Monday 27 September

 Thunder and lightening with lashing rain as I write tonight!  Fierce weather as we approach the end of the month.

This morning at Claddach, on the south-west tip of the island, a nicely marked wheatear was on the track when I arrived.  Driving out of Portnahaven a sparrowhawk was hunting on the road near the mast.  When I was driving home I counted 7 swallows at Easter Ellister and a further 12 at Wester Ellister.

Mary-Ann counted 16 red-breasted mergansers at Kildalton. Over on Jura at Gatehouse, Louise had close encounter with 2 white-tailed eagles overhead casting shadows over her!

Mark was out an evening walk near the head of Loch Gruinart this evening and counted 106 pale bellied Brents. 

Saturday 18th April

Lesley had sent me through the following  seen by her this past week..
"A beautiful week with loads of sun which has brought out the birds, butterflies and bees.
Monday, I had my first Willow Warbler now 4 days later they are singing from every bush. One great view of a bird singing its heart out in a willow full of catkins and bumble bees.
After seeing one summer visitor, I thought I would try for another so went in search for Wheatears along the coast at Saligo on Wednesday and before long I had seen 8. As I turned into my drive there were 2 in the field.
Thursday it was Redwings on the move. I had upward of 100 feeding and moving in a very determined way. I also saw 2 Common Sandpipers and 2 male and 1 female Red breasted Mergansers displaying similarly to great Crested Grebes i.e. extending their heads and necks in the water and propelling themselves forward fast then sitting high in the water. A first for me. Stonechats are singing from the vantage points and all the garden birds are joining in. Primroses, violets and bluebells are out. Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies are on the wing. I have seen a pair of Merlin not far from my house. A fantastic week."

Mandy saw 2 Redwing at the bottom of the track this morning.

James saw a Little Egret as he drove across the flats at Gruinart this morning

Friday 8th November

MB had been out and about again yesterday, which in his own words, the weather was "dull, and at times gloomy sort of a day". First thing yesterday, he had seen 2 White tailed Eagles at Kilchoman, along at Coull, MB saw  a male Hen Harrier. Round at Sunderland Farm, a Golden Eagle was seen flying along towards Rockside Farm. Along at Uiskentuie/ Blackrock he had 11 Slavonian Grebes, 5 L t Ducks (4M + 1F), 33 Common Scoter and he counted 135 R b Merganser all together in one raft. In Bridgend Wood/ Claggain Strip, MB saw 4 Goldcrest and also 5 Treecreeper and along at Islay House, 35 Fieldfare were present while at Bridgend, 2 drake Goosanders, 5 Goldeneye and 2 Dippers were seen. Along at Mulreesh he had counted 51 Redwing. In at Finlaggan, he watched a W T Eagle flush 52 Mallard 103 Teal and 5 Tufted Duck out from their cover... coming back over the Glen road, in around Beinn Dubh/ Storakaig, MB had 2 Golden Eagles and also a Peregrine present, he also counted at least 90 Hooded Crows and also 18 Raven in the same area.

Tuesday 27th June

Yesterday, Gary had seen a couple of Red breasted Merganser off Uiskentuie at the top of Loch Indaal, the first for some time. He was also saying that the Grasshopper Warbler was still "reeling" away opposite his house. Early this morning, just after midnight, we went out to hear any calling Corncrakes were about. In total we only heard 4 calling males, not as many as in previous years. There were also quite a lot of moths out as well, no Owls, a Grasshopper Warbler was heard with a Hedgehog seen too.. Goldfinches not so common on the feeders at home, but the Siskins were present.  

Thursday 22nd September

Yesterday, Gary had a Kestrel out in front of his house and then shortly afterwards a ringtail Hen Harrier out over the moorland, behind his house. Today, Gary and Bob had been out round the Loch Gorm area noting lots of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Stonechats present along with a second year male Hen Harrier, a ringtail Hen Harrier and also a juv. Peregrine on a fence near to Saligo. On Loch Gorm itself, they saw 4 Dabchick, 100 Teal, 30 Tufted Duck, 25 Mallard and 7 Heron. 6 Buzzard were counted on their way round the loch! Late afternoon, at the top end of Loch Indaal, Louise had a count of 152 Red breasted Merganser, lots of Oystercatcher, 2 Pale bellied Brent, Barwits present as were Wigeon, Teal and Pintail.

Many thanks to Jim Dickson for sharing his sightings with us while he has been over for the last fortnight or so.

Sunday 7th September

Another great day with the weather over here again, and not too bad for birdwatching either! On my way over to Gartbreck this morning to meet up with Bob, I had a raft of around 70 Red breasted Mergansers just before Uiskentuie, below the refuse tip, a male Sparrowhawk came out of a scrub willow and flew along the road in front of me and at Gartbreck itself, 2 different ringtail Hen Harriers flying along the field margins. Bob and myself carried out the monthly count from Bowmore down to Gartbreck along the shore, with our tally being as follows. 1 Heron, 1 Gannet, 20 Shag, 600 Greylag, 48 Mallard, 7 Teal, 12 Eider, 50 Oystercatcher, 75 Curlew, 9 Redshank, 10 Ringed Plover, 3 Turnstone, 2 Lapwing, 1 Snipe, 2 Razorbill, 1 Guillemot, 10 GBB Gull, 30 Herring Gull, 30 Common Gull and 10 Black headed Gull.

Mon 26th April

Robert Davison, as new resident on Islay was in touch today to say that he had seen 3 Sandwich Tern over Loch Indaal.

James had 4 Grasshopper Warbler, a Water rail, a Whinchat and 2 Toads on the reserve at Gruinart today, while Mike Peacock had his first Corncrake of the year over on Oronsay.

Visitors had been watching the Hares today, there were 16 in one field along at Sunderland at lunchtime. Over at Loch Ballygrant, on the cones of the Scots pine trees they had 3 Crossbills, and found 4 flowering Lesser Twayblades, later on down towards Mulindry they had seen a Sparrowhawk and a short while later, a Hen Harrier.

Other visitors had been in Bridgend woods, and had heard 3 Chiffchaff and saw 4 Redpolls. Down at Rockside they had 15 Barnacle Geese, yesterday they saw 43 Red breasted Merganser on Loch Indaal. Today on Loch Indaal, Malcolm had 15 Great northern Diver "milling around, very close together as if in some display"

As I write this evening, the Cuckoo is calling away in the wood again. Down at Gartmain at lunchtime there was a flock of over 200 Bar tailed Godwit and also 31 Whimbrel.

Tues 23rd June

The sea mist, or haar as folk from the East coast talk about, has gone, and the service plane was back on the go, the first time since Saturday, so on the positive side of things the ferry has been busy! It really did turn out to be a great day, as someone said this evening, it was even too warm for the midges!

Mid morning, while working on the sheep, we had the spectacle of a Kestrel seeing off a Buzzard, the Kestrel kept harassing it, with the Buzzard eventually giving up its' vantage point on the face of the crag. The Cuckoo is still calling in the wood. Later on this afternoon, the family of Ravens were out and about, croaking away to each other, just generally making a nuisance of themselves. Our friends had been over at Ardnave this afternoon and had seen a raft of 25 Merganser at the mouth of Loch Gruinart as well as Little Terns off Ardnave Point.

On our way home this evening, there was a Snipe on top of a telegraph pole, just along the road from where we saw the Gyr Falcon earlier on in the year.