Friday 28th September

Yesterday, Pat, Bob's other half, had seen a Peregrine up beside their house behind Port Charlotte.

Today, Bob had seen a Kestrel over towards Octomore and in the gull flock there, he saw 2 second winter Med. Gulls along with the Common and Herring Gulls present. Kenneth had found a dead juvenile  Common Tern as he came off Machir Bay and late morning, he had seen 2 small groups of Pale bellied Brent  Geese at the top of Loch Indaal. Late afternoon and Margaret saw a male Hen Harrier skirting along the front of the crag. Around 6pm, Distillery Dave had seen another male Hen Harrier flying over the  road down at Rockside road end. Margaret and myself took a quick drive over to Gruinart once we had finished our tea and were rewarded with a count of 87 Barnacle Geese coming down the loch and landing on the mud flats.... Wonder what tomorrow will bring???

The weather has been dry today although there had been a slight dampness through the night, but the combines and balers have been out trying to make the most of it, not a good harvest for sure!!!!!

Saturday 26th October

If the truth be told, this should be the entry for Sunday, but then again the clocks go back shortly, so you could argue the point that it was a Saturday entry (00.41 on the clock just now!) Yesterday, the Horwich Birders had seen a Common Tern, 1 Black throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe and 13 Pale bellied Brent Geese on Loch Indaal from Glenburn, just past Blackrock. Today, one of the RAFOS team who have just arrived had seen a Long Tailed Duck on Loch Indaal, off Bowmore, a good start to the week. The Horwich Birders, or rather Chris and Tony Johnson headed home today as did the Collinsons to Newtonhill just South of Aberdeen, thanks folks for your birds, and hopefully we will have other sets of "new " eyes this week on the look out for some birds for us!.

Sun 3rd August

Michal had been out on the prowl with his camera and sent me this one of a Dunlin. There were 30 Dunlin in total, along with 13 Common Tern, 8 Redshank, 10 Ringed Plover and 40 Common Gulls.

Today was Stacey's last day on Oronsay and quickly e mailed to tell me that 3 Ruddy Shelduck have been over there for the last 3 days. Next job for Stacey is in the Deep South, Antarctica for the next 30 months or so, non stop, no holidays from there, but not starting until November! Stacey will be doing her own blog from there, so I will try to give you her address later on. In the mean time, thanks for your Colonsay input.

Sat 5th May 07

This is an image taken late afternoon on Thursday 19th April. There were over 560 pale bellied Brent Geese in total on Loch Indaal, a record for Islay!

Three rung birds were observed and all traced back to having been rung in Northern Ireland. The following morning, they had all gone, an impressive sight while they were here. I.K.B.

A group of 7 Greenland Wheatears were seen on Gruinart Reserve as well as the Spotted Redshank. At Bruichladdich there were 2 late Purple Sandpipers, a Common Tern and an Arctic Tern. J.R.H. and G.J.