Friday 6th novembr

Yesterday, Mike Bell had seen the following birds when out...

Gruinart: Hen Harrier and also a Peregrine 

Killinallan: a Jack Snipe, 23 Twite and also 4 Redpolls

Portnahaven: 2WTE flying over the seal colony there

Lossit:  2 Golden Eagles seen

Kilchiaran over the hill past The Gearach: 6 Lt Tits seen in the trees there.

Dave Pierce and his wife had the following birds....

Please find a few of yesterday's sightings.. Started the day off like Wednesday with a White-tailed Eagle from our cottage at Bridgend, though this one was an adult, probably a female. It caught a couple of fish during the time I was around. Again like Wednesday, from the same location I had a raptor at the opposite end of the scale, this time a Merlin which flew low along the shore before alighting for a minute on a pile of kelp. Other birds around the house included c30 Redshanks.

There were around 60 Greenland White-fronts at Cruach with a further 75 feeding with Rock Doves at Ballitarsin. A pair of Bullfinch at Loch Tallant.

Mid afternoon viewing from Buh-an-unillt a Peregrine over Loch Gruinart flushing waders and waterfowl including Bar-tailed Godwits, Turnstones, 2 Greenshank, 7 Sanderling, 1400+Golden Plover & over 70 Pintail. Also 2 Chough present.

Offshore from Bruichladdich a single drake Common Scoter, 3 GN Divers and 2 RTDs, with a Grey Wagtail onshore .

Today, when coming home, we had 4 Red legged Partridge down "The Hedges" at Sunderland Farm and I am led to believe that these were not released birds... Over at Ballinaby, we counted 14Whoopers resting up there. Back at home, Margaret counted 10 Blackbirds out on the grass with 4 Redwings present there as well.

Old chums from Bolton had seen a male and a female Blackcap in a garden down in Port Charlotte today.

Saturday 30th March

Down on the Oa reserve on Thursday, David Wood had a count of 15 Whooper Swans and he also saw a Wheatear. Yesterday Dave had 2 Sand Martins and also a total of 8 Chough, all seen down on the Oa. Yesterday, Malcolm had counted 28 Turnstone on the strand along from Uiskentuie. Along at where the road leads up to Kintra, he had a female Peregrine fly across the road and away...
Up here at home, we saw the Red legged Partridge again, where it has come from is a bit of a mystery, as I do not know where it has come from, as none are released locally...

Friday 29th March

Yesterday, James had seen a pod 7 Bottle nosed Dolphins as the ferry left Port Askaig. Later on  at the head of West Loch Tarbert, James saw a Sandwich Tern and a Little Egret.  Up here at home, Margaret saw a Red legged Partridge in at the ground below the feeders, a new house tick...

Saturday 30th September

This morning Gary and myself had a quick look around the in bye fields at Rockside. Highlights included a fly past by a Merlin and then nearer the end of our walk a single Ruff flew past . There were 10 Greylags close to the roadside with 12 Golden Plover seen in one of the fields adjacent to the march with Sunderland Farm. We also saw a single Red legged Partridge as well. We reckoned that there were over 100 Skylarks and a similar number of Meadow Pipits in the air. Other birds seen included Jackdaws, Hooded Crows, Starlings, Reed Bunting, Robins, Blackbirds, Chaffinches, House Sparrows with several Wrens lurking around the undergrowth as we walked around. Sam, Gary's other half, had been down walking their dog on Machir Bay where 39 Golden Plover were present. James had a Peregrine fly over the flats at Gruinart this afternoon. Down at Gortan, towards the spit, we saw a young Gannet on the water, close to the shore.

Friday 15th September

Better keep quiet as today, it has been a lot better on the weather front, so with a bit of luck, it may stay with us and allow the ground to dry up a bit... Mind you I was kept out of mischief, planting a couple of wee bags of Daffodil bulbs, so finger crossed that they do not get twisted about by the wind like the ones that we planted last year... I also spent sometime moving some plants around outside too. Yesterday afternoon I saw a ringtail Hen Harrier out quartering its' patch down behind Machir Bay. Today, we saw a single Red legged Partridge on the road below Carrabus. Jim D saw the ever present Little Egret as the ferry approached Kennacraig today on his way home. Thanks for your birds Jim!

Thursday 13th July

Yesterday, Gary had seen a White tailed Eagle fly over Keills and then up towards Bunnahabhain, he saw a pair of Bullfinches. Yesterday We saw a Red legged Partridge on our way to Bunnahabhain just after Ardnahoe. Today, Gary had been out with clients. They saw a male Hen Harrier at Finlaggan, later on, a ringtail was seen up towards Ardnave. At Ardnave Loch, they saw 4 Black tailed Godwits in summer plumage and while going over the Glen road 2 Swifts were spotted. Here at home on the feeders, earlier on, an adult Greenfinch plus 3 youngsters, proof that they must have bred!!!

One of the House Sparrows out behind the garage yesterday morning..

Wednesday 21st September

Many thanks to James for writing the blog while I was  over on the mainland over the past 10 days or so.

On Monday (19th) Jim's top birds included 6 Black Guillemot off Bruichladdich Pier, a GND in summer plumage on Loch Indaal, and off the rocks at Port Charlotte 65 Common Scoter. Up at Craigens/ head of Loch Gruinart, the Greenland White fronted Goose was still present amongst the Greylags as well as 31 Pale bellied Brent Geese. At Bowmore, Jim had a further 12 Pale bellied Brent and also 80 Tufted Duck. Finally at Machir Bay, Jim heard a Water Rail in the reedbed there. Mandy saw a Barn Owl  on a fence post close to the former Kilchoman school last night and earlier on had spotted a Barnacle Goose down at "smelly corner".  Yesterday, Bob and Jim had seen 5 Pale bellied Brents and also a Greenshank,  35 Pied Wagtail and a juv. Peregrine at the head of Loch Gruinart. Up at Gortantoid, they saw 4 Yellowhammer, 2  Song Thrush and 6 Reed Bunting. At Rockside, a male Sparrowhawk was spotted. Out over the crag behind Kilchoman, 2 adult and a juv Peregrine as well a single Wheatear. At Ballinaby, 250 Linnets and 70 Rock Dove were counted, up round in the scrubby willow past Coille, 60 Lesser Redpolls with a distant Golden Eagle seen up at Sanaigmore. Today, in the rain/ squally showers, Bill Allan from the mainland had been out with Jim and they had a covey of 16 Red legged Partridge near to Skerrols, Bridgend.

Wednesday 21st September

Many thanks to James for writing the blog while I was  over on the mainland over the past 10 days or so.

On Monday (19th) Jim's top birds included 6 Black Guillemot off Bruichladdich Pier, a GND in summer plumage on Loch Indaal, and off the rocks at Port Charlotte 65 Common Scoter. Up at Craigens/ head of Loch Gruinart, the Greenland White fronted Goose was still present amongst the Greylags as well as 31 Pale bellied Brent Geese. At Bowmore, Jim had a further 12 Pale bellied Brent and also 80 Tufted Duck. Finally at Machir Bay, Jim heard a Water Rail in the reedbed there. Mandy saw a Barn Owl  on a fence post close to the former Kilchoman school last night and earlier on had spotted a Barnacle Goose down at "smelly corner".  Yesterday, Bob and Jim had seen 5 Pale bellied Brents and also a Greenshank,  35 Pied Wagtail and a juv. Peregrine at the head of Loch Gruinart. Up at Gortantoid, they saw 4 Yellowhammer, 2  Song Thrush and 6 Reed Bunting. At Rockside, a male Sparrowhawk was spotted. Out over the crag behind Kilchoman, 2 adult and a juv Peregrine as well a single Wheatear. At Ballinaby, 250 Lapwing and 70 Rock Dove were counted, up round in the scrubby willow past Coille, 60 Lesser Redpolls with a distant Golden Eagle seen up at Sanaigmore. Today, in the rain/ squally showers, Bill Allan from the mainland had been out with Jim and they had a covey of 16 Red legged Partridge near to Skerrols, Bridgend.

Friday 13th May

Jane Reid's talk on Islay's Choughs was very informative last night with a good number of questions from the floor at the end, a sure sign that Jane kept us all awake...

The Bowland birders had gone down to The Oa yesterday had had seen nesting Fulmars, GND and a Golden Eagle, no sign of any chough or even a Peregrine, Andy commented that the sea was empty, no Auks, few divers, few Gannets. This afternoon, while going round the Rhinns, they saw a Red legged Partridge and also a ringtail Hen Harrier at Claddach. Offshore from  Claddach, Manx Shearwater and also a good passage of Gannets were noted while up on Loch Indaal, off Carn just out of Port Charlotte, there were 35 Common Scoter, a BTD and 6 GND. I was speaking to Irene Miller earlier this evening, but there has been no sign today of the Hawfinch.

Today, the weather has been a bit cooler and more bearable, so the chance was taken in getting on with work in the garden, rowing up the potatoes, sowing some more wildflowers and preparing some ground for to sow the final pieces of the jigsaw tomorrow, all going well....

monday 29th February

It is that time again, the 29th of February, with the entry being    the only one  on this date for another 4years... The weather today, has, well, not been great, with smurry rain falling all day, not great for bird watching for sure, what a difference a day makes, it was almost a Spring day...Mark Holling yesterday had a Golden Eagle over at Bunnahabhain with another 2 seen up at Sanaigmore. At Sanaigmore they also had seen 90 Skylark flying past, Mark wondered could be some birds on passage.. He also had a count of 38 Chough at Machir Bay with 5 Tufties seen on the pool there as well. Ardnave Point, 900 Golden Plover were seen, and down at Bridgend, 2 Dippers were carrying nesting materials.  They also had a Grey Wagtail at Kilchiaran and another in Port Charlotte. Mandy and Fiona had walked out to Knockangle Point where they saw 77 Golden Plover basking on the rocks! They also saw 10 Whoopers flying North along the strand. Other birds on the rocks included 13 Dunlin, 12 Oystercatcher, 3 Ringed Plover. 17 Wigeon were on the water on Loch Indaal while on the shore were 3 Sanderling. Finally over the dunes, 25 Lapwing and a Golden Plover were on the wing. And as it was such a great day, we took ourselves out as well. Round at Ballinaby, in one of the fields were 96 Lapwing and 116 Starlings on the ground, then a Golden Eagle appeared and then round the corner 4 Hooded Crows took off from the rushes, but no sign of what they had been up to....From Gruinart, we went over the hill towards Bridgend and at the side of the road 5 Reed Buntings were seen and then 2 Red legged Partridges were spotted as we came to the road junction at Carnain. Over at Loch Tallant, past Cruach towards Red Lodge on the high road, a Cormorant flew overhead. Ballygrant Quarry, a couple of Collared Doves were on the roadside and finally, on the sheep carcase at smelly corner, the Glaucous Gull was present.

Wednesday 29th February

Great excitement over here this morning as we had a few earth tremors, if you click on the link to the INHT on the right hand toolbar, Malcolm has written about it.

Paul B. gave through his sightings from yesterday, his last day on Islay. At Craigens, Paul had a 1st winter and a 2nd winter Glaucous Gull and also a 1st winter and an adult Iceland Gull. The flats at Gruinart had over 3,000 Barnies, around 200 Whitefronts, Canada hutchinsii sp, 3 Buzzard along with lots of Lapwing and Curlew. Over at Ardnahoe Loch, 2 Buzzard, 6 Red legged Partridge & 5 Goosander. From the ferry, Paul had 6 Great Northern Diver, 1 Black throated diver, 3 Red throated diver, 11 Red breasted Merganser, 1 Black Guillemot & 2 Razorbill. Thanks to Paul for sharing his sightings

Here at home this morning the were 4 Chough mobbing a Buzzard, up beyond the former church yesterday there were 4 Red legged Partridge. Up there, late this afternoon, there were 30 Lapwing, 60 Jackdaws, but only 7 Chough seen. There had also been 11 Heron standing around down at Sunderland.