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Stop Press: The description of a Western Bonelli’s Warbler seen by John Bowler at Balephuil, Tiree on 8 September 2006 has been accepted by the British Birds Rarities Committee. The two Bonelli’s Warblers (Western & Eastern – Phylloscopus bonelli/orientalis) were originally treated as a single species. The singing male at Easter Ellister, Islay 21 to 22 May 1976 could not be assigned with confidence to one or the other of this species pair, so this is technically a ‘first’ for Argyll. The species total for Argyll remains at 329.
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Wildfowl (and gamebirds) |
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Wildfowl (and Gamebirds)
2nd May. Seven Whooper Swans were at The Reef, Tiree (John Bowler).
6th May Six Pale-bellied Brent Geese were at The Reef, Tiree (John Bowler).
8th May. A Ring-necked Duck was found on Loch Kinnabus, Islay (Angus Keys per Jim Dickson).
10th May. At least 26 Common Scoters were counted at ‘West Coast Salmon’, Kintyre and a flock of 20 Red-breasted Mergansers were seen off Tayinloan (Tom Callan).
Seabirds, Divers, Grebes, Shearwaters, Herons etc. (and other seawatch species)
1st May. Seven Great Northern Divers were at Gott Bay, Tiree (John Bowler).
2nd May. A Great Northern Diver in full breeding plumage was seen on Loch Fyne, just south of Ardrishaig, (George Newall).
7th May. A Little Egret found at Loch Tulla, North Argyll was an unexpected location for this species (Roger Broad). Three Black-throated Divers were seen performing the ‘circle dance’ display on a loch in Mid-Argyll (Paul Daw).
10th May. A casual count of divers off the west coast of Kintyre found at least 40 Black-throated Divers and at least 40 Great Northern Divers between ‘West Coast Salmon’ and Machrihanish (Tom Callan).
Raptors, Rails etc
2nd May. Two Ospreys were seen mobbing an immature White-tailed Eagle which flew from Eredine point to the West side of Loch Awe (NM957097; Karl Pipes).
5th May. At 15.30/16.00hrs two experienced birders were walking to the Add bird-hide on the Crinan Canal when they saw a definite crane species fly over the hill to the left, roughly in the direction of Tayvallich. It was in silhouette and due to a brief view they could not be sure of an ID (Karl Pipes). Did anyone else see this bird?
7th May. A female Marsh Harrier was seen at Loch Bhasapol, Tiree (John Bowler).
10th May. A White-tailed Eagle was seen flying low over Loch Awe. It was flying (and getting mobbed in the process by gulls and a buzzard) from Inverliever nurseries to Arichamish. It had a red tag on its wing indicating it had been hatched on Mull in 2005 (John McInally).
11th May. A Merlin was seen c.2 miles from the main A83 road on the Leacann Trail from Auchindrain, Mid-Argyll (Karl Pipes). A male Common Kestrel was seen at Millhouse, Cowal (Tom Callan).
Waders
1st May. Three Red Knots and three Whimbrels were at Traigh Bhagh, Tiree and 310 Ringed Plovers, 180 Sanderlings and 833 Dunlins were at Gott Bay (John Bowler).
2nd May. Totals of 145 Ringed Plovers, 640 Dunlins and 15 Whimbrels were at Loch a' Phuill, Tiree and a Black-tailed Godwit and nine Whimbrels were at The Reef (John Bowler).
5th May. A flock of 24 Whimbrels were at Loch a' Phuill, Tiree (John Bowler).
6th May. A Woodcock was roding at Eredine this evening (NM971094; Mike Deakin).
7th May Quite a movement of Dunlin at the Add Estuary today with 62 birds - exceptional here for the spring, together with eight Ringed Plovers (Jim Dickson).
8th May. A Common Sandpiper at Ceann a' Mhara, Tiree was the first of spring here. A flock of 32 Whimbrels was on the machair west of Loch a' Phuill (John Bowler).
10th May. At least 40 Sanderlings in breeding plumage and at least 60 Dunlins in breeding plumage were counted at the south end of Machrihanish Bay, Kintyre. A Black-tailed Godwit in winter plumage was at Tayinloan and nine Whimbrels were seen in a tight flock at Ballochroy (Tom Callan).
11th May. Two Whimbrels were in the Add Estuary area (Jim Dickson).
Skuas, Gulls, Terns and Auks
2nd May. Four Little Terns and 12 Arctic Terns were at Loch a' Phuill, Tiree (John Bowler).
7th May. A Great Skua was seen in Gott Bay, Tiree (John Bowler).
10th May. Ten Common Guillemots, ten Razorbills and a Black Guillemot were seen from the Tarbert –Portavadie ferry (Tom Callan).
13th May. A first-summer Yellow-legged Gull was found in Loch Gilp – it was present again on 14th May (Jim Dickson). At least 12 Black Guillemots were counted in the Oban Bay area including three occupying storm drains near the Corran Halls (Paul Daw).
Doves, Owls, Woodpeckers etc.
1st May. Two, very early, Common Swifts were seen between Lochgilphead and Cairnbaan, Mid-Argyll this afternoon. There were three April records in the 1990s, but this is the earliest Swift arrival since then (Sue Chattwood).
7th May. A Turtle Dove was seen at Scarinish, Tiree (John Bowler).
11th May. Two Wood Pigeons at Carnan Mor, Tiree were in potential breeding habitat. The species has not, so far, been recorded breeding on the island (John Bowler).
12th May. Two Wood Pigeons seen at Uig, Coll were unusual visitors (Ben Jones).
Passerines
1st May. An all-white Linnet was seen at Baugh, Tiree (John Bowler).
2nd May. A male Common Crossbill was seen in a garden at Eredine, Loch Awe (Karl Pipes) and two or more calling Common Crossbills flew over Otter Ferry, Cowal (Tom Callan).
4th May. Four Blackcaps (two males, two females) were in the garden at Balephuil after the rain stopped and 70 Sand Martins and 40 Barn Swallows were at Loch a' Phuill in the rain (John Bowler).
5th May. A pair of Common Stonechats and a pair of Whinchats were seen in a rushy area of Kilmartin Glen (NR830985; Karl Pipes).
6th May. A female/immature Golden Oriole was at Carnan Mor, Tiree this evening (6 May) - very wary but showing on and off from 20.15-20.45hrs (John Bowler). Of the twenty odd records of Golden Oriole in Argyll most have been in May or June. A Wood Pigeon at West Hynish and a Jackdaw on a peanut-feeder at Moss were both unusual visitors on Tiree (John Bowler). Birds found during a Timed Tetrad Visit for the Breeding Atlas (NR98G) near Otter Ferry, Cowal included 48 Common Pheasants, two Common Sandpipers, 22 Wood Pigeons, two Common Cuckoos, 13 Robins, 21 Blackbirds, 25 Willow Warblers, 26 Great Tits, 33 Common Chaffinches, ten Greenfinches, nine Common Crossbills and two Reed Buntings (Tom Callan).
7th May. Birds found during a Timed Tetrad Visit for the Breeding Atlas (NR98L) near Otter Ferry, Cowal included ten Common Pheasants, four Common Cuckoos, 22 Meadow Pipits, five Whinchats, eight Common Stonechats, 16 Blackbirds, a Grasshopper Warbler, 37 Willow Warblers, 17 Common Chaffinches, four Common Crossbills and two Reed Buntings (Tom Callan).
8th May. A Shore Lark was found at Upper Killeyan, Oa, Islay (Angus Keys per Jim Dickson). The only previous Shore Lark record for Argyll was in October 1976 when three were seen, at Bowmore, Islay.
9th May. Birds found during a Timed Tetrad Visit for the Breeding Atlas on the east side of Loch Glashan, Mid-Argyll included three Common Cuckoos, five Common Whitethroats, 30 Willow Warblers and a Grasshopper Warbler (Paul Daw)
10th May. A nice fall of warblers on Tiree over 9th – 10th May included a Blackcap (male) at Balephuil and two Blackcaps (one male, one female) at Kilkenneth on 9th as well as on 10th, three Common Whitethroats (two males, one female), three Blackcaps (two males, one female), a Grasshopper Warbler and a Spotted Flycatcher at Balephuil, and two Common Whitethroats (one male, one female), 12 Willow Warblers and a Spotted Flycatcher at Carnan Mor (John Bowler). Three Common Whitethroats were seen at ‘West Coast Salmon’, Kintyre (Tom Callan).
11th May. A report was received of a Great Reed Warbler singing on Seil Island. If a description is received and accepted by BBRC this would be a new species for Argyll (per Richard Allan). Three Whinchat territories were identified in the Add Estuary area (Jim Dickson). Six Common Stonechats were seen at Kilbride Bay, Cowal (Tom Callan).
14th May. Birds found during a Timed Tetrad Visit for the Breeding Atlas near Otter Ferry, Cowal included 48 Common Pheasants, two Common Sandpipers, 22 Wood Pigeons, two Common Cuckoos, three Tree Pipits, ten Robins, a Common Whitethroat and no less than 70 Willow Warblers (Paul Daw).
Other
8th May. An Orange-tip Butterfly was seen at Otter Ferry, Cowal (Tom Callan).
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