Almost a Spring day here, no need to wear a jacket when outside doing some work....
A visiting birder from Nottingham over for a few days, had been at the reserve at Gruinart today. Apart from the geese, he had 6 Whooper Swan, a Greenshank, 10 Greylags, a ring tailed Hen Harrier and a few Golden Plover. Yesterday at Gruinart, he saw the Hen Harrier again and also a distant Golden Eagle. This morning down on the Oa reserve he had a flock over 200 Twite being preyed upon by a female Merlin. On Loch Indaal, this afternoon plenty of divers were around, a summer plumage Slavonian Grebe, a Great Northern Diver, 5 Black throated Divers and 10 Red throated Divers. There were also 100 Common Scoter and a Black Guillemot, but no sign of any Scaup or any long tailed Ducks!
Another visitor, this time from Oxfordshire, had been up at Rhuvaal lighthouse and had seen a Peacock Butterfly in the garden, a poor looking specimen! Whilst there, offshore he had 5 Great Northern Divers, 2 Black guillemot, 2 Razorbill, 2 Guillemot, 50+ Assorted Auks and 4 Gannets. Yesterday when he was up at Ardnave, he counted 53 Eider over on Nave Island and also 10 Shag. He had also seen a Snipe while walking around Ardnave Point in the marshy ground.
Bob in his garden this morning 6 different finches! 25 Goldfinch, 50 Chaffinch, 1 male Greenfinch, 4 Twite, 2 Siskin and 2 Redpolls.
