Sunday 31 October

A rainy day, but some wonderful light as Teresa has kindly shared.  A stunning sun set over Loch Gruinart.  Later afternoon looking towards Killinallan, an equally stunning rainbow over glass calm waters.

Dan Brown had cackling goose on the north of the Gruinart Flats, and a pair of adult WTE with a kill on the southern side. To the western side, an imm WTE.  Later an adult golden eagle west of Laggan Bridge.  On Loch Gorm, 5 drake pochard and 237 tufted ducks, with 4 ringtail hen harrier and 3 merlin hunting round the edges.  3 greenshank and 4 black tailed godwits on the Gruinart Floods plus large numbers of more common waders.  

James How and Neil McMahon were separately checking over Loch Indaal this morning, collectively they had 14 Slavonian grebe, 3 black throated divers, a raft of common scoters, 10 long tailed duck (some calling), 10 great northern diver, 4 red-throated divers.

The American wigeon was seen at Loch Skerrols again, though no further sign of the ring necked ducks. It is a big loch though... Happy Halloween.

Saturday 30 October

Yesterday's star finds were all still present today, according to reports.  Todays addition is the red-breasted goose seen by Peter on the Gruinart flats.

Today was definitely an eagle sort of day, going through the WhatsApp group.  The majority of activity occurring on the islands off Ardnave Point, pictured above (Teresa Morris).  These are an other important grey seal breeding location. There must be plenty of carrion to be found now we're coming towards the tail end of the breeding season.

Golden Eagle seen this morning on the drive to Ardnave by John McTague, then 4 sub-adult white-tailed eagles off Ardnave Point around Eilean Beag.  

Neil McMahon had one WTE just south of Bowmore this morning, and he outdid John's record with 5 WTE on Nave Island in the afternoon. Then 3 golden eagles over hills east of Loch Gruinart at lunchtime.

Teresa also visited Ardnave and had a golden eagle and WTE in the dunes to the west of the farmyard (photographed).  She also noted the imm WTE on the islands off the point. 

Dan Brown has gotten in touch while he's over leading a birdwatching group. This evening as they arrived, they had a golden eagle attempting to dispatch a greylag goose in a field just outside of Port Ellen, seen from the roadside, and a WTE flew over to check it out.  As they were leaving Kennacraig they counted 5 WTE and a golden eagle.

Nyree and David reported a golden eagle over Machir Bay first light this morning.

Around lunchtime today I too had my eagle fix: a golden eagle with a buzzard by the mast outside Portnahaven village, flying towards Rhinns Point. 

Becky Christie has kindly shared some lovely images of a rather beautiful snow bunting which her young sons Luke and Cameron took while they were at Saligo bay yesterday.

Thank you all for the contributions.

Friday 29 October

A busy day for Islay today with a handful of rarities spotted.

A long-billed dowitcher was seen at the North Hide at the Loch Gruinart Floods.  Seen by James and by visitors Mark and Alison Cockburn, and again by Garry Wilkinson who heard it from a group of birdwatchers on a bus tour from Northern Ireland! A very obliging bird indeed.

Slightly out of focus but the best picture of the day of the dowitcher from Mark and Alison. Thank you.

The second rarity of the day was a red necked grebe first reported by Dave and Sian Nevitt, and seen again by Peter Roberts. Dave and Sian also counted 15 Slavonian grebe, 2 black throated divers, 9 long tailed duck, a black guillemot and the 'usual suspects' of scoters, scaup...

While Peter was out he got to chatting with visitors who told him of an American wigeon and 2 ring necked ducks seen yesterday at Loch Skerrols. He swiftly went to check and found them quite easily along with 55 whooper swan. He was able to get this photo of the wigeon:

Again, a classic grainy bird watching photo but clear enough to see the bird!

Last (known) rarity was a yellow browed warbler heard but not seen on Wednesday in the Gruinart area by  Ed Hutchings.

Teresa today was down in the bays between Ardbeg and Ardtalla. She noted no wind and a high tide which produced at Rubha Buidhe 52 greylag, 5 curlew, 7 red-breasted merganser, 1 wren, 3 redshank, 1 heron, one golden eagle, and 20 seals. Further east at Ardmore point were very large flocks of redwing making pigs of themselves on the rowan berries, wren, cormorant, one seal, one great northern diver, one cormorant, 7 fallow deer.  Then in Ardtalla bay and Claggan, 4 goosander, 6 cormorants, one wren, one red-breasted merganser, 4 seals.

As I was driving later this afternoon (around half 5) I saw the unmistakable silhouette of a white-tailed eagle feasting on something on a small patch of salt marsh just off smelly corner at the top of Loch Indaal, and a little further along the beaming white figure of a little egret.  Then, about an hour later in Bowmore Harbour, an otter was quietly fishing.

I did say yesterday I would try find out the name of the burn at Uiskentui - it is called Abhainn Ghlas or the Grey River.  Thank you Malcolm, it annoyed me that I couldn't recall it yesterday! It earned is name in the 1840s when the channel was being dug as part of the project to reclaim the Gruinart flats for agriculture. In doing so they disturbed the clay within which turned the water grey.  

Thanks again to all the reports everyone, we couldn't keep the blog updated and maintain it as a resource for locals and visitors without contributions. If you look to the right on our home page, you will find the number to join our WhatsApp group, or indeed the email to let us know any sightings and photos you'd like to share. What's common for you could be an Island twitch for us! Plus with all these rarities reported today, there could well be more out there, and it's a big island to cover.

Thursday 28 October

 

A stunning photo from Teresa of the wild Atlantic off Kilinallan point, where she spent the day.  A beautiful gift of a day after the heavy rain recently.  Teresa also observed 52 greylag, 12 barnacles, ring-tailed hen harrier, a white-tailed eagle, 22 twite, 12 lesser black-back gulls, one snipe, 2 stonechat, 8 oystercatchers, a large flock of over 100 starling and 2 chough.

Ed Hutching looked out of the head of Loch Indaal and noted 10 pale-bellied brents, 2 Slavonian grebes, 3 long-tailed ducks, one juvenile white-tailed eagle, and an unconfirmed juv. yellow wagtail. At Loch Skerrols he heard a great spotted woodpecker.

Gary counted 9 scaup where the burn comes out into Loch Indaal at Uiskentui.  I've forgotten the burns name, I'll try find out... Driving back from Bowmore myself I saw a ring-tailed hen harrier by the same spot.

John McTague counted 2 little egret at Carnain this morning.

Down off Portnahaven, the eagle sightings have continued to be regular over MacKenzie Island, pictured off Claddach below.  Usually WTE but today a golden eagle was seen by Tom Evans just outside the village gliding towards the coast.

Yesterday I counted a small flock of around 20 redwing at Ellister, and 2 whooper swan flew low over the house between the showers.

Wednesday 27th October

 Today’s weather seemed marginally worse than even yesterdays – light southerly winds and overcast with heavy rain for much of the morning, then continued heavy showers in mostly grey skies for the remainder of the day. But is does continue to be very mild!

The poor weather is reflected in the paucity of sightings coming in this evening - just these:

Gary found the Little Egret at Carnain this morning.

I saw the same Ring Ouzel as yesterday: same place/same time – eating cotoneaster berries in my garden at Bruichladdich during lunch-time.

Except for two lovely sunset photos - from Teresa Morris and Ed Hutchins, that's it for today folks!

A later check of emails to the Blog this evening revealed that it wasn't quite it for today with a pleasant note from Nyree & David Fearnley saying: “We are visiting naturalists from Yorkshire, who have been coming to Islay for many years. We love reading your blog when at home in Yorkshire. I lived at Bridgend as a baby for a year when my dad was working for the Islay Estate almost 50 years ago, and my husband David has been coming for over 30 years.

We arrived on Monday and saw a Little Egret on Loch Indaal, close to the mouth of the River Sorn, which is a bird that we have never seen on Islay before. Then we saw another little egret from the main hide at Gruinart yesterday morning.

Yesterday we were at Ardnave Point and saw a Golden Eagle over Nave Island, at least 10 Choughs, and a flock of Sanderlings on the beach. On our way back to Bridgend there was a young White-tailed Eagle on Loch Indaal close to Islay House.

Today at Kilnaughton Bay there was a White-tailed Eagle flying over and a Great Northern Diver very close in on the track to Carraig Fhada. There was a White-tailed Eagle again on Loch Indaal at Bridgend.

And of course the Barnacle Geese are just a delight, we love them”.

Tuesday 26th October

The day started dark, dreary and overcast and only brightened a little. Given the unpleasant conditions, there were few reports incoming, but a few good birds were seen:

Gary saw one of the Cackling Geese between Eorrabus and Ayens (just up the main road towards Port Askaig a little beyond Skerrols). He provided a photo:

 

Mary Redman found a dead Little Auk washed up on the beach this morning at Claddach.

The other good bird was a Ring Ousel; doubly good ‘cause I saw it feeding on the cotoneaster berries in my garden while I was having lunch - a "garden tick" for me.

Teresa Morris was out and about braving the wet and blustery weather, seeing a couple of Fieldfares feeding on berries up at Craigens, followed by a walk and sea-watch up towards Ardnave Point. A few thousand Barnies were up towards the Point where an Otter was seen on the shore. There was a Golden Eagle hunting up at Nave Island and a couple of Great Northerns and a single Red-throated Diver. Amongst sightings of the usual gulls were 4 Gannets offshore, with a few waders in the Loch and 22 Choughs in a flock. She noted that the build-up of seaweed, gently rotting away, was  providing invertebrate food for a flock of 100 Starlings.

Newly arrived visitor John McTague checked Loch Skerrols finding at least 40 Whooper Swans and a couple of Hen Harriers passing by.

Monday 25th October

Another day of sunshine and showers – just as you think it is fit to go out it pours with rain! "Squally" as Teresa Morris's picture below exemplifies. But birdwatchers still went birdwatching:

Teresa sent in some notes from yesterday – 13 Whooper Swans at Craigens and a lovely male Bullfinch near Balulive Farm, Finlaggan and another seen by a friend at Staoisha Eararach near Bunnahabhain.

Ed Hutchins was on The Oa this morning and saw Golden Eagle, Peregrine, and a flock of 50 Twite. Later he reported a Ring Ousel in Port Ellen. (Louise reports a Ring Ousel at Gatehouse on Jura yesterday).

Jax & Dave spent some of their last day here at the N. end of the glen road where another golden Eagle was watched. Later at Kilinallan they had the Little Egret plus 3 White-tailed Eagles. They finished their report with “Had a great week, see you next spring”.

Teresa Morris saw 9 Whooper swans briefly drop into the marsh at Craigens this morning and at Catterdale this afternoon found 3 Golden Eagles plus a buzzard, 2 Ravens and 2 Choughs. She finished the day with sightings of White-tailed Eagle flying over and perching on the flats amongst the Barnies, which must have made them distinctly uneasy? 

Although tomorrow, being the last Tuesday of the month, would traditionally be the time for a “Bird Nerds” get-together, the current circumstances make it a bit tricky. It is now too dark for an evening meeting outdoors, and with Covid restrictions and wariness, it was thought that an indoor meeting might best be avoided. We do aim to restart these informal meetings, open to all birders on the island, at some time in the future.