Category: Sightings

TIREE: Seabirds moving N off West Hynish (08.15- 08.45) – 3,400 Manx Shearwater, 400+ Kittiwakes, 120 Gannets, good numbers of auks, 1 Great Skua (and 1 at Gott Bay yesterday evening) – also 1 Basking Shark. Drop in small wader numbers but still low hundreds of Sanderling, Dunlin (max 110 at Miodar) and Ringed Plover. Also total of 25  Turnstone, 1 Whimbrel still at Balevuliin and 1 Red Knot at Miodar. Several Northern Wheatears and 1 ‘Greenland’ Wheatear at Gott Bay (Jim Dickson).
ISLAY: Ian Brooke was in touch to say that the male Green-winged Teal was seen again at Gruinart yesterday.
KINTYRE: 4 Whimbrel arrived at the MSBO late morning (Eddie Maguire).

TIREE: Still 2 Whimbrel and 120 Ringed Plover at Balevullin, now joined by the 2CY Iceland Gull (from Kenovay). A Common Chiffchaff was in song at The Glebe, also Willow Warbler and Dunnock there. A Woodpigeon was at Balephuil and 7 Redpolls still there along with a Cuckoo. This evening a 2CY Curlew Sandpiper with 10 Dunlin and 160 Sanderling at Sorobaidh Bay (Jim Dickson).

COWAL: Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Sand Martin all nesting on a 50 yard stretch of the River Eachaig  – and also a pair of Kingfishers perhaps also nesting (Alistair McGregor).
ISLAY: A Little Egret at Gruinart reserve last evening and still there today (Ian Bradley per Ian Brooke) and a Greenshank at Saligo (Ian & Margaret Brooke).
TIREE: A few bits and pieces today included – an Arctic Skua at Gunna sound, at least 7 Great Northern Divers around the coast, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits at Gott Bay – also 2 Red Knot there – plus good nos of Ringed Plover, Sanderling and smallers nos of Dunlin around. 2 House Martins at Vaul, a Common Sandpiper at Mannal, a Spotted Flycatcher at Balephuil – also 7 Redpolls there, at least one a Lesser -other Commons, 2 Redpolls over the Glebe, a 2CY Iceland Gull at Kenovay, 2 Whimbrels at Balevuillin (Jim Dickson).
MULL: An adult Little Gull with Kittiwakes and Manx Shearwaters at rest on sea – also two Storm Petrels near Cairns of Coll (per Alan Spellman).

KINTYRE: A Common Eider fem with a single duckling today (the first of the year) – (Eddie Maguire).
MID-ARGYLL: First juv Robins seen in Lochgilphead yesterday, also 6 prs of Greylags with goslings at the Add Estuary (Jim Dickson).
NORTH ARGYLL: Yesterday on the slopes of Beinn Lora, Benderloch, one Wood Warbler in song (Robin Harvey).
TIREE: 1 Knot at Sorobaidh Bay, 1 Whimbrel at Heylipol,1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Goldcrest, 2 Goldfinch and 2 Common Redpoll at Balephuil (John Bowler).

KINTYRE: A 2CY Mediterranean Gull was bird of the day.  Also, 50 Ringed Plover, 60 Dunlin, the regular leucistic adult Herring Gull and 4 Sandwich Tern. (Eddie Maguire).
MID-ARGYLL: More Swifts around – 2 over Lochgilphead yesterday, and today – 4 over Kilmelford  and 9 over Oban. (Jim Dickson).
ISLAY: Some records at Loch Indaal from Mike Peacock – Common Scoter 26, Velvet Scoter 1 male, Common Tern 2, Arctic tern 7, Great Northern Diver 5, Red-throated Diver 2. Also a belated report of a Dotterel at RSPB Kinnabus on 2nd May (per SOC ).
TIREE: 3CY Iceland Gull at Kenovay, 5 Knot at Loch a’ Phuill – also 1 House Martin there, 5m Ruff at 3 sites,1 Whimbrel at Balevullin, 1 Common Redpoll at the Glebe, 1 Jackdaw, 1f Blackcap and 1 Spotted Flycatcher at Balephuil, 2 Common Tern in with ca 300 Arctic Tern at Milton, 5 Basking Shark off Mannal (John Bowler).

ISLAY: A Wood Sandpiper was at RSPB Gruinart (per Ian Brooke).
KINTYRE: At MSBO today – 22 Turnstones, a Whimbrel, 12 Sandwich Tern and 3 White Wagtails (Eddie Maguire).
MID-ARGYLL: Two groups of very tiny Greylag Geese goslings at Danna / Loch na Cille today – broods of 3 and 3 (Morag Rea). Had 5 Swifts circling and screaming round our house at Kilmichael Glassary for most of the day, 2 of which were banging and entering the box (Annette Anderton). 3 Whimbrel at Loch Gilp today (Jim Dickson).
NORTH ARGYLL: Walk in the drizzle up Glen Strae today included: 2 full plumage male Mandarins, 4 Goosanders a female Mallard with 8 small ducklings plus another pair and about 6 other males, 5 Teal (4 m, 1 f), also a male Whinchat, 2 Common Sandpipers, 4 Cuckoos (3+m) and 2 Grey Wagtails being the highlights (Mike Anderson).

ISLAY: George Newall now home (with his photos) after 3 weeks over on Islay and had found a fem/1w Black Redstart at Claggain Bay on 13th May. A report of the male Ring-necked Duck again at Loch Finlaggan today (per BirdGuides). A drake Green-winged Teal again at the north hide RSPB Gruinart reserve today (James Butcher).
MID-ARGYLL: 7 Swifts over Oban this morning (3 last evening) – also 6 singing Wood Warblers Gen Nant today (Mike Anderson).

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).

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).

ISLAY: A 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.