Geese out on the flats. Ed B. saw a further 3 Brent Geese at Port Ellen and in the evening Rogan counted 22 Turnstone, 9 Knot and 8 Red-breasted Mergansers from the Gaelic College.

However, James H. scored the best birds of the day up at RSPB Gruinart from the North Hide where he saw either another or the same lingering Glossy Ibis, and a strong supporting cast of 3 Ruff, 5 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Gadwall, 150 Wigeon, 21 Shoveler, 40 Pintail and 1000+ Teal. Clearly the RSPB Floods and hides are back on form again after the earlier autumn period when they have to be drained to cut back emergent vegetation and get them prepared for the winter arrival of wildfowl.

Wednesday 30th September

The strong winds reduced to a moderate southerly and the sun shined a bit more, though there were a few sporadic showers of rain.

David D. noticed a record on Facebook of a Turtle Dove reported at Kilchoman Distillery yesterday - quite a good run of records of this species on Islay this autumn.

Today Rogan W. had the pleasure of getting 2 White-tiled Eagles on his "garden list" at Dunlossit this morning, followed by 3 Cormorants, a pair of Tufted Ducks and a family party of 4 Little Grebes on Loch Ballygrant. Visiting birder Frank Cavanagh returned to the island this morning seeing a Leach's Petrel from the ferry. Cathy Earle saw a Golden Eagle at the NW end of Loch Indaal and Clive McK. counted 22 Greenshanks in Loch Gruinart this afternoon which is one of the 4 highest tallies ever for the species here.

Thanks to Billy Stitchell who sent in some photos of birds putting Rowan berries to good use to brighten the blog - 

Tuesday 29th September

Very strong SE winds all day, with lots of cloud but no rain.

Few records coming in during such dodgy weather, but Clive McK. noted 7 Little Egrets at Bun an Uillt on Loch Gruinart - the wintering population building up. He also recorded White-tailed Eagle, Hen Harrier and Peregrine there. Rogan W. had a male Hen Harrier near Islay Airport, and 3 Curlew up at Ballygrant. Cathy Earle had male and female Hen Harrier at Gruinart alog with small flocks of Twite.  Mary Redman had another White-tailed Eagle low over Claddach spooking 30 Mallards.

Monday 28th September

Another moderately pleasant day with light southerly winds and a lot of sunshine.

Mary R. reported 9 Chough with her down at Claddach this morning along with 3 Rooks which she notes are less common than Choughs down there! Rogan W. got a high count of 11 Grey Herons on Lily Loch, while David d. confirmed the first large gathering of the autumn/winter of Twite - 110 at Upper Killeyan accompanied by Linnets, Reed Buntings and Skylarks. He also noted Peregrine and Sparrowhawk there.

Clive McK. and visitors Ken and Sarah White had up to 3 White-tailed Eagles at Gruinart and later in the day Ken watched a "stand-off" between a Golden Eagle and immature White-tailed Eagle where the road up to Kildalton and Loch Gorm turns off from the coastal A847 at Traigh an Luig plus relocated the leucistic Starling in a flock at Ardnave. Clive noted 36 Brent Geese at Gruinart today and visitor Cathy Earle had Snipe, Peregrine and Buzzard there in the evening.

Below are some fine photos taken by Ken of the Twite at The Oa RSPB.

Sunday 27th September

Light to moderate southerly winds continued to bring a lot of rain at times throughout the day.

Despite the rain there were one or two sightings sent in including 2-3 Choughs at Saligo (Lou Austin) and Claddach (Mary R.). All other records came from Rogan W. who seems impervious to the awful weather! He counted 27 Chough at Ardnave, 2 Golden Eagles at Loch Gruinart, 2 Curlew Sandpipers at Carnain, 4 Snipe and a White-tailed Eagle at Craigens finishing up at 8pm with a Tawny Owl back at home at Dunlossit.

Saturday 26th September

Moderate southerly winds with rain, but a bit more sunshine by the afternoon.

Rogan W. was out early on Loch Indaal at the Gaelic Centre finding 16 Brent Geese, 163 Bar-tailed Godwit,  a Greenshank, 23 Knot, 2 Curlew Sandpipers and the feral Chinese-type goose that has been seen on-and-off for a few months. He also found again the American Wigeon among the 195 Eurasian Wigeon there.

Clive McK. found a Whitethroat near his house at Creag Mhor, Loch Gruinart, along with additional flocks of Brent Geese coming into the island - 47 at Gareallabus, and 21 at Gruinart. Clive searched for the Am. Wigeon and added 4 Pintail, 2 Sandwich Terns and 2 Greenshank to the birds on Loch Indaal, then back at Loch Gruinart at Bun an Uillt the Osprey with a fish.

Elsewhere on Islay David D. had what I think is the first Pink-footed Goose of the autumn at Kinnabus.

Spot the American Wigeon!

Friday 25th September

A day of moderate SSW winds and some sunshine between heavy rain showers.

Thanks to Malcolm O. for blogging while I was away birding on Tiree for a few days.

A variety of sightings came through today, starting with David D. noting the drake Scaup still present on Loch Kinnabus. Clive McK. watched  an Osprey with a large fish at Bun an Uillt, Loch Gruinart and found House Martins still with young in the nest at a neighbour's house at Creag Mhor. Mary R. reports a Greenland type Wheatear at Claddach yesterday and a count of 7 Choughs there today, plus a male Hen Harrier at Loch Gorm. Visitor Pete McCormick took a good photo of one of two young White-tailed Eagles at Gruinart this afternoon.

 

Thursday 24 September

A rather wet day with a mainly SE breeze.

Unsurprisingly, there were few bird sightings. George Jackson saw 2 Grey Wagtails in the morning on the path down to Lily Loch, while, a little later, Rogs saw a Dipper at Cattadale on the burn which becomes the River Laggan, as well as 2 ringtail Hen Harriers close by, while there was a male Hen Harrier at Avonvogie. He later found a Coot on Loch Lossit, a bird that has become quite rare in recent years.

Here's a cracking photo by Rogs of the Dipper. There are an estimated 10-20 pairs on the island, widely scattered on the rivers and some burns.

 

 

Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd September

Tuesday started drizzly but cleared up as the wind went round to the north, where it stayed for much of Wednesday with very occasional slight showers.

The only observations on Tuesday were of a Turtle Dove at Ardbeg, seen by visitor, Ben McCook, perhaps the same as last Thursday's bird at Ardtalla, or perhaps a different one, a male Hen Harrier seen by Rogs near Bridgend and a Tawny Owl roosting near Lily Loch.

Wednesday began with Rogs counting a Moorhen, 2 Little Grebes, 1 Cormorant and a family of 5 Mute Swans on Loch Ballygrant, the three juvenile swans "looking good". In the afternoon, David D saw a Goldcrest at Kinnabus, while David W also saw a Goldcrest, plus a Wheatear, at Risabus, both on The Oa. Rogs counted no less than 32 Mistle Thrushes at Avonvogie Farm; flocks of over 30 are unusual here.

Finally, in the evening, Clive McK was watching lots of restless Common Snipe on the Gruinart Flats, with two flocks (29 birds) heading off, and another six flocks (a total of 61 birds) flying up high, then faffing around for ages before eventually dropping back in. Also, there was an Osprey hunting over the loch near Craigens.

Monday 21st September

The day started grey and drizzly, but cleared up to sunny, though with a persistent westerly/south-westerly wind.

Clive Mck reported that, yesterday, he counted 57 Choughs at Ardnave, the most he has seen there for some years. He also saw 2 Greenland Wheatears, while were 45 Linnets feeding on the weeds of Sea Sandwort. Also yesterday, he noted that there was a flock of c.300 Linnets on the headland overlooking Frenchman's Rocks.

At lunchtime, David D counted 35 Twite at the RSPB's Oa carpark, with a Grey Wagtail nearby, as well as, a little later, at Lower Killeyan, a Greenland Wheatear and a Kestrel. The final observation of the day was by Clive McK of 30 Light-bellied Brent Geese leaving Loch Gruinart and heading south.

Clive found himself reminiscing about the "best ever" seawatch at Frenchman's Rocks by him and Tristan ap Rheinallt, who carried out systematic seawatching there over several years in the 1990s and 2000s. This was on 21st September 2004, from 7am to 3.30pm, when they recorded 8 Sabine's Gulls, 143 Leach's Storm-petrels, 16 European Storm Petrels, 3 Grey Phalaropes, 76 Arctic Terns, 172 Red-throated Divers, 1,247 Light-bellied Brent Geese and 1 Pomarine Skua, plus large numbers of Kittiwakes, Manx Shearwaters and Gannets, all flying south in a WNW near-gale, with a grand total of  5,288 individual birds of 26 species. If you want to find out more about seawatching at Frenchman's Rocks, you'll find a detailed account, written by Tristan, in Peter Robert's book (details just to the right).

Sunday 20th September 

Mostly dry, with light to moderate west to northwest winds and the very occasional shower.

Light-bellied Brent Geese continue to arrive, with Clive McK reporting 22 flying into Loch Gruinart from the north in the morning and resting on the tidal island in the middle of the loch, followed by another 11 joining them about 20 minutes later, while, in between, an Osprey was hovering in front of Bun an Uillt.

Just after midday, Rogs heard a Chiffchaff singing from the trees close to the museum in Port Charlotte, and a little later saw 4 Yellowhammers close to Bun an Uillt, while small groups of Lesser Black-backed Gulls were moving south up the loch. In the late afternoon, James H saw 2 Whimbrel south of Bruichladdich, and David D passed on a reported sighting of a Glossy Ibis at Laphroaig.

 

Saturday 19th September

Still quite a strong westerly for most of the day, but with only a few showers.

Clive McK carried out a marathon seawatch at Frenchman's Rocks, starting at 07.30 and carrying on to 14.30. He was rewarded with high counts of 74 Red-throated Divers and 9 Leach's Petrels, as well as 2 Grey Phalaropes, 2 Storm Petrels, 2 Arctic Skuas, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and 28 Light-bellied Brent Geese, plus good movements of Kittiwakes, auks, Manx Shearwaters and Gannets. 

The only other records were of a Merlin at Kinnabus (seen by David D), 62 Brent Geese at Loch Gruinart (James H), a dark-phase adult Arctic Skua flying south up Loch Gruinart in the afternoon (Clive McK), and 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls moving south down the Sound of Islay (Rogs). 

I can't resist adding one of my own photographs of a Grey Phalatope, though taken in Svalbard, not on Islay. There was one nearly as colourful as this one at Ballinaby in June 1986, demonstrating that the species was, of course, named when in its grey winter plumage.

  

Friday 18th September

A rather wet day with a westerly wind which, though, was less strong than the last two days, and, unsurprisingly, not many bird sightings.

Light-bellied Brent Geese were on the move in mid-morning, with David D reporting the first of the day, 24 moving south close in at Lower Killeyan, The Oa, and Fiona Morton had a single one on the beach  by the Maltings, Port Ellen. A little later, Clive McK watched two flocks, 23 and 26, fly into Loch Gruinart and rest there for a while. He also saw an Osprey catching a fish.

Around midday, Chris Adler found the Glossy Ibis still in the Eorrabus/Esknish area, while David Hunter, on his way home, saw 12 Manx Shearwaters from the ferry.

 

 

 

 

Thursday 17th September

 A very blustery day of strong westerly winds, bright sunshine between heavy rain showers.

Clive McK. started the day with 2 Great Skuas flying up Loch Indaal and heading overland southwards. Later he and Fiona Morton braved the horrible weather to do a sea-watch at Frenchman's Rocks with moderate results: best of the bunch being 3 each of Storm and Leach's Petrels plus singles of  Arctic Tern, Arctic and Great Skuas and Little Gull, but surprisingly few of the usual species such as auks and Manxies, though there were 291 Gannets.  Billy Stitchell also noted activity from Gannets in the Sound of Islay between Caol Ila and Inver on Jura with 20+ actively fishing there. Further notes from the sea came in from David W. who saw 3 Leach's Petrels on the ferry from Kennacraig to Port Askaig, though these were all around West Loch Tarbert and Gigha. Again, he commented on the small numbers of the commoner species.

On dry land, I was around Loch Gruinart during the morning, but the stormy weather meant very little of note being observed. However, Ed B. found a Tufted Duck on the loch at Cornabus and David Hunter did particularly well on the far side of the island. He found a Turtle Dove at Ardtalla (photo below) and a Great Crested Grebe in Claggain Bay - both distinctly uncommon here.

Chris Aller had 2 Golden Eagles at Killinallan and Billy Stitchell sent in a photo of one taken at Knocklearach.

Wednesday 16th September

Another quite cool day of rain showers between sunny spells.

David W. was on the ferry today and reports a Puffin and Storm Petrel off Gigha. Clive McK. had 2 Sandwich Terns on Loch Gruinart, while David D. found a drake Scaup on Loch Kinnabus - not a usual location for the species. He also had a female Merlin at Kinnabbus Farm.

Rogan W. was out and about again today finding a male Hen Harrier near the airport then relocating yesterday's Glossy Ibis near Esknish - not far from where first seen yesterday. (There are now reports of 14-16 Glossy Ibis on Tiree!)

Tuesday 15th September

 A day of blustery WNW winds, sunshine and squally showers.

First reports in today were about raptors: Fiona Morton watched a sub-adult Golden Eagle at Coullabus and White-tailed Eagles at Saligo and Bridgend flats. David Hunter had a hunting female Hen Harrier east of Loch Gorm. Martin A. later reported 5 Barnacle Geese on Loch Indaal at Whin Park - presumably the same small group that arrived a day or two back?

Then things got more exciting, with Rogan W. noticing a fly-over Glossy Ibis at Keills as he drove past - only the 5th recent/modern record for Islay, the others being in 2018, 2020, 2025 and last month. There is apparently an influx of the species into the UK and northwards to Scotland happening at the moment with sightings as far away as St. Kilda! 

Sunday 13th & Monday 14th September

 A fine, dry and fairly sunny day on Sunday, but mostly raining and overcast on Monday.

Yesterday visitor Chris Aller wrote the following enthusiastic account: We've just had a very successful day at Ardnave: female Hen Harrier, pair of Golden Eagles on 4 separate occasions, White-tailed Eagle (also seen and photographed by David Hunter) and Merlin. Good numbers of Chough, plentiful Buzzards and a Kestrel. Good to see many Skylark, plus all the regular cast - a great day out!

Elsewhere, David D. reports 6 Barnacle Geese at Gartnatra that Ed B. suggests might be birds from the Icelandic breeding population as they are arrived so early. Ed also posted further fascinating info on "his" tagged Greater White-fronted Goose movements as they depart breeding grounds in Greenland and rest up in Iceland. Clive McK. saw a Chiffchaff in his garden near Eallabus on Loch Gruinart with a Golden Eagle seen overhead escorted by 5 Buzzards. There were also 4 Brent Geese flying up Loch Gruinart.

Steve & Lyn Rogers did their WeBS count at Loch an t-Salein with unusual sightings of a Lesser Black-backed Gull and 9 Gadwall - one of the higher counts recorded on Islay and never before from this location. Rarer still was a report by Mary R. of a Turtle Dove at Portnahaven flying over towards Port Wemyss in the afternoon.

No records so far today - perhaps due to the unpleasant weather conditions.

Saturday 12th September

 A day of slowly decreasing winds and improving weather from light showers to more sunshine.

Bird notes were:

James H. found an Osprey at Loch Gruinart in the afternoon. Louise M. counted 4 Tawny Owls calling around Craighouse on Jura in the evening. I watched an adult White-tailed Eagle in an aerial interaction with a young Golden Eagle at Leorin, both being mobbed by a Buzzard. Clive McK. counted on the Big Strand in the afternoon and found a good tally of 85 Sanderling, 30 ringed Plover and a Dunlin.

Friday 11th September

Mostly sunny and mild with light southerly and SW winds. 

Despite the pleasant weather there were no sightings reported today other than 7 Brent Geese on Loch Indaal by the Gaelic College seen by Wendy & John Mattingley.

Tony Evans sent in a "back of camera" shot of the Barnacle Geese seen yesterday - no doubt the first of many Barnacle Goose photos to be taken this coming winter!

Thursday 10th September

 A day of moderate southerly winds with lots of cloud and drizzle for much of the time.

Tony Evans kindly sent in some notes for yesterday: 2 White-tailed Eagles sat on a small islet at Traigh Cill an Rubha where the River Sorn comes out into Loch Indaal. He also found the Kingfisher on the river there, while the flats around held 12 Knot, c.20 Black-tailed Godwits, a Greenshank and 3 Barnacle Geese: very early arrivals?  Over on the Oa he saw 3 Twite at the RSPB car park and 2 more White-tailed Eagles in the edges of the plantation woodland at Cornabus.

Today, the only record comes from Wendy & John Mattingley who saw a Great Northern Diver in Kilnaughton Bay.

Wednesday 9th September

Winds lighter and going to a more southerly direction during a day of sunshine with isolated light showers.

Rogan W. noticed 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying south down the Sound of Islay past Port Askaig this morning. Wendy & John Mattingley saw a Barn Owl fly out of a farm barn at Ardnave and in the Ardnave area a Sparrowhawk, 35 Chough, a flock of 26 Linnets and a Wheatear. Farm. Towards Ardnave Point they noted 2 White-tailed Eagles, one a first year bird flying to join another on Nave Island. At Stonefield, just inland from Blackrock and Loch Indaal they counted a further 40 Linnets and another Wheatear, then a further White-tailed Eagle nearer to Bowmore.

Tuesday 8th September

A day of blustery, mostly NW/WNW winds, and rain showers between long sunny spells.

With reports of good birding sea-watches off Tiree today including Leach's Petrels Grey Phalaropes and Sabine's Gulls, it was good that Clive McK. went down to Frenchman's Rocks to take a 2 hour look and show again that for much of the time Islay doesn't quite compare! Best finds were a Storm Petrel and 2 Sooty Shearwaters, with a supporting cast of 1,300 Manxies going north and 2,489 going south along with most other birds: 114 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 4 Red-throated Divers,104 Brent Geese, 5 Pintail, and a small selection of waders.

Other bird news included comments from Rogan W. and Louise M. of small build ups of Swallows prior to migration - 36 together at Dunlossit and 30 around Sanaig Wood on Jura. By contrast David D. pointed out that Swallows were still producing recently fledged broods at Kinnabus at this late date. Wendy & John Mattingley recorded the summering Whooper Swan still lingering at Gruinart and Jim Dickson had a juvenile Common Tern and juvenile Curlew Sandpiper at Carnain. Clive saw a further 26 Brent Geese coming in to Islay at Ardnave along with a Great Northern Diver, a Storm Petrel and 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying up Loch Gruinart. 

Monday 7th September

Moderate SW winds, mostly dry, fairly sunny.

Yesterday evening Clive McK. watched a Little Gull at sea from the ferry off Gigha.

Mary Redman noted large numbers of feeding Gannets off the islands around Portnahaven this morning through till evening.

Jim Dickson was very busy again - quite a marathon - producing several good records. This morning off the Gaelic College in Loch Indaal he noted an adult Sandwich Tern, 89 Red-breasted Mergansers, 390 Mallard 76 Wigeon a single Pintail, 7 adult Red-throated Divers and 38 Brent Geese flying SW. A White-tailed Eagle was feeding on the Gruinart flats where a juvenile Peregrine flew by. He also noted groups of Pied/White Wagtails, 115 Black-headed Gulls a probable total of 13 Greenshanks, 35 Turnstone a couple of Wheatears and 3 more White Wagtails. Better still was an Osprey  which moved on to Loch Gorm where it was seen hunting. Up at Braigo a Golden Eagle was seen hunting low over the ground and further on at Sanaigmore there were 3 Arctic Terns and 70+ Manx Shearwaters offshore in 20 minutes of sea-watching. Back at Loch Indaal Jim relocated a couple of Curlew Sandpipers along with 150 Rock Doves at Carrabus. and scored the best bird of the day with a lovely adult Mediterranean Gull (photos below) - possibly the same bird as seen by Clive McK. a few weeks ago? Back at Gruinart there were 3 Curlew Sandpipers and a Little Stint.

Other observations came in from Rogan W. with a Sparrowhawk at Eas Fora and a juvenile Corn Crake seen by David D. at Kinnabus.

Sunday 6th September

Blustery winds from the south , so quite warm despite lots of cloud but surprisingly little rain.

Rogan W. started the ball rolling this morning with a juvenile White-tailed Eagle over Keills (probably the same bird I saw there in the afternoon). At Gruinart he noted another White-tailed Eagle a Little Egret, 27 Brent Geese and 11 Pintail with a Yellowhammer by the Oyster Shed on the Killinallan side. Jim Dickson was also up that way finding an all-white Starling at Craigens.

 Visitors Wendy and John Mattingley increased the Brent Goose count at Gruinart to 33 and added a Sparrowhawk and Golden Eagle to the day's sightings. 

Over at Coullabus Jim took a photo of a juvenile Whinchat and noted a count of 10 Wheatears since Thursday with 5 together at Carrabus. The Brent Goose count rose to 36 birds with 3 at Carnain. Over at Gartnatra on Loch Indaal there was a large count of 51 Red-breasted Mergansers on the shore, thought to be post-moulting males.

I tried my luck at doing a sea-watch from the fery to Kennacaig and back this morning finding an adult White-tailed Eagle perched atop Glas Eilean off Jura, 2 Puffins, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua on the outward trip, but precious little on the return.

Saturday 5th September

 A dry, mostly sunny day with moderate winds.

Jim Dickson and Rogan W. have been out birding the island for much of the day. They found the first (3) Brent Geese of the autumn at Gartnatra and Carnain. In the same area were 3 Curlew Sandpipers and a Little Stint, 2 Little Egrets and later I added 7 Black-tailed Godwits and 33 Wigeon to the mix. 

Jim counted 46 Common Scoter off Blackrock along with 3 immature Arctic Terns, with an adult and juvenile Peregrine there too. Later at Loch Gruinart he counted the first sizeable arrival of Teal with a total of 130 birds and 11 Pintail. Other raptors were an immature Golden Eagle watched above Gruinart Farm, 2 White-tailed Eagles on the mud at Bridgend and a Kestrel at Craigens. Back up at Loch Alan Rogan W. had a pair of Bullfinch and 12 Redpolls.

David Jardine did a ferry journey to/from Islay with a bit of birding on Jura in between. He counted 10 Turnstone at Inver and a Great spotted Woodpecker at Inver plantation. On the return ferry crossing he had 2 Great Skuas and a Storm Petrel.

Friday 4th September

Fairly strong blustery westerly winds brought plenty of heavy rain showers between sunny spells.

Jim Dickson the Argyll Bird Club Recorder is over for a week and began finding a few birds of interest despite appalling weather: 5 Curlew Sandpipers (phot below of 2) and 3 juvenile Little Stints at Carnain and a Great Skua, Little Egret and 8 Black-tailed Godwits on Loch Indaal off Bridgend plus 2 Hen Harriers at Cruach to start with. This was followed by 10 Pintail up at Gruinart and a Peregrine at Craigens.

There had been suggestions that sea-watching might be productive today and the only to follow this up was David W. watching off The Oa who noted an expected constant stream of Manx Shearwaters and a few Gannets, Fulmars, Kittiwakes and auks, with a trio of Arctic Skuas being the best find in a 2 hour watch.

Rogan W. counted 68 Gannets heading south down the Sound of Islay and David D. reports a Corn Crake seen by one of the stockmen on the RSPB The Oa reserve.

Thursday 3rd September

Another changeable day - light winds with rain and cloud between sunny periods.

Rogan W. saw a Kingfisher plus a fishing Cormorant on Loch Allan and 3 Little Grebes on Loch Ballygrant. Later a White-tailed Eagle flew over Keills.

Wednesday 2nd September

Breezy with rain showers and cloud between bouts of sunshine.

Today's notes come from Rogan W. who heard the Tawny Owls calling at Dunlossit last night and then 2 Whimbrel calling as they passed by Port Askaig this morning. In the garden at Dunlossit were 2 Crossbills, single Spotted Flycatcher, Great spotted Woodpecker, a small flock of Redpolls and an Arctic Skua seen flying along the sound.

He also sent in the non-avian, but appealing photo below:

Tuesday 1st September

Overcast with light winds but rain throughout much of the day - quite heavy at times.

Rogan W. had a Great Spotted Woodpecker and Spotted Flycatcher in the woodland around Lily Loch.

I had a quick look around Gruinart and found a flock of 32 Black-tailed Godwits with an accompanying Ruff on the floods near to the Visitor Centre. On the way home I checked Blackrock and counted 26 Common Scoter offshore.