Friday 21st May

I received an e mail this morning from Dr BobYoung who is Clive McKay's brother in law if my memory serves me correctly....  He was saying that he had heard a Corncrake calling down in the reed bed towards the Machir Bay.

Tonight, James e mailed the following to me as well...

"A male Garganey was seen in front of south hide at Gruinart on my way home this evening"

Tuesday 11th August

 James sent this through of some birds seen by him over the weekend. "Not so many birds this time Sparrowhawk, Common Sandpiper, Peregrine and a couple of Otters. Also a large dead Whale floating west at sea, apparently last seen still heading west off Sanaig."

Breaking news... later on this afternoon through from James, the official count for the Corncrakes on Islay came to 44 calling birds. A similar figure to last year I can remember that far back!!!

George E. Jackson e mailed some sightings of "other wildlife"  seen yesterday. "Red admirals, Peacocks, Tortoiseshells and Large whites (all butterflies) were the only newsworthy flying things in the garden. Later I counted 205 Greylags scattered among the sheep at Rockside."

Karen Graham sent me through this email today, relating to Terns seen up North by her earlier on "Interesting sighting today  on the Cromarty firth near to the Cromarty Bridge. Opposite is a raft especially placed for terns to use as nest site. Common terns using it. If you Google  , tern nesting platform Foulis Cromarty Firth,  you will find some RSPB articles about it. Certainly in use as the terns could be heard and seen all the time calling away."  

Thursday 23rd July

Gary sent some birds that he had seen yesterday.....
"Some sightings, two Corncrake calling out by Port Charlotte. On Uiskentuie strand at the spit some small flocks of mixed small waders, including Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Turnstone & Sanderling."

 

Friday 3rd July

Last night/ early this morning James had heard another 2 Corncrakes calling on the reserve both in new locations...  Later on this morning, he saw 5 Redpolls in his garden at Mill cottage. James was also  saying that his rainfall figure at Mill cottage was just short of 4 inches with little rain falling in the first half of the month!!!! The rain that fell into our rain gauge at Shepherd's cottage was a mere 3.75 inches...

Thursday 25th June

James was  in touch earlier on this evening... He was telling me that there were only 24 calling Corncrakes heard last night. Not sure whether this was a total for the whole of Islay , or which part was surveyed, I am not too sure, but hopefully I will speak to James again soon. He was also telling me that he had a Tawny Owl and also a Barn Owl on his patch.

Wednesday 24th June

Earlier on tonight, Mandy was in touch to say that she had heard a Corncrake calling away down at Machir Bay this morning.

Wednesday 17th June

Mary Redman e mailed through this morning....

"This week, the Corncrake at Claddach has been calling day and night, and on Monday I saw one near the calling Male, slip into the grass off the road.

Tuesday, a male Hen Harrier hunting near Wester Ellister.  Another yesterday just behind the village.

Snipe have been active drumming at Claddach Loch, but the Lapwing that were so active earlier in spring have disappeared.

And at the weekend, my mum had a close encounter with a Golden Eagle above a sheltered bay on the Croft!

Its dry as a bone here, the grass isn't so lush as last year at this time. This week has been thick fog, apart from blue skies on Sunday where we happily got our sheep sheared! Happy granny too."

Thanks Mary and great to hear from you...

Saturday 9th May

James was in touch by e mail..

"Probably 5 Corncrakes calling at Gruinart. Lots of whitethroats and whinchats about now and I had an Osprey fly over the loch on Thursday."

Mandy e mailed the following to me last night.. 
"Yesterday, I saw a Whitethroat, lots of Sedge Warblers and heard Groppers. This morning, I saw 2 Snipe drumming, and this evening I'm listening to 2 Cuckoos."

Thursday 7th May

Matt Jackson sent me through this e mail, earlier on this evening....

"I had 2 Corncrakes calling all night at Rockside. Also a Peregrine at Foreland on my commute to work this morning."

This morning Gary e mailed some sightings through
" A couple of days ago had an Osprey flying south bound over house.

Yesterday had several different warblers through the garden, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat & Blackcap. Golden Eagle overhead when we were having lunch outside.

Red throated Divers still flying overhead moving between lochs."

Thursday 30th April

Matt Jackson sent me the following birds seen by himself over the past few days...

"I had an Osprey by Loch Gorm on my way into work this morning, not far this side of Sunderland Farm. It had a huge trout still flapping in its talons! The House Martins have been back investigation my nest box today (they had a look last week then disappeared again) and there has been a Wheatear in the garden all week - it’s had a couple of altercations with its reflection in the window!" 

Matt also sent this one relating to the corncrakes around now...

"I also had heard a Corncrake from the house here at Rockside this afternoon."

I also believe that he was really fortunate to see a food pass between a pair of Hen Harriers earlier on this week.

Tuesday 28th April

Mandy sent the following e mail through to me this afternoon..

"I was lucky enough to be sitting in my front garden yesterday when a Cuckoo clattered past, making that weird gek-gek noise, chasing another one, and it briefly displayed on a nearby wall, fantastic. Then on my evening walk I could hear 2 distinct Cuckoos, one up towards Leek, and then this morning I saw them both on the telegraph wires, only one was calling though. Mike down at Kilchoman heard a Cuckoo this morning too, and saw a Swallow, and whilst I was on the phone to him he saw an Eagle high above Kilchoman crag."

I also heard that Ed Burrell has a Corncrake calling away over at Cornabus.

James had his first Whinchat of the year today, earlier on this morning he had seen a young Golden Eagle and also he had heard 4 Cuckoos calling away.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Caoimhe had heard a Corncrake calling away on the flats at Gruinart..... heard from the door of the bothy last night.

Sunday 26th April

A couple of birds from yesterday, through from Gary. "A Kestrel flew over woods beside his  house this afternoon. Male Hen Harrier across road at Gartmain and  away along the shore."

Petr emailed through with the following, later on last night...
"At least 3 corncrakes calling here at 8.30pm this evening between Bruichladdich and Conisby."

Bob gave me a shout on the phone this morning.. and he was telling me that he had seen  a Golden Eagle flying over his house a few days ago. Down at Octomore, Bob saw 3 first winter Med Gulls following the plough. On his way to Bowmore, he had counted 22 Whimbrel just past Blackrock.

Also interesting. In garden have a male blackbird often in. Yesterday twice noticed him with a worm which he dipped in bird bath before flying off. Why, to clean it or to wet it as its been so dry ? Cannot say I have noticed this behaviour before. Certainly the bird bath in use for drinking by all the birds and also for bathing. Or like the pigeons simply settle down in it like a cool bath and a dose off.
Karen Graham  from Bearsden had in touch with her question...

David Livingstone heard a GS woodpecker drumming away this morning in the woods at Ardenistle over at Laphroaig.

Lesley e mailed  through some great sightings through as well
"We almost had rain today, but not quite. Still there is a few hours to go. Biting wind again. Walk at Kilchiaran. I stopped to check a bird disappearing into a hedge when a large shadow passed over me. Golden eagle. As I opened the car door at Kilchiaran first 2 birds heard and seen Sand Martins.  Second Whimbrel of the week in the bay. Linnets in pairs and small flocks of Twite. One pair with nesting materials. One bird was colour ringed. L O/Y didn't see R.
A Common Sandpiper on the burn and my second Grasshopper warbler heard on way back. Close and clear view of Sandwich Tern and a GN Diver L Indaal before Bruichladdich.
Another great day."

Thursday 16th April

David Barr was in touch back on Monday saying that he had just seen a Green Woodpecker when out with his 2 dogs over at Lochearnhead that morning...

Mandy has had a great day with the birds around where she lives on Islay...

"This morning I had the Redwing again in the tree at the rear of her house, sunning itself. Late afternoon, just sitting in my front garden listening to a starling going through its repertoire of the usual buzzard, curlew, crow, raven, gull, blackbird etc., then it threw in a bleating lamb!Exceptionally good. If it wasn't coming from the roof I'd have believed it was real ...And it has just did a chough too! And I've seen the willow warbler, appropriately enough in my willow in the front garden😄. Just heard a second willow warbler up here, one is calling close by and a second further away 😊"

Dr Matt Jackson had been down at Machir Bay, late afternoon

"Was out for my authorised bought of exercise this evening and heard my first Corncrake of the year down by the parking area at the beach at Machir Bay! There were also quite a number (20+) of what seemed to be mixed sand and house martins among the dunes along the middle and south end of the beach."

Thursday 8th August

A great day for the local Agricultural Show which was held today. I thought that with little air up here, that the midges could have been out, but not so according to James How.

Today Peter had taken his friends down for a walk on the Oa. Birds seen included a family of 4 Chough with a Golden Eagle out soaring around. They had seen several small groups of around 15 birds in total of mixed Twite along with some Linnets. They also had a single Whinchat and then in a field at Upper Killeyan, they heard a late calling Corncrake.

Wednesday 31st July

For some reaon, I could not manage to download some images of the butterflies seen here yesterday. Today, there have not been so many of them around as were present yesterday.

Mandy had seen a Corncrake chick up behind Bruichladdich this morning...

Up here this morning around 8 am, there were 2 Peregrines out over the crag, down here on the seed crop, over 60 Linnets were present. Later on in the morning, we counted 5 Buzzards away high up over the crag and then late afternoon, I saw a family of Stonechats...

Alistair Hart had a male Hen Harrier over at Carnduncan and also he had some Ringed Plover and Dunlin down at Bruichladdich.

Thursday 20th June

Yesterday, Malcolm had found a dead adult Manx Shearwater around lunchtime on the strand close to the Foreland road end. It was not thin and unmarked. As Malcolm put it, "odd to find an adult at this time of year, most records are of young birds after storms in the Autumn. He also said that he has seen them feeding offshore in June, but not in Loch Indaal."

Yesterday afternoon, we had seen a  Golden Eagle soaring high above Borichil Mor, and then later on 2 cracking close views of male Hen Harriers, one was over at up at Bunnahabhain, the other was on the ground about 15 metres away from us over below Coull.

This morning, John Wilson had seen a Corncrake, as it flew across the road into some longer vegetation in the sand pit at Kilchoman.

James had seen some Marsh Fritillaries on the verge side on the road leading to Ardnave. On the reserve at Gruinart, he had an Adder, seen some Blackcaps, and back at Mill Cottage, he had counted 70 Pipistrelle Bats. This morning, James had a Sparrowhawk, out over the flats at Gruinart.

Thursday 6th June

Yesterday was Karen and John's last day of their present visit to Islay...They had seen at least 5 different Hen Harriers as they worked their way down to Port Ellen for an early start this morning on the ferry.... On the Oa they had heard several Corncrakes calling and they also saw a distant Golden Eagle there as well. They also had seen Twite and Whinchat on the Oa. Other birds seen include Whinchats at Bunnahabhain, and Gary kindly showed them a White tailed Eagle on their way up to Bunnahabhain. Many thanks to Karen and John for their sightings and all going well, we look forward to catching up with you down at the Birdfair in August.

Gary himself had been out with clients including Morag Rae and her husband who are both stalwarts of the Argyll Bird Club... They had seen 5 Hen Harriers on their day out with Gary. Down at Rockside, they had an Osprey on top of a telegraph pole. As well as the shared White tailed Eagle that Gary had shown to Karen and John, the said bird was sitting in a field over close to Keills.

James, this morning, had seen a Peregrine and also a Black tailed Godwit on the flats at Gruinart.

Tuesday 14th May

A glorious sunset again out here on the West of Islay, as I write this entry. I heard today that some of the Distilleries here on Islay are a bit concerned with the lack of water, with one or two of them have stop distilling any new spirit...

Today, down on the Oa reserve, David Wood had seen House Martins and also Swifts. David also told me that he has heard a Corncrake calling at Kinnabus as well.

Friday 10th May

Yesterday, Distillery Dave had seen 2 pairs of Reed Buntings in the ditch leading up to the Kilchoman Distillery at Rockside. Most days  this week, he has also been seeing a solitary Whimbrel in the barley fields there as well. He also told me that the Cuckoos and also the Corncrake have both been very vocal, calling away close to the farmhouse!!!  
Gary from Wild Islay Birding, today had a pair of Cuckoos displaying over close to Coal Ila Distillery. He had also seen the Hen Harrier "sky dancing" up behind his house.
Derbyshire Bob had seen his 100th bird of this present visit and oddly enough it was his 200th tick for the year, unfortunately I could not open his video clip, so I do not know what it was...May email Bob back and ask him what it was...

Thursday 2nd May

Nothing much in for the blog apart from some folk hearing Corncrakes calling around Islay. Yesterday evening, Distillery Dave had heard probably the same corncrake calling round at Rockside as he returned home from the "dog training" class. Gary had heard  2  Corncrakes calling away down at Bruichladdich with another heard up towards Skerrols al heard as Gary returned home after his evening shift at Port Charlotte hotel.