Sightings – Page 146 – Argyll Bird Club

29th March

KINTYRE: arrivals at Machrihanish SBO included 2 Sandwich Terns resting on the shore and 2 Sand Martins passing N, also 2 Common Scoters passed S (Eddie Maguire).
COWAL: 26 Purple Sandpipers and 1 Turnstone today at Crazy Golf. 2 Lesser Redpolls with several Siskins on the niger feeders in the garden. At Knockdow yesterday no sign of Stock Doves but the usual Moorhens and a pair of Little Grebes. Chiffchaffs almost everywhere. (George Newall).
MID-ARGYLL: The Mandarin ducks have been back with us at Durran, Loch Awe the last couple of weeks and surprised me today by perching on a nest box! (Mary Stewart).
MULL: three Barn Swallows at Knock are out first Argyll reports (Damian Jamrozik per Alan Spellman).

Grey Heron- Ardentinny, Cowal Mar (Steve Petty).

Greenfinch – Cairnbaan, Mid-Argyll 29 Mar (Jim Dickson).

Mandarins- Durran, Loch Awe 29 Mar (Mary Stewart).

28th March

MID-ARGYLL: the Pied-billed Grebe again (seen last summer) at Loch Feorlin…only showed for a few seconds in 2 hrs! Also 3 Sand Martins there (Jim Dickson).

27th March

KINTYRE: at least 5 White Wagtails at Machrihanish SBO today and the regular leucistic adult Herring Gull put in an appearance (Eddie Maguire).
ISLAY: a Sandwich Tern was at Bruichladdich today (Peter Roberts). A report of a Great Grey Shrike at Avonvoggie (per Ian Brooke) was perhaps same as earlier bird on Islay.
MID-ARGYLL: a flock of 10 Redwings were enjoying the evening sunshine in Connel today and a Moorhen was on the Lusragan Burn in Connel. This could well be the same bird as was first seen there in December (Mike Harrison).

White Wagtail – MSBO, Kintyre 27 Mar (Eddie Maguire).

Herring Gull – MSBO, Kintyre 27 Mar (Eddie Maguire).

26th March

MID-ARGYLL: another Chiffchaff heard today at Oban High School (Blair Urquhart). A singing Stock Dove at Slockavulin today and at least 3 singing Chiffchaffs (David Jardine).
COWAL: a Chiffchaff was in song at Bischop’s Glen, Dunoon (George Newall).

25th March

MID-ARGYLL: 3 female Greater Scaup still at Ballachuan Loch, Seil, 1 Chiffchaff – Balvicar lagoons and at least 8, possibly 10 Northern Wheatears on Luing (David Jardine).
COWAL: now only 14 Purple Sandpipers at Dunoon crazy golf (George Newall). A pair of Red-legged Partridges was displaying in our garden at Ardentinny and a singing Chiffchaff there also (Steve Petty)

24th March

KINTYRE: a single Willow Warbler was in Katie Pendreigh’s garden at Tayinloan this morning.
MID-ARGYLL: a Chiffchaff was in song today at Achnabreck at 13:30… up by the carved stones (Blair Urquhart).

23rd March

KINTYRE: two White Wagtails at Uisead Point, MSBO. Also 63 Lesser Black-backed Gulls past N today (Eddie Maguire).

22nd March

MID-ARGYLL: a pair of Goldeneyes were displaying and mating at Loch Gilp, also 3 Little Gulls there (an adult + 2 first-winters = 5 different birds there this year) (Jim Dickson).
Three female Greater Scaup with four Tufted Ducks were at Ballachuan Loch, Seil and possibly the first Scaup records for Seil.. (David Jardine).

Goldeneyes – Loch Gilp, Mid-Argyll 22 Mar (Jim Dickson).

21st March

MID-ARGYLL: a male Northern Wheatear this morning along the shore at Lingerton dump, Loch Gilp (Andrew Tongue). A 2CY Iceland Gull in a field 2km NE of Oban this morning (Jim Dickson).
NORTH ARGYLL: the Little Egret was again at Dalrannoch, Loch Creran. Photo taken through the barge window (Laurance Larmour).
TIREE: at least 306 Whooper Swans counted passing through Tiree today – most touched down briefly in heavy squalls before heading north again. Three juv Glaucous Gulls – singles at Loch Bhasapol, Crossapol and Balephetrish and 100’s of Black-headed Gulls and dozens of Lesser Black-backed Gulls around now (John Bowler).
KINTYRE: an adult Iceland Gull flew past the Machrihanish Seabird Observatory (Eddie Maguire).

Whoopers- Loch a’ Phuill, Tiree 21 Mar (John Bowler).

Little Egret – Loch Creran 21 Mar (Laurance Larmour).

Glaucous Gull – Tiree 21 March (John Bowler).

20th March

NORTH ARGYLL: I work at Loch Creran north of Oban and was interested to see a Little Egret through the window six feet away from me, perched on the handrail of our barge as I sat eating lunch today (Laurance Larmour).
TIREE: two Goldcrests and 1 Goldfinch at Balephuil, 2 Goldfinch at Balinoe, 2,450 Golden Plovers and 120 Turnstones at the Reef and a juv Glaucous Gull at Loch Bhasapol (John Bowler).