Sunday 23rd August

 It should be the time of the month when I would  normally tell you where the bird nerds will be meeting on this coming Tuesday, but yet again there will not be meeting because of the Coronavirus. As the old saying goes, "better safe than sorry"...

Our son Andrew had a bit of a happening in his garden yesterday...

There was a massive commotion in the garden today with a load of crows going crazy. I thought they were trying to get starlings or house martins from the house, but they were all down by the silver birch by Dave’s. Went down to see what was going on & found this Sparrowhawk wrestling a Magpie. It eventually killed it. Thought to keep kids away from sight, but Abbie said “but it’s only doing what needs to for food, and I love predators”. She was fascinated so learnt her natural history lesson for day....

Andrew Kelly sent me through some birds for the blog..  An interesting day! Highlights for me.  Loch side at W end of Tower Plantation: c90 dunlin mixed in with as many ringed plover and c30 curlew. Kestrel on the High Road, Juvenile Sparrowhawk posing nicely if briefly on fence post during circular walk round the Oa reserve Extended Peregrine flypast along cliffs by the monument. Mixed flock of Twite, Linnet and Goldfinch. Some very noisy seals in the bays! 2 Raven.  Loch side on Bowmore - Bridgend Road feeding: 50+ Curlew, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Knot, 12 Redshank etc.   From shore near Blackrock late afternoon: Red-throated diver flying down loch, 3 Sandwich Terns feeding, 11 Common Scoter, 14 Eider.

Meanwhile George E. Jackson sent through the following earlier on this morning to me....

 "3 - 4 Sand martins still hanging around Machir Bay dunes; an imm. Golden Eagle flew along the burn below Rockside this morning and a Wheatear on the Horizons wall this evening. I also get the feeling that there are more Blackbirds about than 2 weeks ago, as I am driving around - possibly young ones dispersing, or have a few arrived already? (See they have had Redwings on N Ron. and Fair Isle)."

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Tuesday 16th July

The heavy rain which I thought that might have come last night did not materialise, although there was some dampness on the gravel outside when I got up this morning...

The weather has been good again although there was not much wind, the clegs were out, better I suppose than the dreaded midge, at least a good swipe at a cleg and it is no longer a living cleg, midges are harder to get rid of... Enough on that subject!!

This afternoon, I saw a beautiful male Linnet down on the bird seed crop, and then shortly afterwards a Willow Warbler was present on one of the seed/ flower heads on the other crop.. Still that is what the seed mixes were planted for....

Thursday 6th September

Another mixed day with the weather again today..

Here at home, this morning before my breakfast, I had a flock of around 200 Twite out on the bird seed crop, mind you that is what we planted it for!!! On the feeders, well the other birds have been busy there as well. The last couple of days, we have had a Great Tit and then a Blue Tit seen here, neither of which are that common here.. Late afternoon, Margaret counted 16 Pheasants, a good number for here, and not for to be shot at!!!

"JD" had seen the 2 second year Med. Gulls at Carnain this morning and then this evening along with Peter and Mike had the juv. Med. Gull at Blackrock and then along at Carnain, they saw an Arctic Tern, on the estuary. At Blackpark, "JD" had a count of 220 Linnet in the flock there. Up at Loch Finlaggan, he saw 10 Tufted Duck and also 2 Dabchicks.

Tuesday 1st May

Yesterday, Mike reported through some birds seen out on Loch Indaal from Port Charlotte,  in flat calm conditions, a count of 119 Common Scooter, which Mike thought this to be a high count for time of year. He also had a Glaucous Gull along with other gulls in a feeding frenzy. Mike also had 2 RTD and 10 GND and also a Common Sandpiper seen on the shore.
Today, the weather has not been that great, but it did not deter Argyll birder, Jim Dickson from spotting some birds for the blog, oh, to be young again... Jim had 39 Pale bellied Brent Geese at Uiskentuie, at Coull, 17 Whimbrel were seen. Over at Ballinaby, Jim saw 43 Golden Plover and a Grey Plover, with a count of 81 Linnet there too. Up at Ardnave, 32 Whimbrel, a Blackwit and 13 Canada Geese with some Greylags seen there as well. At Gruinart 4 pair of Wigeon were present.

Saturday 15th July

A miserable sort of a day out with it being damp for most of the day, and also here at home, low mist, we could not see the crag for most of the afternoon. But having said that after 6 pm the mist lifted and it dried up, so we went out to the "hut", and were able to see a juv. Golden Eagle, a Buzzard, 2 Peregrines and also 2 Ravens out over the crag.. down on the fence at the edge of the game crop, there was a small flock of around 20 Linnets, popping back and forwards between the fence and the thistle heads. On the seed heads, over on the other side of the wee field, a couple of Willow Warblers were dodging about, with the Greenfinch  with its' fledglings was present on the feeder directly in front of the "hut", as was a Great Tit when we first went out. The Siskins are still enjoying the niger seed with the 4 Hooded Crows are hopping around on the grass. Earlier on, I spotted a hen Pheasant come out of the game crop wearing a purple leg ring which indicated it was one of the birds that Margaret had reared from hatching, as the digger driver disturbed the nest when moving soil  around  before we moved up here 3 years ago....

An image of the same hen Pheasant, sporting her purple leg ring, on the garden wall next to the old graveyard, taken back in May this year on a windy day...