MULL: a Turtle Dove was found at Kintra (Deargphort) at mid-day but not seen later (Jeremy and Margaret Roberts).
TIREE: this evening, John Bowler saw an adult male Ruff on the shore at Mannal and a Spotted Flycatcher at Balephuil.
COWAL: two Sanderlings at Toward today (Alistair McGregor).
COWAL: five Purple Sandpipers at Dunoon crazy golf, plus 1 Turnstone (George Newall). Five Common Swifts around Dunoon primary School this afternoon (Tom Callan).
MID-ARGYLL: three Sedge Warblers around Ormsary today (Stu Crutchfield).
TIREE: a Wood Sandpiper on pool at Kilmoluaig this afternoon (David Palmar per John Bowler).
ISLAY: at Kilchoman, Ian Brooke continues to create a feeding and nesting an area attractive to many species. An upgrade of the feeding station is proving popular with Golfinch at present. The drake Garganey is still at Gruinart, also a Ruff in breeding plumage and our first report of a Spotted Flycatcher (per Ian Brooke).
COWAL: Ian Giles sent in this great image on Mandarins at the Holy Loch taken on 3rd May. Two Common Swifts were over Toward Castle this afternoon (Cherry Cook).
KINTYRE: at Rhunahaorine Point this evening several members of the ABC committee roped off a small area to protect breeding birds vulnerable from disturbance. In a couple of hours over 50 species were noted in the area including several Great Northern Divers, 60+ Common Scoters, a Grey Plover, 4 Sanderlings, Crossbills and Tree Pipits (photo shows one with a brood patch).
COWAL: at Ardkinglas woodland today a Nuthatch feeding a fledgling (Neil Hammatt).
MID-ARGYLL: in Glen Fyne – no sign of Ring Ouzels but Grey Wagtail, Whinchat, Redstart, Garden Warbler, Peregrine, Common Sandpipers, Cuckoos and Wheatears seen (Jim Dickson).
TIREE: no sign of the Subalpine Warbler today (John Bowler).
KINTRYE: seven Common Swifts over Campbeltown Lowland Church at 17:50hrs (Eddie Maguire).
ISLAY: a male Garganey again at Gruinart RSPB reserve (per Ian Brooke).
MULL: a Black Swan was at Lochdon – first seen at Duart Castle yesterday (Alan Spellman).
MID-ARGYLL: three Swifts at Kilmichael Glassarry today, with the first returning bird there on May 5th (Annette Anderton per Malcolm Chattwood).
TIREE: a male Western Subalpine Warbler in hawthorns at Carnan Mor this evening – occasionally in song – also 1 Common Redpoll and 1m Blackcap there. 1 Tree Sparrow, 1m, 1f Blackcap, 1m Grasshopper warbler, 2 Corncrakes fighting in the open, 1 Redwing and 2 Robins (nesting) at Balephuil. 1,500 Dunlins and 400 Ringed Plovers between Balephetrish and Clachan – also 1 Whimbrel and 26 Shelducks at Clachan (John Bowler).
KINTYRE: a Lesser Whitethroat was noted at Point Sands campsite yesterday (Neil Hammatt).
A report of 2 male Goshawks seen at the N and S ends of the Kintyre way last week – 30 Apr and 4 May (Chic McSherry).
MID-ARGYLL: at Barnakill, Crinan Canal today: Garden, Sedge, Grasshopper and Wood Warblers, also 3 Blackcaps, Cuckoo and Common Sandpiper (Jim Dickson).
A Swift was seen in Oban today (Malcolm and Sue Chattwood).
TIREE: Lesser Whitethroat, Tree Pipit, 2m Blackcap, Cuckoo, 6 Willow Warblers and 1 Common Redpoll at Carnan Mor. Tree Sparrow, 2 Lesser Redpolls, Whitethroat, 1m Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, 3 Willow Warblers, 6 Sedge Warblers and 1f Chaffinch at Balpehuil (John Bowler).
A white-phase Gyrfalcon was reported from Tiree Airport on the evening of 4 May – seen by several people including Airport staff and a pilot but not seen since.
MULL: another (or same as earlier) Nuthatch at Craignure today (Alan Spellman).
MID-ARGYLL: Whinchats seen in 6 areas around the Moine Mhor today also 6 Wheatears between Drimvore and Dalvore (Jim Dickson). A Whinchat was near the Loch Nant dam today (Roger Broad).
SCARBA: not many reports received from this island however on a visit there David Jardine noted Wood Warbler, Redstart, Whitethroat, Blackcap in the woodland below Kilmory Lodge. Also, returning via Corryvreckan, not without looking at Eilean Mor (there were no Puffins to be seen), but interestingly there was a single Purple Sandpiper with a couple of Turnstones.
TIREE: a Tree Sparrow all day at Balephuil, also 1 Common Redpoll, 1 Whitethroat, 1m,1f Blackcap, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Grasshopper Warblers, 3 Willow Warblers, 1f Chaffinch and 2 Chiffchaffs there. Low thousands of Dunlin and hundreds of Ringed Plovers on the machairs and beaches included 800 Dunlin and 500 Ringed Plover between Vaul and Caoles. 400 Dunlin at Balephetrish Bay. 520 Dunlin and 180 Ringed Plover at Loch a’ Phuill, also juv Glaucous Gull there, 5 White Wagtails, 80 Sand Martins and 3 Black-tailed Gowits. 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose at Gott Bay (John Bowler).
ISLAY: a Swift was seen over Loch Indaal today (Gary Turnbull).
COWAL: at Ardkinglass gardens today 2 Nuthatches and 2 Wood Warblers (Neil Hammatt et al).
COLONSAY: more recent sightings per David Jardine included a Dotterel on Oronsay on 1 May and a Whitethroat on Colonsay on 2 May.
MID-ARGYLL: at Taynish NNR this morning at least 8 Wood Warbler territories, also 5 separate sightings of Tree Pipits. Also on 1 May up to 5 Cuckoo’s calling and one female ‘burbling’ at Moine Mhor 05.00 hrs (Jon Close). Two Whitethroats in Ormsary on 2 May (Stu Crutchfield).
ISLAY: a male Marsh Harrier was at the Gruinart RSPB reserve today (James How per Ian Brooke).
TIREE: a reeling and 1 non-reeling Grasshopper Warbler new at Balephuil this morning with a Tree Sparrow there this evening. 1m Ring Ouzel briefly at Hynish plus 2 Common Sandpipers there, also late report of a juv Iceland Gull there on 30 April (John Bowler).
MID-ARGYLL: today at the Moine Mhor BBS square birds of note were Wood Warbler, Whitethroat, Redstart, 2 Blackcaps, 3 Whinchats, 4 Grasshopper Warblers, 2 Sedge Warblers, 3 Cuckoos, Dipper and 2 Common Sandpipers. Nearby another Whinchat. A Garden Warbler was singing at Cairnbaan (Jim Dickson).
COWAL: Neil Hammatt has encounted several areas with Wood Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Redstarts and Garden Warblers in areas usually poorly covered in the past.
TIREE: a Garden Warbler, 1 Whitethroat and 1 Chiffchaff new at Balephuil. 1m Blackcap at Carnan Mor. 1 Wood Sandpiper at Loch a’ Phuill this evening – also 1 pair Pochard, 3 Whooper Swans, 1 Black-tailed Gowits, 6 Little Terns, 33 Arctic Terns and 290 Dunlins there (John Bowler). 56 Whimbrels were at Salum (Robin Harvey).
MULL: a Brambling was in a garden at Dervaig yesterday (Pam Brown per Alan Spellman).
COWAL: on Neil Hammatt’s new BBS square at Ardno, Cowal (nr. Cairndow) he noted Redstart, Whinchat, Garden Warbler and 3 Wood Warblers. Also two Ring Ouzels and Common Whitethroat in Glen Fyne, Mid-Argyll on 30 Apr. George Newall/Alistair McGregor saw Grasshopper Warbler at head of Loch Striven, heard a few Redstarts in Achnabreck Wood near Loch Riddon, and saw one male and several Cuckoos were singing. On the river at the first bridge in Glen Massan by the timber houses, 4 male Mandarin Ducks, 2 male Goosanders, and a pair of Grey Wagtail (Cherry Cook).
KINTYRE: 42 Whimbrels, 38 Sandwich Terns and 15 White Wagtails at the Machrihanish SBO today (Eddie Maguire).
TIREE: Mixed flock of ca 2,150 Dunlins and 1,250 Sanderlings at Gott Bay today including 9 leg-ringed Sanderling – also 1 Grey Plover there. Scattered mixed groups of hundreds of Ringed Plovers and Dunlins on the machairs and other beaches today. 1 Robin, 1 Cuckoo, 3m Corncrakes and 1 Goldcrest at Balephuil. 2 new moths for Tiree in the garden moth-trap last night: Early Tooth-striped and Clouded Drab (John Bowler).
