Thursday 31st May

On our way over to Gruinart this morning, we were very fortunate to see this adult Little Stint which was seen over on the muddy pool beside the gate at Saligo, along with a few Dunlin and Ringed Plover. We returned home about an hour later and it was not there, just as well that I had the camera with me!! Over at Gruinart there  were 6 Whoopers seen, a group of 3 and also 3 single  Swans... Bob had gone round to Saligo this afternoon, and it was back again, along with 4 Lapwing with young, 9 Dunlin and 6 Ringed Plover. He also heard 2 Snipe drumming while he was there. We revisited this evening, with Distillery Dave, but no joy at Saligo. On the return leg home, we spent some time down at the reed bed towards Machir Bay and we heard a Corncrake calling.

The Bolton birders have had another great day seeing 5  adult Marsh Fritillaries on the wing at Gearach, 3 days earlier than last year. Further on, they had seen 12 Turnstone down at Currie Sands. On their way back home, they had a GND at Carn and another seen off Port Charlotte. Down at Machir Bay, they saw a Peregrine away above the crag and also heard the Corncrake. Round towards Leek, they had seen 2 different male Hen Harriers. Finally over at Loch Tallant, they saw another 2 different male Hen Harriers and also a hen Sparrowhawk.

Sunday 29th May

Margaret had her camera to hand yesterday when the Pheasant was out with her youngsters. I am not sure how many are left now as already there are only a few left out of the original 10, nature can be cruel sometimes. Mary had been over on Jura yesterday, only briefly, not competing in the annual race up The Paps! She saw an Otter on the road, and just after Craighouse she had a pair of Shelduck with ducklings. She also had a flock of 20 Dunlin along with 2 Ringed Plover there too. Later on down close to home in Portnahaven, over on MacKenzie Island there is a healthy and very vocal population of Arctic Terns. Today Mary had been at Bunnahabhain where she saw a Common Sandpiper and 2 Black Guillemots. At the other end of Islay, on the Oa she had a 2 Golden Eagles, Wheatears everywhere, a Whinchat too, 2 Ravens, a newly emerged Marsh Fritillary, a female Adder, and on her way back a female Hen Harrier.

Fri 11th June

As the day was so good yesterday, "just pure dead brilliant", we headed over to Jura for the day, with the camera too! The number of times that we stopped to look and take in the views and to take yet another image, well...

This stag was less than 5 metres away and not really bothered by us, and no I did not "plant" the buttercups at either side of his mouth! You can just see the flies on the tips of his antlers on the velvet. It was just as well we went yesterday, as today the weather was not so good!

Yesterday James had a Short eared Owl on the reserve at Gruinart, heard a couple of Cuckoo calling and saw 20 Common Tern on Loch Gruinart itself. With the good weather there were Marsh Fritillaries on the wing. Today, he saw a Red Deer with a young newly born calf at foot. James also saw a Narrow bordered Bee Hawkmoth.

Last night Michal had been out on the prowl again and heard a couple of Corncrakes calling in the Ballygrant valley. At Ardnahoe he had a Tawny Owl and also a Barn owl near to Kilmeny.

Sun 7th June

The weather may have been a bit of a disappointment yesterday, but today it was back to normal, with the sun shining. So much so, that I made a start to clipping the sheep, so the ewe hoggs are going about a bit lighter, and hopefully, some more haircuts tomorrow please!

Back to birds, and James gave me some sightings since Friday. On Friday itself, he had a Ruff and a Gadwall on the reserve at Gruinart. He also saw his first Marsh Fritillary of the year. Up at Ardnave yesterday, and he had seen some Little Terns, a single Bar tailed Godwit, 22 Sanderling and 12 Dunlin. Through the night, into the wee small hours, James had done a Corncrake count on the reserve, and had 13 calling birds and also a Water rail. This afternoon James had seen Small Copper Butterflies on the wing, Green Hairstreak , some Four Spotted Chaser dragonflies and an early sighting of a Golden ringed dragonfly.

Fri 6th June

Michal got these young Lapwing chicks, just a few hours old this morning, but for how long will there be 4 of them? MS

The other day, James and Andy had a probable 1st summer, non adult, White billed Diver flying far out off Nave Island. At Ardnave itself, Catherine has been seeing terns, both Arctic and Little and a Sandwich Tern too. There was also a group of 35 Dunlin. Back down on the Reserve at Gruinart, in the new cattle shed at the farm steading, Catherine had a young Tawny Owl. Meanwhile out on the Reserve itself, James has seen another pair of Short-eared Owl, and 2 Redpoll while on the floods there was a Teal out with her brood. The Stoat was in his garden again! James also saw the pair of Spotted Flycatcher in the wood today as well as 2 pair of Goldcrest with young. A male Gadwall was on the floods as were 3 Dunlin. With this good spell of weather recently, the Marsh Fritillaries have been observed over the Rhinns in good numbers. Andy reported in to say that he had heard 2 separate Wood warblers, one at Kildalton Wood and the other in the woodland around Ardilistry. He also had really close views of 3 Basking Shark off Texa this evening, and also he told me that there were a lot of Manx Shearwater flying west at the same time. JRH, CF & RAS

Sun 1st June

Two for the price of one, as this was a Curlew taken last night near to it's nest and of the Cotton Grass which this year is in abundance all over Islay. James also commented this morning about the Cotton Grass now in full bloom, he also gave me some sightings for the past few days at the same time. He had a Stoat in his garden wall the other day, and he had 2 Ferrets on the flats at Gruinart. On Friday, he saw 2 Corncrake and a single Greenland Whitefronted Goose, as well as a Greylag with young goslings on the reserve at Gruinart, the first for 2 years.Yesterday a Water rail ran across the road in front of him, he also noted his first Roe Deer and its calf for the year, and had 2 Marsh Fritillary butterflies on the wing. This morning, he saw a pair of Short-eared Owls and also a Whinchat with grubs in its mouth. JRH