Thursday 30th & Friday 31st July

Two more days of mixed rain showers and sunshine with moderate westerly winds.

Yesterday Rogan Wolhuter had a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the woodland just south of Port Askaig and sent in this fine photo. Otherwise it was all about White-tailed Eagles: Karim Labib saw one approaching the dead Minke Whale on Machir Bay, but being mobbed by a Buzzard and flying off. He also saw 2 sub-adult White-tailed Eagles there a little later along with a substantial count of 13 Wheatears. Later he was on Jura and found a male Hen Harrier 3-4 miles north of the Feolin ferry.

Clive McKay had 2 Whinchats at Gruinart - an adult with young. Later, Clive and I were over on Jura and watched an  adult pair of White-tailed Eagles that ended up happily sitting on the same branch in a fine woodland tree for upwards of 5 hours without doing anything much apart from stretching wings and legs whenever the sun came out.

Today Bill Bealey had 2 White-tailed Eagles at the Ard, Port Ellen and Jo Rosser-Owen had a Sparrowhawk in Bridgend Woods. Clive McK. a Little Egret and 175 Bar-tailed Godwits at Gartnatra and a juv cuckoo at Coullabus. Karim saw an Arctic Skua in Loch Indaal from Port Charlotte and Rogan found 3 Greenshanks on Loch Gruinart by The Oystershed, plus a few birds in the woods around Dunlossit: Bullfinch, Treecreeper, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 14 Redpolls and 5 Grey Herons including an adult with young on nest around Lily loch/Loch Allan. Val Peacock heard a quite late Corn Crake calling briefly at the north end of Port Charlotte in fields by the new housing.

Theo from Nature Scotland kindly alerted us to a report he'd seen on ebird this morning of an adult Mediterranean Gull at Blackrock, Loch Indaal.

Wednesday 29th July

Cloud, quite heavy rain at times and pleasantly cool temperatures during the day, the westerly breezes dropping by an evening with a bit of sunshine.

Roger Wolhuter, newly arrived resident birder on Islay, sent in a record of 2 Tawny Owls calling all night up at Port Askaig. He also noted 12 Redpolls, 2 White-tailed Eagles, a Grey Wagtail and 4 Spotted Flycatchers - 2 adults with recently fledged young.

Karim Labib and a ring-tailed Hen Harrier at Loch Gruinart and a male Hen Harrier near Port Charlotte, plus 3 Twite at Sanaigmore and a Whinchat on the east side of Loch Gorm.

Monday 27th & Tuesday 28th July

SW moderate winds bringing in belts of drizzle, cloud, mist and rain between a few sunny periods.

Yesterday David D. had 3 Greenshank at Loch Kinnabus. Ed B. had a reeling Grasshopper Warbler at Cornabus. Bill Bealey had a Chough at Kilnaughton, Lucy Chadwick saw a Golden Eagle at Finlaggan, Roger Broad noted a Red-throated diver off Port Charlotte and Jo Rosser-Owen reports a Tree Pipit from the Daill Farm area of Bridgend Woods.

Today David D. counted a flock of 23 Twite at Upper Killeyan. There were also several reports of Bottle-nosed Dolphins high up into Loch Indaal (I counted 5 at one point off Port Charlotte heading north). Rogan Wolhuter, coming over to Islay on the ferry had a selection of seabirds including a Red-throated diver and 2 Sandwich Terns. There were two pairs of Little Grebe with young on Loch Ballygrant.

Sunday 26th July

 Moderate Westerly  winds, rain and shine between.

Very few bird records in today. Jo Rosser-Owen recorded Great Spotted Woodpecker in Bridgend Woods - good to know they are still there. Roger Broad took and afternoon look at the top of Loch Indaal and noted  20 Shelducks, 120 Dunlin, 5 Sanderling, 1 Greenshank,

120 Bar-tailed Godwits and 25 Ringed Plovers. Up at Loch Gruinart there was another small group of 18 Black-tailed godwits freshly in.

Other, more sad news, was of a Minke Whale washed up dead on Machir Bay.

Friday 24th & Saturday 25th July

Variable weather with light to moderate winds from the west, some cloud, some rain and quite cool temperatures.

Yesterday David D. had an unseasonably large flock of c.100 Chaffinches feeding on a topped field at Kintra.

Today Simon Tardivel reports a couple of Chough at Ardnave and a White-tailed Eagle at Machir Bay. Clive McK. had a flock of 19 Black-tailed godwits in summery plumage coming n ew in to Loch Gruinart and Roger Broad and I had a further 7 arriving later in the afternoon. We also counted 145 Curlews and the Little Egret at Gruinart plus a Peregrine sat on the shoreline. In the same area, Bill Bealey saw the summering Whooper Swan, 50 Greylag Geese, and single Buzzard and Snipe from the North Hide.

There were 19 Tufted Ducks on Loch Gorm and over at Kildalton, Mary-Ann F.  had a family of Great Black-backed Gulls on the shore where the two families of Red-breasted Mergansers hang on, bravely defending their chicks.

Thursday 23rd July

Cloud and very light drizzle at times, with cooler temperatures, but sunny spells between and light winds.

David D. reports intermittent calling of Quail at times over the past several days at Kinnabus. Ed B. had 2 Choughs at Cornabus, seemingly attracted to a "sandy dung heap". Clive McK. noted the first returning/post-breeding Little Egret at Gruinart. Visitor Simon Tardivel sent in a list of 19 species noted whilst camping at Port Mor.

Monday 20th, Tuesday 21st & Wednesday 22nd July

Further quite pleasant weather - lots of sunshine, but light winds from the north at times cooling temperatures and bringing intermittent cloud and very light attempts at rain on a few occasions.

Again, there has been very little bird news reported. Tom Pope sent in a note of a White-tailed Eagle at Lagavulin on Sunday. Also on Sunday, an Islay Facebook posting mentioned a possibly injured immature Golden Eagle along the Killinallan road on Sunday, but there has been no further news of it.

On Monday Jo Rosser-Owen noted Bullfinch in Bridgend Woods and today Ed B. reports a White-tailed Eagle chasing Greylag Geese - a staple of their diet here I imagine.

Friday 17th, Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th July

Three further days of glorious weather, though becoming slightly cooler by Sunday with a light northerly breeze, but otherwise dry and sunny.

There were no bird sightings for Friday. Yesterday  Mary R. noted a first year White-tailed Eagle at Claddach - presumably a fledged young from the pair in the large forestry area in the south of the Rhinns? Today David D. reported hearing the Quail again intermittently at Kinnabus - who knows if they are just off-course migrants or if there is breeding going on? Louise Muir, over on Jura had an Osprey at the head of Loch Tarbert with a White-tailed Eagle there later in the day.

Thursday 16th July

Another hot, dry and sunny day with temperatures between 20-25C.

Mary-Ann Featherstone recorded another brood of 7 Red-breasted Merganser ducklings at Cnoc Bay.

The count of the Starling roost on Bruichladdich pier this evening was at c.1,100 - a classic July peak of this post-breeding gathering of adult and young birds.

David Dinsley saw 2 Swifts this evening over Lagavulin distillery and sent in this fine photo of a leucistic Robin near Laphroaig distillery.

Monday 13th. Tuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th July

Hot, dry and sunny with light winds and high temperatures - our own little Islay heatwave with temperatures up in the low 20sC.

Despite the glorious weather (if you overlook the likelihood that it is all due to global warming!), it is a quiet time of year for birding and there were no sightings for Monday. Yesterday Steve & Lyn Rogers noted, amongst various regular species, Spotted Flycatcher at Cairnmore Woods, Kilnaughton. 

Clive McK. was over on Jura and had a group of 5 Swifts over the southern end of the island. This species has only been recorded on 8 previous occasions on Jura between 1974 and 2024, with 2-3 the previous maximum number - so a good record by all counts.

Today Jo Rosser-Owen reported continued nesting of Swallows in her garage up at Bridgend, while MaryAnn F. had a family of Red-breasted Mergansers (6 ducklings) at the Dower House, Kildalton. David D. saw a juvenile Cuckoo at Upper Cragabus and 2 Greenshanks on Loch Kinnabus where he heard 2, possibly 3 calling Quail this evening. Clive McK. had a further 6 Greenshanks at Bun an Uillt, Gruinart, a just -fledged Common Tern on Oitir Riabach (the small perilously low-lying shingle island in Loch Gruinart where terns often try, and often fail to breed due to flooding). Most odd was an observation of an Oystercatcher trying to feed a Common Gull fledgling with lugworms.

Roger Broad kindly sent in a report regarding White-tailed Eagle on Islay. Apparently Morven Laurie, NatureScot found the fairly freshly bird dead bird near Loch Gorm, back on 28th April 2026. It was good to know that the bird tested negative for HPAI. The bird was ringed by Roger as a chick on Mull 20 years previously on 29th June 2006. It was a female and was fitted with yellow wing tags. It was later seen at its subsequent breeding site on Islay with a male (also with yellow wing tags) in December 2009. These became the first breeding pair on Islay in 2010 when they bred successfully near Finlaggan. This bird was presumed to have bred in the same area in the following years - so may have been one of our pioneering breeding birds for 16 or more years.

Sunday 12th July

A bright, dry and sunny day of light wind and hot temperatures (I noted 26C at one point today).

Clive McK. was observing up at Gruinart and noted a sub-adult Golden Eagle being harassed by 5 Buzzards plus a flock of 15 Bar-tailed Godwits, some in summer plumage and 8 Arctic Terns. There was a juvenile Cuckoo at Coullabus, a roadkill recently fledged Barn Owl at Eorrabus and 7 Wood Pigeons at Gareallabus. Best of his sightings was a group of 7 Common Swifts, which prompted reports from Fiona McG. of 6 over Port Wemyss early this morning and Swifts over Kildalton yesterday from Mary Ann F. - though no numbers were given. This is not a common species on Islay, so do please send in all sightings.

Friday 10th & Saturday 11th July

Two pleasant days with a fair bit of sunshine between cloudier periods. Dry, light winds and not too hot.

Yesterday Ed B. saw a Tufted Duck on the loch at Cornabus - his first there, while David Wood had 100s of Common Dolphins between Gigha and the Sound of Islay.

Today I counted 26 Black Guillemots at Port Askaig and friends of Mary Ann F. watched a Corn Crake cross the road at Ardbeg, plus 3 Grey Herons off Cnoc Bay. Billy Stitchell was up at Lily loch seeing many of the usual species: several Wrens, a few juvenile robin, Redpoll, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Siskin, Swallows, Coal Tit, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher  and Greenfinch. 

Bruichladdich pier is, as usual, being used as a roost site to currently 300+ Starlings.

Thursday 9th July

A warmer day with little rain, light winds and a bit of sunshine  - also quite humid.

A Great Northern Diver was present off Port Charlotte yesterday and this morning Alistair H. saw a couple of Swifts near Claddach, and a male Hen Harrier and 30+ Skylarks near Gruinart. I was up at Finlaggan where there was a group of 14 Pied Wagtails.

Friends who came over this morning on the Kintyre Express from Ballycastle report 2-3 Minke Whales between Rathlin and The Oa.

Monday 6th, Tuesday 7th & Wednesday 8th July

Monday and Tuesday were miserable - drizzle, low cloud, mist and breezy. Wednesday saw a turn for the better with bright, calm and sunny weather by mid-morning.

On Monday Alistair Hart reported Grasshopper Warblers calling at Portnahaven.

There were no records for Tuesday.

Today Alistair reported lots of the usual species from his wanderings around the Portnahaven/Cladville area in the much better weather.

David Wood reports a Quail at Kinnabus and confirms that the Tree Sparrows reported a few weeks ago have successfully bred with fledged young in the Glen Astle area. This species only occurs erratically, with little pattern to their appearances on Islay and is even more erratic as a breeding bird - the last confirmed breeding (also on The Oa) was 2009.

Over on Jura today, David Jardine reports Yellowhammer, Great Spotted Woodpecker and 2 singing Blackcaps at Port an Tarbairt. Girish Patel, also now on Jura saw a Yellowhammer at Cnocbreac and a singing Whitethroat at Inver Cottage.

Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th July

 The weather has been awful - cloudy, raining and breezy, with Port Ellen apparently being the wettest place in the UK a day or so ago!

Needless to say, that has meant no bird notes sent in and the three day gap in bothering to write the blog.

However, we welcome a new resident birder to Islay, Rogan Wolhuter, who pointed out that this day 13 years ago was a true "red letter day" for Islay's ornithology:

This was the second UK record - both in Argyll, the first 60 years before the Islay one - so not long to wait until the next!

Tuesday 30th June, Wednesday 1st & Thursday 2nd July

Very variable, quickly changing weather over the last three days. Mostly with cloudy conditions and light rain and stronger winds, but brightening up considerably by lunchtime on 2nd.

There were no bird notes posted for Tuesday or Wednesday.

Today Girish Patel was at Claggain Bay and reports 2 Red-throated Diver and one Great Northern Diver, along with Black Guillemots, Eiders and a Red-breasted Merganser.