Isle of Islay - Birding Days 3 and 4

Birding Day 3!

These 2 days are days where we didn't see much, so I have merged them together to make one post. Anyway, enough of the waffling, let me tell you about our days!

On the 5th, we started off at Duich Lots, a place not far from where we stayed. We were looking for a reported Red Grouse but we didn't see that. We did see a ringtail Hen Harrier though which was nice...

For the rest of the day we headed round to the other side of the Island around Port Charlotte area. It was a miserable day in terms of weather so the only other birds of note during this day was a Peregrine and a couple of Chough which is still better than nothing.

Birding Day 4

Birding Day 4 was a lot more successful than the previous day in terms of birds and whether, so here goes...

We went down to Laggan Point in the morning which is a lovely rocky area good for sea birds...

 We got some cracking Black Guillemots, including a close one on a rock!

We also got a nice family of Ringed Plover here too...

We also got a Shag...

And a very obliging Dunlin...

On the way out the fields were filled with Sand Martins, and a few Hooded Crows...

In the afternoon, we headed out to Port Ellen, Ardbeg and Claggain Bay. We came across a fantastic sight which was a pair of Golden Eagles flying really close to the road. How cool is that!

We got to Claggain Bay and found a summer plumaged Red-throated Diver, Small Copper and 4 Eider. Great stuff!

2014 Year List Total - 205

Happy Birding!

Titchwell Marsh

Sorry about the delay to this post, I have just had so much homework it's unreal! I shall get started straight away, so on the 3rd March, Dad and I went to Titchwell. When we got their, a group of Golden Plover and Lapwing flew over the car park which was a promising start to the day. We got to the visitor center, and went out onto the feeders. We could see about 5 Brambling and a Water Rail under the feeders...

We then walked down the main track, and we knocked on to a Kingfisher distantly on the Thornham Grazing Marsh. Then we went into Parrinder Hide. Not much there, just the regular Black and Bar-tailed Godwits, Snipe, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew etc. We then went onto the beach. We got fantastic views of 4 Long-tailed Ducks, 2 being a flypast, the other 2 were close inshore, them being female. We also saw Goldeneye, a big group of Eider, Red-breasted Mergansers and Common Scoters. A brief Juvenile Gannet was distant, and 2 Ringed Plovers were on the beach. We then went back, and got great views of Spotted Redshank and other common species, including the Red-crested Pochard.

Black-tailed Godwit

Golden Plover

Avocets

Grey Plover

Oystercatchers

Ringed Plover

Redshank

Knot

Snipe

Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshank and Avocet

Turnstone

Pink-footed Geese

Red-crested Pochard

Brent Geese

Shoveler

Teal

A Chinese Water Deer also put in an appearance, as did some lovely snowdrops.

We then went back and had sandwiches, then headed back out to the beach. When we got out there the tide was out, so we walked down to the shoreline. As soon as we got down there at put the scope down, we could pick out a Velvet Scoter among 3 Common Scoters due to the white wing patch. Then, we saw 6 Long-tailed Ducks, 4 Drakes!!!!! Not much else of note, so we headed back. We saw 2 Water Rails on the way back, one on Thornham Grazing Marsh, then one in the ditch behind the feeders.

Happy Birding

Isle of Mull - Day 5

Like Bryans tour trip, we also go to a little Island in the south west of Mull called Iona. Some of you keen birders like me may of heard about the Glaucous Gull hanging about on the Island, so this is where we came. We hadn't really looked at where the Gull was on the Island, so we were just hoping for some Twitchers looking at this bird with Telescopes and Binoculars when we got there.

On the way to Fionnanphort - where you get the ferry - all the regular species were showing well, like Curlew, Hoodies, Wheatear, Stonechat and Willow Warbler. Also, going past both Eagle viewpoints meant that Golden and White-tailed Eagles were present. A really nice site though was outside where we were staying, which was a Ringed Plover. More explained further on......

Ringed Plover outside where we were staying - Pennyghael

Eider Duck at Bunessan

Great-Northern Diver also at Pennyghael

Arriving on the Ferry across to Iona, plenty of  Kittiwake, Shag, and Oystercatchers were flying from place to place if it was along the Ross, or on the land. 

On the Island, unfortunately no Twitchers were about, so no chance of finding, it, but what we came here for, was the Corncrake! The Fire Station was the first stopping point for us, then further along the road with some advice given before hand. No singing birds at the fire station, but the chipper song of Snipe alert me of a present one nearby. Moving towards the bird - which I couldn't see - I flushed it up out of some short grass, which I should have seen before hand. About an hour later still no luck. After being along the road, only a distant bird was singing, but none nearby, until we got back to the Fire Station. About 4 singing birds were in the Iris beds singing away, but not showing. 5 minutes later, my Dad spotted one flying briefly over the Iris beds close-ish, but it was good enough to confirm one. The bird we came for was complete, and now I don't have to worry about seeing one an more!