Thursday 5th and Friday 6th March

Thursday was quite a wet day,  with variable winds, but on Friday we were blessed with wall-to-wall sunshine and a south-east breeze.

No records were submitted on Thursday, but Friday was busier, with Mary McR. seeing a pair of adult White-tailed Eagles and a male Hen Harrier at Claddach in the morning and then, in the early afterrnoon, 5 Whooper Swans flew over heading NW, having presumably come from Ireland. Peter R. spotted 4 pairs of Black Guillemot by Bruichladdich Pier, a regular breeding site, and Mary-Ann F. saw a Treecreeper at the Battery, above the High School, where there are plenty of small trees, though few larger ones, nor for some distance around. Redwing are on the move, as 40+ were reported from near Coullabus, while I saw 6-10 at Kintour.

Morven Laurie (NatureScot) has kindly sent the results of the latest island-wide goose count, held on 24th/25th February, revealing totals of 29,461 Barnacle Geese, 4,950 Greenland Whitefronts, and 1078 Greylags. Thank you, Morven.