9th April 2017

[Chris Johnson]

The WEBs count today at Ardivachar and North Bay was rather disappointing with very few waders to report.
North Bay had 4 Great Northern Divers and 2 Long-tailed Ducks.
However, there was a large influx of Golden Plovers: 800 quite flighty at west Loch Bee and another 330 grounded at Range Two.

 

[Hawkeye]

Locheynort, South Uist
From John Poyner "2 Swallows this afternoon Loch Eyenort" and commented "Interesting one looked Juv. (Spanish early breeders?)"

Luskentyre, Isle of Harris
Juvenile Iceland Gull in the bay at low tide

Stornoway Harbour, Isle of Lewis
Juvenile Glaucous Gull still present, also 4 juvenile Iceland Gulls remain in the area.

Ness area, Isle of Lewis
From Tony, "Steady drizzle, rain and poor visibility lasted until mid afternoon (as forecast), and resulted in a major arrival of birds building up during the day. The most numerous species was Pinkfooted Goose, and several crofts were full of them. The following totals are for the area between Port of Ness (east coast), Habost (opposite west coast) and the Butt of Lewis, forming a triangle roughly two miles from south to north. No flocks were seen to leave. When the rain stopped at around 3.00 pm, a cold front moved in, the temperature dropped noticeably, and the wind increased considerably from the west."

• Pinkfooted Goose – 1,850 scattered across the area
• Barnacle Goose – 100+ (probably the wintering flock)
• Grey Lag Goose – one flock of 100+ in an area of Loch Stiapavat not normally frequented by this species: they appeared to be wary and may well have been migrants
• Whooper Swan – 2 at Fivepenny in early (am) had gone later; 4 arrived on Loch Stiapavat and then moved to the machair near Fivepenny
• Pintail – a drake on Loch Stiapavat
• Golden Plover – a large increase from recent days (200-300) to 1,000+, the peak so far this year
• Black-tailed Godwit – 5 on Loch Stiapavat flew off N (first of the year)
• Common Redshank – apparent migrant arrivals were 18 on flooded machair at Fivepenny
• Iceland Gull – at the cliff roost at Port of Ness were three early this morning, and just two this evening
• Lapland Bunting – a flock of eight by the sheep feeding troughs near Loch Stiapavat flew off; one there in early evening

 

[BrianR]

The Iceland Gull was still present during WeBS count at Loch Hosta this afternoon.

As for Chris a large influx of Golden Plover - a conservative estimate of 1,300 in the area between Loch nam Feithean and Aird an Rùnair.

During a brief sea-watch at Aird an Rùnair in the late afternoon two Great Skuas flew N while in the area of the cattle pens on the hill there were ten Lapland Buntings.



The three colour-ringed Brent Geese that were present on the 7th at Rubh' Arnal had been seen on Tiree on the 3rd: near Sandaig at first and later in a flock of 31 SW of Balephetrish Bay. Ringed in Ireland - Yellow K/Blue Z on 31/03/2015, Red P/White L on 11/02/2010 and Red X/Red H on 27/02/2014. Information from Graham McElwaine, Re-sightings Co-ordinator. The scheme started in 2001 and they have now caught around 5,000.