Birding on the Isle of Islay 13-17 May 24

 

Corncrake remained the only UK resident, regular winter migrant or summer migrant bird species that I had yet to connect with until my recent 4-night stay on the Southern Hebridean Isle of Islay. I travelled north on Sunday 12 May 24 stopping overnight in Dumbarton visiting RSPB Leighton Moss and RSPB Morecambe Bay en route. I had the good fortune to hear Corncrake each day (late evening and early morning) on Islay due to a male singing from the field opposite Gruinart House B&B. Thankfully, I took my thermal imager that enabled me to locate that particular bird on the 14^th singing from within a clump of tall, dense vegetation just 20m away from 21:30.

Highlights of the trip as follows:

Sunday 12 May 24

RSPB Leighton Moss

• ·        Osprey:  fishing
• ·        Bittern:   heard booming several times
• ·        Garganey:   2 male (Causeway and Tim Jackson Hides)

RSPB Morecambe Bay

• ·        Bar-tailed Godwit:   80+
• ·        Little Gull:   2^nd-summer 

Little Gull, RSPB Morecambe Bay – 12 May 24

Monday 13 May 24

Kennacraig Ferry Terminal

• ·        Black Guillemot:   5
• ·        Little Egret
• ·        Great Northern Diver:   summer plumage 

Little Egret, Kennacraig Ferry Terminal – 13 May 24

Passage to Islay on the ‘Lord of the Isles’

• ·        Great Northern Diver:   regular (including 15 at entrance to West Loch Tarbert)
• ·        Red-throated Diver:   7 at entrance to West Loch Tarbert
• ·        Common Scoter:   M+3F (entrance to West Loch Tarbert)

Loch Indaal (viewed from north of Bowmore)

• ·        Red-breasted Merganser: 10

RSPB Loch Gruinart

• ·        Ringed Plover:   220+ (in single small field to south)
• ·        White-tailed Sea-eagle:   1 (on foreshore)
• ·        Little Tern:   2
• ·        Hen Harrier:   male 

White-tailed Sea-Eagle, Loch Gruinart – 13 May 24

Little Tern, Loch Gruinart – 13 May 24

Tuesday 14 May 24

Loch Gruinart

• ·        Corncrake:   singing (morning and evening)
• ·        Lapwing:   in all the fields
• ·        Redshank
• ·        Snipe:   drumming
• ·        Whooper Swan:   2 adult & immature
• ·        Willow Warbler:   regular 

Whooper Swan (adult), RSPB Loch Gruinart – 14 May 24

Whooper Swan (immature), RSPB Loch Gruinart – 14 May 24

Bridgend Woods & River Sorn

• ·        Dipper:   2 (Woollen Mill)
• ·        Grey Wagtail:   3

Wednesday 15 May 24

Ardnave Point

• ·        Whimbrel:   6 (on tidal rocks with a Curlew)
• ·        Arctic Tern:   22 (small offshore island)
• ·        Chough:   5 (2, 2 and 1)
• ·        Wheatear:   7+ 

Whimbrel, Ardnave Point – 15 May 24

Loch Ardnahoe

• ·        Red-throated Diver:   summer plumage 

Red-throated Diver, Loch Ardnahoe, 15 May 24

Thursday 16 May 24

Loch Cornabus

• ·        American Wigeon: male (twitched) 

American Wigeon, Loch Cornabus – 16 May 24

RSPB Mull of OA

• ·        Golden Eagle: 2 (one on show for 20 minutes)
• ·        Twite: pair 

Golden Eagle, RSPB Mull of Oa – 16 May 24

Twite, RSPB Mull of Oa – 16 May 24

 Kildarton Cross

• ·        Mistle Thrush
• ·        Lesser Redpoll:   2

Friday 17 May 24 

Homeward bounders. ‘Lord of the Isles’, Port Ellen 

Apart from any twitches that take my interest, my next target will be European Bee-eater since the species has bred in the country in recent years. Unfortunately, I was unable to spare the time to visit the pair that bred successfully on the Isle of Wight back in 2014, or at Trimingham for the last two years. However, with my time serving in the Royal Navy drawing to an end that won’t be such a problem in future.

Good birding,

Tony T   BSc (Hons) GeoSci (Open)