Friday 31st July

Well, that is another month almost in, and soon I will be able to share with you the rainfall figures for July. Other areas are already claiming it to be as wet a July as far as their records go, so tomorrow night I will reveal all, the suspense is killing me! Today, the weather has not been great, wet for most of the time although it has turned out to be a beautiful evening with the sun streaming in through the windows... With sun out this evening, the birds came out on to the lawn looking for food... The Pied Wagtails were present along with over 60 Starlings, 3 Rabbits, a single Wheatear, a few Chaffinches, 4 Blackbirds and a some Jackdaws along with a Hooded Crow perched on top of one of the fence posts. The last few evenings, the large number of Jackdaws have been roosting in the old ruin of the former church next door,

Thursday 30th July

Yesterday Gary and Sam had 4 Tree Sparrows over at Coullabus at Gruinart. Later on, over at the airport, they had a ringtail Hen Harrier and along at the rocks on Loch Indaal, they counted 30 Sanderling, 100 Eider, 30 Common Gull and an Adult and a juv GBB Gull. Also yesterday, James had 2 Great Skuas take out a Black headed Gull before they in turn were chased off their prey by a GBB Gull on Loch Gruinart. This morning, we saw a ringtail as we headed over to Gruinart. On the guide walk at Gruinart today, Mandy and Heather had seen Sand Martins with young out from the second hide and also had several family groups of Pied Wagtails. We too had Pied Wagtails out on the lawn here at home with the young pestering their parents for food. This afternoon, Clive Mackay had an Osprey fishing on Loch Gruinart opposite Bun an Uillt, possibly the same bird that we saw on Tuesday evening at bird nerds! Clive had seen another Osprey shortly beforehand at the top of Loch Indaal, and was sure that it was 2 different Ospreys. Clive worked with RSPB here on Islay for a good number of years but now lives in Perthshire.

Wednesday 29th July

A better sort of a day, possibly with no rain here if memory serves me correctly, even managed to cut the grass amongst other outside jobs!!!Mark from the Scottish Borders had seen a couple of Peregrines while out round the Rhinns today, later on he had a ringtail Hen Harrier at Gruinart. Here at home, there was a peregrine out over the crag. Earlier on there were 10 Chough doing their acrobatics, great to see them.

Tuesday 28th July

Rather a miserable sort of a day with rain, more rain and even more rain, infact rather a wet sort of a day, having said that, it did fair up for the bird nerds earlier this evening! Martin saw an Osprey over on the far side of Loch Gruinart, later on Peter spotted an Arctic Skua and also a Peregrine coming up the loch, and then they both flew back towards the head of the loch. A Whimbrel was calling away as it flew past. A group of Oystercatchers along with a few Redshank flew out towards the mouth of Loch Gruinart. Some Ringed Plovers were on the near shoreline with a lot over the far side from us, too far to be positively identified. It was David Formby's last meeting with us as he is heading over to live close to Carlisle, so we all wish David, Margaret and their son John "all the best". As we came home round by Loch Gorm, we had the good fortune of a really close sighting of a Barn Owl out in broad daylight, at Ballinaby, the first that we have seen out in daylight for some time. On the BBC news today, our old (not his age!) friend Ed Burrell was in a feature about Common scoters. Good to see you Ed!! Ed as some you may recall spent some time here on Islay over the past 2 winters doing research into the Greenland Whitefronts.

Monday 27th July

A mixed day with the weather, no sun , grey overhead, some rain in the mix, almost an Autumn sort of a day!George Jackson was telling me yesterday that he thinks that the Arctic Terns that usually nest down on the shore below his house at Bruichladdich have not had much success, possibly due it being windy at the wrong time and also high tides as well. The Swallows in his garage have fared better, rearing youngsters. Mark from the Scottish Borders had a male Hen Harrier at the Laggan bridge on the high road, a ringtail Hen Harrier down at Laggan itself. Along at Laggan Point a couple of Peregrines and finally 150 Dunlin were seen at Gartbreck. This evening, when I returned home after a meeting, there was a small hedgehog in the car lights in the garden, makes a change from Rabbits and Hares!!!

Sunday 26th July

The weather forecast was wrong, a nice complaint for once... we did not get the rain that they had claimed we should have got, but there again it might come tomorrow instead! Yesterday evening, Gary and Sam had done a quick scan out from Smelly corner and their birds were as follows, 63 Barwits, 17 Redshank, over 200 Curlew, 3 Whimbrel, over 250 Oystercatcher, 125 BH Gull, 200+ C Gull, 47 Pied Wagtail, 4 Buzzards and 81 Ringed Plover. In the garden here at home, at the back of breakfast time, there were 15 Song Thrushes and 5 Blackbirds and this evening over 200 Jackdaws were on the grass!! Visitor Mark Cockburn from the Scottish Borders had been up at Ardnave and braved the squally showers...His tally was 1 Peregrine, 1 Ringtail Hen Harrier, 21 Chough, 4 Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover, 10 Twite, 1 Redpoll, Wheatear, a Mute Swan with 4 cygnets. Down at the reserve at Gruinart, Mark saw another ringtail Hen Harrier.

Saturday 25th July

Another day of wall to wall sunshine, but tomorrow the weather is looking not so good with the wind picking up and rain due as well. Round Loch Gorm this evening, along the verge/ road sides, there were many Meadow Pipits, Stonechats and Wheatears to be seen while in the fields some Greylags were seen and also a few Lapwings as well as some Pied Wagtails. On Tuesday evening, as it is the last Tuesday of the month, the Bird nerds will be meeting up again. We will meet over on Loch Gruinart on the East side close to Bun an Uillt (NR294690), at 6.30 to see what birds around. There is a small "quarry" at the side of the road where we can park, so feel free to come along if you are around. The rain is only coming tomorrow, so Tuesday night will be dry...