18th May

MID-ARGYLL: No sign of the 2CY Yellow-legged Gull at Loch Gilp so far today at 11.30 am – 2 Bar-tailed Godwits there – also 5 Whimbrels there this evening and 39 Kittiwakes flew up Loch Fyne and turned back once they reached Loch Gilp (Jim Dickson).

LINNET – Moine Mhor, Mid-Argyll 18th May (Jim Dickson).
GOLDFINCH – Moine Mhor, Mid-Argyll 18th May (Jim Dickson).
WHINCHAT – Moine Mhor, Mid-Argyll 18th May (Jim Dickson).

 

17th May

MID-ARGYLL: A 2CY (first-winter) Yellow-legged Gull was at the head of Loch Gilp late morning today briefly but was back there at 5.15pm. Only the third record for Argyll if accepted by the SBRC. James Lehmann had a new ‘garden tick’ with a Golden Eagle flying over this evening.
COLONSAY: 2 Great Skuas in west of island today at 3.00pm, performing what looked like a courtship dance (Ian Cooper).

Buzzard + Golden Eagle Barsloisnoch, Mid-Argyll 17th May (James Lehmann).
SEDGE WARBLER – Moine Mhor, Mid-Argyll 17th May (James Lehmann).
1W YELLOW-LEGGED GULL – Loch Gilp, Mid-Argyll 17th May (Jim Dickson).
1W YELLOW-LEGGED GULL – Loch Gilp, Mid-Argyll 17th May (Jim Dickson).
1W YELLOW-LEGGED GULL – Loch Gilp, Mid-Argyll 17th May (Jim Dickson).

16th May

ISLAY:Lesser Whitethroat was reported from Rockside (Bob Davison).
MID-ARGYLL: Anne-Lise Dickie reported an Osprey fishing at Loch nan Druimean, Kilmelford and 2 male Hen Harriers over over her garden at Scammadale was a garden tick. An imm White-tailed Eagle soared over my house in Cairnbaan this afternoon (Jim Dickson).
MULL: 2 Tree Sparrows at Treshish House yesterday (Anand prasad per Alan Spellman).
NORTH ARGYLL: Robin Harvey noted 2 small Moorhen chicks now at Benderloch gravel pits.

WHITE-TAILED EAGLE – Cairnbaan, Mid-Argyll 16th May (Jim Dickson).
COMMON WHITETHROAT – Duntrune, Mid-Argyll 16th May (James Lehmann).

15th May

KINTYRE: A brief but unmistakable sighting of a male Pied Flycatcher by the road side at High Ugadale near Saddell (Alasdair Paterson).
MID-ARGYLL: A male Common Redstart in song at Barnakill (Cairnbaan) this morning – also a juv Siskin found dead after hitting a window (Jim Dickson).
TIREE: 1 Tree Sparrow new at Balephuil today – also 1 Robin, 1 Woodpigeon, 1m Chaffinch and 2 Chiffchaff there. 3 male Ruff at one site (John Bowler).

TREE and HOUSE SPARROWS – Balephuil, Tiree 15th May (John Bowler).
HAWFINCHES – Balephuil, Tiree 15th May (John Bowler).
SWALLOW – Cairnbaan, Mid-Argyll 15th May (Jim Dickson).
EIDERS – Loch Gilp, Mid-Argyll 15th May (Jim Dickson).
BLACKBIRD – Benderloch, North Argyll 15th May (Robin Harvey).

14th May

ISLAY: Now 6 Tree Sparrows today at Ian & Margaret Brooke’s nature reserve at Kilchoman. Update from Ian at 18:40…now 8 birds! Also from Ian, a report of a Hobby at Ardbeg yesterday…message left from Steve? ….more information will be required for this rare visitor to Argyll please.
TIREE: 2 female Hawfinch still at Balephuil – also 2 Common Redpoll, 1 female Blackcap, 1m Chaffinch and 1 Goldfinch there. 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Swift, 2 House Martin and 3 Cuckoo at Carnan Mor. 1 Common Tern at Sorobaidh Bay with 20 Arctic Terns. 4 Whooper Swans on the sea at the Green (John Bowler).

 

RINGED PLOVER – Machrihanish SBO, Kintyre 14th May (Eddie Maguire).

 

13th May

KINTYRE: Torrisdale Castle Estate today; best for views was a male Hen Harrier, a Cuckoo and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. Singing birds included 3 Tree Pipit, 2 male Common Redstart, 4 Spotted Flycatcher, a Pied Flycatcher, 7 Blackcap, 2 Wood Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff and a Bullfinch.  A Jay flew over our heads calling (Eddie Maguire and group).
MID-ARGYLL: 10 Canada Geese with 6 Goslings at Ulva Lagoons and another 3 Canada with 10 Goslings on the marshes nearer Loch na Cille. We saw 24 Greylags in several groups in the area, but no Goslings yet (Morag Rea). At the Add Estuary – 2 lots Canada Geese with first goslings noted on 7th May. In the garden at Cairbaan today a single Garden Warbler and nearby a reeling Grasshopper Warbler and singing Common Whitethroat (Jim Dickson).
MULL: A report of a Great White Egret yesterday at Dervaig – more details required please.
TIREE: 2 female Hawfinch at Balephuil and the first Spotted Flycatcher of the spring there (John Bowler).

HAWFINCH – Balephuil, Tiree 13th May (John Bowler).
SPOTTED FLYCATCHER – Balephuil, Tiree 13th May (John Bowler).
CANADA GEESE – Ulva Lagoons, Mid-Argyll 13th May (Morag Rea).

12th May

KINTYRE: Eddie Maguire had good views of a female type Montagu’s Harrier at Strath (The Laggan), Kintyre at 08:10 this morning – potentially a new Argyll species if accepted by the SBRC.
MID-ARGYLL: Two Garden Warblers in song along the Crinan canal near Bellanoch this morning – also 5 Whinchat ters noted from the Moine Mhor roads (Jim Dickson).

GARDEN WARBLER – Bellanoch, Mid-Argyll 12th May (Jim Dickson).

11th May

MID-ARGYLL: A Great Crested Grebe was seen in Loch Gilp today – between Ardrishaig and Lochgilphead (Alan Dykes). 2 Common Swifts were circling overhead in Kilmichael Glassary today at ~ 2.45pm, banging a nest box and one entered the nest box (Annette Anderton).
TIREE: The female Hawfinch was seen again at Balephuil (John Bowler).

10th May

COLONSAY: A Lesser Whitethroat was seen in scrub north of Scalasaig in the evening (Darren).
ISLAY: Now 2 Curlew Sandpipers from the north hide at RSPB Gruinart late on Wed 9 May – a summer male and a female or 2CY male – also big increase in Dunlin numbers (James Butcher).
MID-ARGYLL: At least 6 ‘Greenland’ Wheatears around the Moine Mhor and Loch Crinan today (Jim Dickson).
TIREE: A female  Hawfinch new in the garden at Balephuil today (John Bowler).

HAWFINCH – Balephuil, Tiree 10th May (John Bowler).

9th May

MID-ARGYLL: At Loch Crinan this afternoon – 38 Dunlin and 18 Ringed Plover. Also a male Whitethroat and a pr of Tree pipits at Duntrune (Jim Dickson). It now seems most likely that the Common Rosefinch reported at Cladich, Loch Awe recently was a nice bright male Lesser Redpoll.
ISLAY: Ian Brooke has just phoned mid-afternoon to say there are 4 Tree Sparrows in his garden at Kilchoman…a new species for there!
TIREE: A male Whinchat at Meningie – first of season here (John Bowler).

WHITETHROAT – Duntrune, Mid-Argyll 9th May (Jim Dickson).