Friday 12 September 2008

Thurs 11th - Fri12th Sept

On Thursday, I morning I was over assisting on the guided walk at Loch Gruinart reserve. From the platform, we had good viewings of a ring tail Hen Harrier and Peregrine Falcon as they flew over the floods but not actually hunting for prey as such. At one time they were both on the ground within several yards of each other, and indeed they flew off together after that. Up at Gruinart Farm, there were 2 Ravens and also a Buzzard close at hand while away up at Ardnave some Chough were seen through the 'scope. Coming back along the road, the Swallows and House Martins were on the wing, and we were able to show the folk on the walk, the difference between the 2 birds. In a bush on the roadside there was a Wren, invisible to us, but definitely audible, as it gave us its all! There were also around 70 Teal on the floods.
George Jackson was also with us, and he was saying that he had a brief sighting of a Green Sandpiper on one of his ponds, one day last week.
One of our neighbours had been up at Sanaigmore on Thursday evening and commented on the number of Swallows flying over the fields there, possibly birds gathering before moving south. Certainly here at home, there are not as many Swallows around today. Over at Bowmore today, we noticed that several of the Eiders are coming out of their eclipse plumage. Also there were 12 Turnstone, while below the Gaelic College, was a pair of Mute Swan with a single cygnet, possibly the sole survivor from the 7 that hatched earlier on at Carnain.

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