Islay Birds

Sun 5th July

2009-07-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

The reason for no entry yesterday was really quite simple, it was Saturday, which means for me at least, changeover day in the cottages and this week in particular, all the cottages had to be cleaned and got ready for another set of visitors, some new ones as well as some that have been before. The net result is that not much chance of any birding getting done by myself anyway! Today, has not been much better as I was helping a friend with his sheep this morning, a bit of a barter as he often helps out with ours! After lunch, as it was still dry, it was out with the flymo and cutting some grass for a couple of hours, you see I am a believer in doing jobs when I am in the mood for doing it and it does not seem so hard to do it. What about the birds then, well after cutting the grass and watching some earlier games of the Tennis, we went up round the crag and saw the Buzzard out soaring on the thermals, as well as some Fulmars too. Returning back down and there were about 20 lbjs on the new trees, but as I did not have my bins with me I was not 100% sure of an id, but fairly confident that they were some young Stonechats that had recently fledged. Later on, while going down to Bruichladdich for the papers, Friday's and Saturday's I hasten to add, we had a male Hen Harrier down below Rockside, close to the road, and then at Woodside a Ringtail. Coming home there was a Sparrowhawk perched on a rock.

Fri 3rd July

2009-07-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

With there being a recent spell of decent weather, that was before it broke down, the farmers are well up to date with their work, many have got their silage fields cut and lifted, and the clippers have had a good start to shearing the sheep. With the silage fields cleared, there has been an influx onto the aftermaths of Rooks, which in some ways is interesting as there is not a Rookery close to hand, but there was well over 100 Rooks down at Rockside the other day.

Thurs 2nd July

2009-07-02T13:04:00.001-07:00

It might not have come to much rain yesterday, but fortunately I remembered to empty the rain gauge which indicated we had 2.6" for June. That was just before 8 o'clock this morning, and in less than an hour we had 0.75" by 9am! Surprisingly, there was little sign of flooding, although someone told me that the Co-op in Bowmore had to shut because of the rain!

Back to birds, and Michal had heard a Spotted Crake calling on the reserve at Gruinart while he was out last night. Overall, there were not so many Corncrakes heard in the areas where he was compared to when he had covered the same run in June. Also, this morning, Malcolm had seen a Swift flying South over Bruichladdich.

Wed 1st July

2009-07-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

This Greater Black backed Gull was down on the shoreline below the coal yard on Loch Indaal this morning, what I am not sure of was the prey that was at its' feet, as I was parked up on a bad place, on the wrong side of the road and on a corner. So, I had to take a quick shot and move on, I have a feeling that it could possibly have been a seal pup, but I did not really get a good chance to get a good id.

A visitor reported in to the Islay Natural History Trust, to say that they had seen a Hobby, up the back of Port Charlotte earlier in the week and had a Great Skua over Loch Indaal today.

Tues 30th June

2009-06-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

As I write this entry tonight, I have the funny feeling that there is a change working in the weather, there is definitely a different feel to the air outside this evening, so we will just have to wait and see what happens!

Nothing much out on the bird front, but the scent from Clover in the fields, Honeysuckle on some of the dyke backs and the Meadow Sweet has been very strong over the last few days.

Mon 29th June

2009-06-29T14:07:00.001-07:00

This spell of great weather continues on, but no doubt some of the Distilleries may well be keeping a close eye on their water supplies.

Caught this young Wren on camera up the back of the wood here at the house the other day. I saw a male Redpoll there this evening, along with several Stonechat families, and also a female Siskin in the wood too. There was a small group of Chough returning to the roost while further out there was a some Ravens on the wing and a Buzzard was soaring round on the thermals above the crag.

Sun 28th June

2009-06-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

A final contribution from our visiting friends, Chris and Tony Johnson, who left for home yesterday. Many thanks for your entries over the past fortnight.

"Saturday 27th June. The last day of our holiday. There were Whitethroat, Redpoll, Greenfinch, Dunnock and Willow warbler singing at Bunnahabhain, but a different song was detected. Sure enough it was the Common rosefinch which had been reported earlier in the week, singing loudly and distinctively from the power lines and looking like a slim Corn Bunting. out towards Rhuvaal, and the moorland was starred with the yellow flowers of Bog asphodel. Painted lady, Red admiral, Marsh and green fritillaries were seen. Along the way, families of Whinchat and Stonechat were noted. The final species of the two week visit, was the elusive Yellowhammer, with 2 male birds singing from the power lines. As we left Bunnahabhain, a brave Swallow was mobbing a ringtail Hen Harrier over the distillery. On the way down to the ferry, Grasshopper warblers were reeling, and a Kestrel was mobbing a Buzzard.

From the ferry, good views were had of a Golden Eagle over the Islay hills, a wonderful farewell for a wonderful holiday".

Fri 26th June

2009-06-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

Getting a bit forgetful in my old age, I forgot to mention yesterday that while we were out with Rory on the guided walk at RSPB Loch Gruinart reserve, we had splendid sightings of Hen Harriers. At one point there was a Ringtail (female) mobbing a Buzzard, if memory serves me correctly we had 7 different sightings during the walk, at one time we had both the male and female together. I was speaking with George earlier this evening and he too had been commenting on seeing more Harriers out on the wing, hunting for food for their young. James commented on this to but with reference to Short eared Owls.

Another entry which I forgot was seeing a Lizard while over on Colonsay on Wednesday while returning back to our car after being at Pig's Paradise.

Thurs 25th June

2009-06-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Another contribution from our visiting friends,

"Morning visit to monitor the current state of the sea bird colony at the "Tooth rocks" at Saligo. The Auk population is disastrously low, in comparison to Colonsay yesterday. There were no eggs, no young and little out at sea. 4 Chough were seen there, plus another 18 at Machir Bay, while there excellent views of Whinchat at Coull.

The afternoon was spent looking again at the wonderful flora on the Killinallan dunes. The Pyramidal orchids were even more splendid, and numerous Frog orchid spikes were seen. Other species are now coming into bloom, providing even more colour for future weeks with Field Gentians just starting to show colour. A Golden ringed Dragonfly and a Marsh Fritillary butterfly were also seen. Redhank and Oystercatcher were very vocal around the rocks on the foreshore.

Grasshopper warblers were "reeling" again at Kilchoman and also down at Bridgend. Back at the cottage, and the Cuckoo was calling late this afternoon." Yet again, thanks folks.

Wed 24th June

2009-06-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Another great day over here, so much so that I just had to go to Colonsay for the day along with our friends, it did not take too much arm twisting!

Our main intention was to go out to Pig's Paradise, to visit what is believed to be Argyll's largest sea bird colony. After speaking with other friends and reading about the decline of other sea bird colonies elsewhere, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the numbers present appeared to be quite healthy. We were fortunate to find this Razorbill chick being fed , and we reckon that its' parent carried in around 8-9 Sandeels. Apart from the Razorbills, we also saw Guillemots along with many Brindled Guillemots amongst them, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Shags were also present. No puffins were noted, not even out on the water. There were a few Chough around too. We went up to the dunes at the back of Kiloran Bay later on, but were slightly disappointed to see so few Chough there. A couple of Corncrake were heard calling on our way to Kiloran Bay. Returning back on the ferry and there were a few Manx Shearwater on the wing, while there was a Black throated Diver on the water.

Tues 23rd June

2009-06-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

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.

Mon 22nd June

2009-06-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

Well, another day of the haar , or mist in from the sea, and luckily for me another entry from our friends!

"What can I say about today, rain, then drizzle and the sea mist? Certainly not the best bird watching conditions, but you just have to concentrate!

The Cuckoo and 3 different Corncrakes were calling at first light. Swallows, House martins and Sand martins were all feeding around the wood. On the Machir Bay, there was little to be seen, but we concluded that Common gulls were definitely the most attractive of the gulls in view.

The sea mist or haar, made us hone in on our bird call skills, chacking Wheatears, twanging Twite, anxious Oystercatchers and Ringed Plover too. Then the calls of Arctic Terns attracted our attention and an Arctic Skua flew past.

Back at home the haar was even thicker, but the Cuckoo was still calling.

Sun 21st June

2009-06-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

It may well meant to be the longest day of the year, but it was longer dark this morning due to the overcast sky and rain, and then mist/ sea haar came in, so for most of the day we have not seen the crag! Due to this, bird watching has been minimal!

One piece of news that I did hear was that the Eagle which was found dead on Jura, had died of natural causes probably old age, it was a rung bird and it was initially rung 22 years ago.

While out in the garden this afternoon (in the mist) it was good to see a family of Stonechats on the garden wall. I commented the other day about the number of young Starlings around, well there appears to be more around again, or possibly I am mistaken between them and the mist!

Sat 20th June

2009-06-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

"Sand Martins were visiting their nest holes along the dunes first thing this morning, with family groups flying close by. Stonechat, Wheatear, Corncrake and Cuckoo could all be heard.

A visit to the South east of Islay produced numerous seals hauled out on the islands, and Red breasted Mergansers feeding close to the shore. Off one bay, Arctic Terns were plunging into the sea for food, whilst others sat on the shore preening. Shags and Black Guilliemots were also seen, but no divers.

A Buzzard dropped into a woodland, carrying prey in its' talons. In another wood, Redpoll were displaying, and a Spotted Flycatcher was catching insects. The Thistle heads now have some seed, with Goldfinch being seen on the seed heads.

On the return leg home, an Otter was watched for some time in a small bay, as it dived for food and munching the results!

Close to home, a pair of Hen Harriers were over the hill, and later on a Kestrel was hovering, in search of a meal."

Once again many thanks to our visiting friends for their input.

Fri 19th June

2009-06-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

Another entry from our guests,

"Thursday 18th. An outing to Ballygrant Woods to look for some interesting flowers. The Lesser Twayblade were in abundance with at least 200 flowering spikes. The patches of Adders Tongue were in seen in the usual place. A Hedgehog moved across the track in front of us, but stopped long enough for a photo!

The Mute Swans had 3 cygnets on the loch, and Dabchick and Tufted Duck were also seen. Redpoll, Siskin and Blackcap were also seen along with Whitetroat in the scrubby areas.

In the evening a Barn Owl was watcthed for sometime up the back of Port Charlotte.

Friday 19th June. A pair of Shelduck on the edge of Loch Indaal had 16 well grown young.

It was good to see small groups of Twite along the roadside over at Coullabus.

The afternoon was spent on the hill, looking at the ruins of the old dwellings and wondering about the hard life of those who once lived there. The wild flowers were colourful and varied, Heath spotted Orchids, Bird's foot Trefoil and Thyme were particularly impressive. There were lots of Wheatear along the way, and a Kestrel was mobbing 3 Buzzards which were hanging in the wind. The first Grass of Parnassus flower of the season was found, above the Machir Bay.

On the way back, there was a family of Stonechat on the fence beside the track, and 2 Hares were spotted "boxing" and chasing in a field."

Thanks for that folks.

Thurs 18th June

2009-06-18T14:26:00.001-07:00

Another day busy with helping out at the Commonwealth Fly fishing competition, again down at Loch Gorm. The fishing was not so good today, as the wind was stronger as well as several squally showers through the day, at least I was better prepared for the weather compared to yesterday! Twice through the day, there was a Lesser Black Gull getting mobbed by a pair of Oystercatcher who may well have just had one of their young predated by the Gull. There were also several Sand Martins on the wing out looking for food skimming quite close to the surface of the water.

Michal e mailed in figures from the second Corncrake survey carried out on Monday night/ Tuesday morning. At present, the tally is 72 calling males, similar figures to last year, some areas are a bit lighter while others are up a bit.

Wed 17th June

2009-06-17T14:02:00.001-07:00

At long last, on the West coast of Islay, we have had some rain, not a lot, but a start! As I was busy today with Commonwealth Fly Fishing competition, it was left to our guests for their input again, thanks folks!

"2 Swifts, which are unusual here, flew over the road near Loch Gorm while a Whitethroat was singing nearby from overhead wires.

Later, a walk along the shore from Saligo was accompanied by families of Wheatears, the usual noisy Oystercatchers, and pairs of Common Sandpipers. Fulmars were seen nesting on the cliffs. Offshore there was a constant movement South of Gannets and Shearwaters. Over 100 of each went by in an hour. Also offshore were Terns, Shags, Razorbills, Guillemots and Black Guilliemots.

In a sheltered bay a group of Herring and Common Gulls were loafing about, while Turnstones and Dunlin were feeding in the sea weed along with family groups of Pied Wagtails. A small number of Eider only had 2 young.

On the way back, a Golden Eagle was seen tussling with 4 Ravens. Further on, a pair of Hen Harriers were out hunting in the afternoon sun, and finally a Kestrel was seen hovering over the hill.

Wed 17th June

2009-06-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

Tues 16th June

2009-06-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Great, another entry from our visitors, saves me the job!

"A day of wildlife watching on the Killinallan side of Loch Gruinart. Beautiful, sunny weather again, with views across to Colonsay and Mull, lovely silver sand beaches all the way.

The bird life was restricted to Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Curlew with Terns off shore. Redshank were calling from their vantage points on fence posts. The dunes were full of Skylark, Meadow Pipit and Linnet. A single Diver was seen off Ardnave Point, an immature Black throated Diver.

The day was spent mainly looking at the wild flowers, with many species of orchids about, the pyramidal orchids appear to be having a good year.

A Golden ringed dragonfly was patrolling a small burn, and Four spot chasers were over a wide pool, while large red damselflies were seen, flitting along the pool edges.

Only occasional Painted Ladies were seen, but Burnet moths were numerous.

Sand Martin and Swallow were feeding along the dune edges as we returned back home to our cottage."

Mon 15th June

2009-06-15T12:52:00.001-07:00

A contribution in from one of our visitors,

"Sun 14th June. A leisurely circuit of Ardnave in the sun, with wildlife watching and paddling! There were masses of "comic" terns fishing off Ardnave Point and flying to the offshore islands. Gannets were plunging in for food, and a Great Northern Diver was preening itself. Seals were heard singing offshore! Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover were abundant along the water's edge with the occasional Redshank and Sanderling. On Ardnave Loch itself, the pair of Mute Swans had 4 cygnets, and also present were some Tufted Duck and Teal.

Painted Lady Butterflies were still to be seen, and it was nice to see some Marsh Fritillaries on the wing. The flowers along the way were beautiful, with the orchids and butterwort coming into bloom.

Mon 15th June. A morning visit to Bridgend Woods found the Woods full of young birds, Robins, Wrens and Tits.

The Dipper and Grey Wagtail were seen at The Woolen Mill. Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap were all singing, and a female Blackcap was collecting food. A pair of Treecreeper were around their nest site.

The highlight of today was the sight of several Demoiselle Damselflies. Chimney sweeper Moths were flitting along the edge of the track through the Wood. Speckled wood and Painted lady butterflies were also seen.

Before coming home, the Little Egret was seen again at the head of Loch Indaal."

Sun 14th June

2009-06-14T13:19:00.001-07:00

As you can see from Michal's image, another great day out here with not a cloud to be seen, only a Redshank on a flypast! Yesterday, at the Beach Rugby at Port Ellen, there had been a couple of heavy showers, but none over this side of Islay, and again this afternoon we had no rain but it was rather black over towards Jura!

This morning, we met in with George at the head of Loch Indaal. He had already seen the Little Egret, but it had flown off after it had been disturbed by someone out walking their dog! So, nothing for it but to park up, and wait and see. Sure enough, we were fortunate to relocate it and it obligingly landed in the water not far from us. On our way home later on, on the strand at Uiskentuie, there was another person out walking along the shoreline, getting dive bombed by the Terns. Obviously the birds were protecting their territory, but why did the person persist on walking on?

Sat 13th June

2009-06-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

Another week almost in and also another changeover day in the cottages too. Gordon and Pauline Yates who have been over for the last 3 weeks left today. Whilst waiting at Port Askaig this afternoon for the ferry, Gordon not only heard, but saw a male Redstart! When out and and about around Islay, they had heard a Wood warbler, and also through their stay had heard several Grasshopper warblers, but they felt not as many as in previous years. On the positive side, apart for the weather being really good, there appears to be more Short eared Owls around.

Gordon and and Pauline have left and other birders arrived, with one couple having a good sighting of the Little Egret at lunchtime, down at the head of Loch Indaal, George went down about a couple of hours later, but there was no sign of the bird then.

Fri 12th June

2009-06-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, as promised we did go out and carried out a quick Corncrake survey on our patch, and were into bed by 1am! We managed to count only 9 calling birds, a few down on the earlier count, but perhaps they have got mates and are a bit quieter. It was certainly a very peaceful night, without a breath of air, and down to 4 degrees, a bit cool for June!

I heard this morning that there had been a Little Egret seen flying over the reserve at Gruinart yesterday, but as far as I know, it was not seen again today. Back home, this evening there was a flock of over 100 Starlings, which is a large number for here. The young birds that have been building in numbers of late, are quite comical, in many ways, especially trying to gain entry to the bird table. We are also seeing a lot of Greenfinches around and also Goldfinches too.

Thurs 11th June

2009-06-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

A few sightings in from James over the past few days, on Monday he had a Water rail on the reserve at Gruinart, Tuesday and he heard 2 Red Grouse calling and saw a female. It is good to hear that are still a few left here on Islay. Wednesday, and he saw a Redpoll, a Whitefronted Goose, 33 Ringed Plover, 28 Dunlin, 18 Arctic Terns as well as an Adder! JRH

Earlier on in the week, down at Glenburn, at the top of Loch Indaal, I saw a Barnacle Goose, but as the road was busy I was unable to stop and get a better look at it. Tonight, as it is a calm evening, Margaret and myself are going to do a quick Corncrake count round our patch, and hopefully be back in by 1am! More figures from that on tomorrow's blog.....

Wed 10th June

2009-06-10T15:06:00.001-07:00

Another amazing image through from Michal, please note the blue sky with not a cloud to be seen, how long is this going to last, the weekend at least according to the weather forecast!

The Corncrake continues on calling through the night, although it is not heard as much through the day, but at 2.30am, we had enough and the bedroom window was shut firmly,in an attempt so that we might get some sleep!

Through the day it is the turn of the Cuckoo, more so in the evening. I tried to get some more images of the them the other day, but although they were vocal and are relatively easy to locate, by the time you got anywhere close, they were one step ahead and had moved on!