The winds decreased a little and turned generally southerly/south-easterly, but it was an overcast, almost solidly rainy dark and dreary day!
Mary-Ann Featherstone reports that the Snow Goose was still present yesterday.
As usual, Rogan W. set things off with a count of 63 Shags and 12 Greenland White-fronts heading south down the Sound of Islay, while Ed B. kept us updated on the tagged (at Cornabus) Greenland White-front flying towards us from Iceland. It did indeed go too far south, reoriented to the Kintyre peninsula and may yet make it to Islay! (Photo below).
Frank Cavanagh set off by ferry to the mainland this morning having a productive sea-watch along the way: singles of Little Gull and Pomarine Skua, 4 Leach's Storm-Petrel and 3 Little Auks. Nick Martin was pleased to find Merlin near Gartnatra - the last raptor to complete his Islay list for this visit. Down at Claddach, Mary R. had 12 White-fronts over the house early on followed by a family of low-flying Whoopers - possibly the 6 she saw in Claddach loch later.
Neil McMahon's Naturetrek group also exited today, sending in this last report of 34 Whoopers at Kilchoman with a single Pink-footed Goose, several more Whooper families on Loch Gorm and on on the stubble field with another lone Pink-footed Goose at Ballinaby. Up at Ardnave they counted 35 Choughs, a male Hen Harrier and a Little Grebe. Off Carnain and Gartnatra in Loch Indaal Nick found 20 Red-breasted Mergansers, 12 Brent Geese, 27 Whooper Swans, 2 Red-throated divers and 2 Black Guillemots. On his ferry journey back to the mainland Neil's group encountered a Storm-petrel, 12 Great Northern Divers, 40 Kittiwakes and a handful of Gannets and auks at the south of the Sound of Islay.
Many thanks to Frank and Neil for their sterling efforts in birding in such dodgy weather and for contributing their records to the group and blog. Here are some photos sent in by Neil from his visit.
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