Friday 7th & Saturday 8th August

Islay Birds · 2 months ago · 95 views

Still a very strong contrast here to the drought and heatwaves of southern England and Wales! Winds swinging about and cloud coming and going, bringing increasing amounts of light rain with it - especially on Saturday.Clive McK. sent in a record for Thursday of a Red-throated Diver feeding on Loch Finlaggan then taking off into the hills, returning 30 minutes later - an obvious sign of feeding young on one of the higher moorland lochs nearby.Yesterday Rogan W. was birding his patch at Dunlossit and sent in some useful breeding records of Mute Swan with cygnets on Loch Ballygrant, where he also noted a Little Grebe and young Goldcrests.Today he had Tawny Owls calling overnight, a Buzzard nesting along the Sound of Islay  near Port Askaig, where a family of Spotted Flycatchers was photographed.Later he watched a White-tailed Eagle flying over to Islay from Jura.Over at Ardilistry Bay David D. found a Little Egret and a Greenshank - an unusual place for these species more often found on Lochs Indaal and Gruinart.