Monday 19th October

 Light s/SE winds, dry, sunny and quite cold - but generally good birding weather.

A couple of noteworthy sightings missed from yesterday are 26 Black Guillemots seen by Wendy & John Mattingley in the Sound of Islay, mostly near Glas Eilean and 3 separate Barn Owls seen after dark by Rogan W. at Cattadale, Barr and Storakaig.

Plenty of people out birding again today with a good variety of species recorded. Rogan W. was birding fairly widely across the island, finding 2 male and 1 female/ringtail Hen Harrier at Laggan Bay to start the day. At Bridgend flats he noted 5 White-tailed Eagles a Grey Plover, 34 Turnstones, 3 Greenshank and found the 2 Snow Buntings still present between Blackrock and Carnain, where they remained and were seen by several others including myself with birding friends and Alex Rhodes and his group during the day. He also noted one of the drake Pochards still on Loch Gorm and 2 Yellowhammers near Saligo Bay.

On The Oa David D. recorded a large flock of 100 Fieldfares with 20 seen by Theo de Clermont at Ardtalla along with 300+ Redwings. Theo and his group also relocated the Snow Goose in much the same area at Leorin, the Richardson's type Cackling Goose plus a European White-fronted Goose at Gruinart. Gary Douglas recorded two different Kestrels near Cragabus on The Oa and found the biggest count of Scaup so far this autumn/winter at 7 birds on Loch Indaal. Wendy & John Mattingley had 60 Golden Plovers at Saligo and a Merlin near Kilchoman where their tally of Whooper Swans produced the largest count of the day at 81 on uncut barley fields close to the distillery.

Up at Ardnave where Andy Howard photographed Chough this morning, Nicky Betts saw male Hen Harrier, White-tailed Eagle and a Little Grebe on the loch. Later, Nicky was over on The Oa seeing 2 Golden Eagles, Peregrine, Merlin and 25 Twite on the feeders at the RSPB car park. Clive McK. had a count of 7 Canada Geese at the Gaelic College, with  further 13 noted by Theo in the fields where the Snow Goose mingled with the Greylags at Leorin. John Miles had 11 Brent Geese, 36 Turnstone, 20 Ringed Plover and a latish Sandwich Tern near Bruichladdich.

I was out with young visiting birder Stuart and his parents in the morning; some of the more interesting finds being 10 Little Egrets from the S. Hide, 4 White-tailed Eagles on Gruinart flats, Golden Eagle at Ardnave, several Hen Harriers, Sparrowhawk female at Loch Gorm and Red Kite circling high over Uiskentuie - presumably the same bird as first seen yesterday by Alex Rhodes.

Billy Stitchell sent in this photo of one of 20+ Redwings at Lily Loch at Sunrise.