Sunday 6th April

A funny old day over today with squally showers coming out of nowhere, on the postive side of things, here at home we had a Bumblebee out, and there had been one yesterday as well, but I forgot to mention it last night...onto to birds, and there were 2 Greenfinches on the nut feeders this morning! The Fulmars are still here, so yes, posibly they are here at the nest sites, keep tuned for further info! Peter Roberts had a count of 50 Sand Martins out in front of the old hide at Gruinart. Along the road, up close to Garra Eallabus, a female Sparrowhawk was out on the wing skimming along, a mere 6 inches above the ground between some brambles and the gorse bushes there. On Ardnave Loch, there were 15 Tufted Duck and also 3 female Goldeneye present. The Dumfries birders, now down to one, so it should be a singular "birder" had seen a male and 2 female Goldeneye in Bowmore Harbour this morning and then a pr of Ravens up above Kilchiaran this afternoon.

Sunday 18th March

A great day over here, so good that in between doing other jobs, I even got the whitewash brush out and almost completed the gable end of one of the cottages, the only problem is that the bit that is left is the apex, right up the top, but it will be finished tomorrow if the weather holds good.

Visitors, coming over on the ferry yesterday, had a Peregrine flying over the sea, and it headed off towards Ardtalla. Further on, they saw a pair of Golden Eagles, just after McAthur's Head. Malcolm this morning had a flock of around 25 Whoopers flying North up Loch Indaal past Bruichladdich. Later on there were 12 counted at Ardnave Loch as well as some on Loch Gruinart itself. James had seen Bumblebees out today at Gruinart. There was a Tawny Owl calling away in the trees at Port Askaig this evening.

We had a surfer staying in the cottages last week, who was surfing every day. He commented on how warm our water was compared to the North Sea and the East coast where he usually surfs!!! He had seen an Otter while down at Machir Bay, and another day he had another one along at Saligo.