Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

As we head off for annual leave we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I hope your bird lists are full and contain many stories and memories, and may your 2008 be just as fruitful - if not more!
Highlights for 2007 were:

Iceland Gull
Glaucous Gull
Ring Billed Gull
Spending a spring day watching Golden Eagles for nigh on six hours!
Little Gull
Ring Ouzel
Lesser Yellow Legs
Corncrake
Short Eared Owl
Wood Warbler
Spotted Crake
Greater Yellow Legs
Whimbrel passing through
Little Stint
Dolphins
Orca eating Seals at Port Weymss
Osprey
Otters
Terns
Merlin
Woodcock
Whoopers in a blue light
Snipe on a post
and of course the arrival of the Geese.

But best of all; taking you out, guiding and sharing this fanatastic wild place.
Thank you.

9 December 2007

After much weather that consisted of heavy rain and wind to day was calmer. The Velo Club Ardbeg met for our annual mince pie run. We circumnavigated Gorm via Gruinart flats. Plenty of Geese everywhere and Curlew and Chough on Uiskentuie Strand. Good views and fun too ending at Debbies, Bruichalddich for excellent Expresso and Mince Pies.

6 December 2007

What a start to the day - horizontal rain and sleet! Ugh. We edged our way southwards via Duich. A cracking Peregrine perched on an old ruin was superb and we watched it for an hour! Lucky for us, at Claggain, we found Great Northern Diver, Kittiwakes, Arctic Skua and an adult Ring Billed Gull. On our return the weather had improved and we looked along the Bowmore side of Indaal. Long Tailed Duck, Pale Bellied Brents, and Slavonian Grebe and of course plenty of Barnies and Whitefronts in the fields beyond.

5 December 2007

Another fab day amid sunshine and occasional thunder storms. Lesser Canada at Gorm amid loafing Barnies and Whitefronts. Gannets at Saligo. At the hide we had; Sparrowhawk, Pintail, Shoveler, Teal and Green Winged Teal and, over on the flats Dunlin, Godwits, Curlew and Oystercatchers in the distance. The light was magical.

3 December 2007

Another cracking day starting with a Merlin on the way then an adult Golden Eagle at Ardnave, Sanderling, Chough, Twite and a single Purple Sandpiper. The views were brilliant, light extraordinary and colours exquisite. We headed off and found a single Pink foot on our way to wait for the Geese to arrive at the Merse - and so they did it was fabulous!

2 December 2007

What a difference a day makes! The sun shone, clouds scudded across the sky and the loch seemd to be asleep. It allowed us clearly to see 5 Long Tailed Ducks, 900+ Scaup, Scoter and all three Divers - Red, Black Throated and Great Northern . Whooper Swans, Slavonian Grebes and plenty of waders too. In the afternoon we headed up to the hill and found 3 Golden Eagles and at Bunnahabhain an Otter and and Iceland Gull - superb!

1 December 2007

Out today in awful weather with Fulmars coming in off the sea. The Chough we found at Machir were flying backwards and the geese clung onto the ground quietly grizzling to each other.
15 Purple Sandpipers at Bruichladdich accompanied by a handful of Turnstones and a Dunlin were good to see. We watched the Barnies coming into Bridgend against a wet and wild sky.