Category: Sightings

MID-ARGYLL: in fields at Dunadd there were at least 75 Fieldfares, 40 Redwings with 1 Song Thrush (Jim Dickson). A ringed male Blackbird has been visiting a garden in Connel since 2 February.  Scrutiny of many photographs has confirmed the ring number as 7476431 from the Norwegian ringing scheme.  This is the same individual which visited the same garden from 21 December 2015 to 8 February 2016.  It was ringed about 25 miles SSE of Oslo, Norway, in April 2013 (Mike Harrison).
COWAL: at Knockdow estate two Stock Doves were seen well but briefly as they flew across the estate (George Newall). A Whooper Swan on Loch Loskin was the first one Alistair McGregor has seen there.

MID-ARGYLL: at Eilean Traighe, Ormsary – the juv Kumlien’s Gull still present as well as the juv/1w Iceland Gull and female Pintail. Also nearby; 54 Hooded, 4 Carrion and 4 hybrid crows (Jim Dickson).
TIREE:  single juvenile Glaucous Gulls at Traigh Bhagh and at Loch Bhasapol (John Bowler).

MID-ARGYLL: on the Crinan Canal single Moorhens at Bellanoch canal basin and at Crinan wood, where a very ‘nervous’ femail Pintail flew off from the canal to join mergansers at the Add Estuary (Jim Dickson). The juvenile Iceland and Kumlien’s Gulls are still present at Eilean Traighe, Ormsary (Stu Crutchfield).
TIREE: a 1hr sea-watch from Hynish in SSE9 produced: 2 Puffins, 2 Great Northern Divers, 13 Black Guillemots, 32 Gannets, 45 Shags, 56 Fulmars, 67 Common Guillemots, 142 Razorbills and 216 Kittiwakes (John Bowler).

ISLAY: the Cackling Goose at Emeraconart (nr Ballygrant) was still with Barnacle Geese this afternoon. Many thanks to the Islay birders for their wonderful hospitality during the ‘bridge camera workshop’ this weekend….I’m sure lots of great photos to come from Islay soon! (Jim Dickson).
MID-ARGYLL: at Ormsary/mouth of Loch Caolisport – 21 Black-throated, 42 Great Northern and 8 Red-throated Divers, 4 Slavonian Grebes, single juvenile Kumlien’s and Iceland Gulls, and 11 flyover Crossbills (Dan Brown).
KINTYRE: at the Sound of Gigha (West Loch Tarbert mouth to Rhunahaorine Pt) – 72 Slavonian Grebes, 127 Great Northern Divers, 2 Velvet Scoters, 1 Long-tailed Duck, 2 Hen Harriers and a Common Sandpiper nr Ronachan Pt. A juvenile Iceland Gull at Machrihanish plus one at Campbeltown Harbour and two more at Kilmichael flood. Also a very good count of 2,003 ‘Greenland’ White-fronts around the Laggan with 3 Pink-feet, 9 Barnacles and 3 likely Todd’s Canada Geese, also 315 ‘Greenland’ White-fronts around Rhunahaorine and 140+ at Loch nan Gan Dad (Dan Brown).
On 31 Jan Dan had a good count of 326 Great Northern Divers at the Sound of Gigha and also an adult and a juvenile Glaucous Gull at the mouth of West Loch Tarbert, Kintyre.