Our Isle of Islay birding trip April 2013 (1 Viewer)

Just got home from 5 days in Islay, there was four of us and below are a list of the birds and places we saw.

Day one

Ferry from Kennacraig to Port Ellen, we then then visited the Oa

Day two

RSPB Gruinart and walk upto Ardnave Point

Day three

Bridgend Woods, Loch Finlaggan, Bowmore Distillery

Day Four

Loch Gorm, Machir Bay, Portnahaven, The Rinns, Port Charlotte

Day Five

Bunnahabhain, and the Pine forests behind. Then Ferry at Port Askaig.

We were extremely lucky to see 112 species of bird, which included four Golden Eagles, but unfortunately we didn't see the White Tailed Sea Eagle. Out of the 112 species, 14 of these were lifers.

We also saw an otter, lots of seals and red deer.

1. Song Thrush
2. Curlew
3. Oystercatcher
4. Herring Gull
5. Black Guillimot
6. Mallard Duck
7. Red Breasted Merganser
8. Black Headed Gull
9. Yellow Legged Gull
10. Shelduck
11. Great Crested Grebe
12. Woodpigeon
13. Blackbird
14. Dunnock
15. Common Crow
16. Jackdaw
17. Lesser Black Back Gull
18. Goosander
19. Robin
20. Hooded Crow
21. Bar Tailed Godwit
22. Gannet
23. Fulmar
24. Eider (m/f)
25. Razorbill
26. Kittiwake
27. Artic Skua
28. Shag
29. Greater Black Back Gull
30. Starling
31. Collared Dove
32. Mute Swan
33. Ringed Plover
34. House Sparrow
35. Goldfinch
36. Common Gull
37. Pied Wagtail
38. Chiffchaff
39. Sand Martins
40. Meadow Pipits
41. Raven
42. Redwing
43. Pheasant
44. Linnet
45. Golden Eagle (x4)
46. Rock Dove
47. Wheatear (m+f)
48. Skylark
49. Swallow
50. Peregrine
51. Stonechat (m+f)
52. Long Tailed Tits
53. Marsh Harrier
54. Buzzard
55. Rook
56. Greylag Goose
57. Hen Harrier (m+f)
58. Lapwing
59. Chaffinch
60. Greenfinch
61. Blackcap
62. Great Tit
63. Siskin (m+f)
64. White Fronted Goose
65. Barnacle Goose
66. Reed Bunting
67. Willow Warbler
68. Coal Tit
69. Teal (m+f)
70. Shoveler (m+f)
71. Gadwell
72. Redshank
73. Pintail (m+f)
74. Wren
75. Moorhen
76. Widgeon (m+f)
77. Pochard
78. Choughs
79. Golden Eye
80. Tufted Duck (m+f)
81. Artic Tern
82. Little Gull
83. Heron
84. White Wagtail
85. Great Northern Diver
86. Dipper
87. Tree Creeper
88. House Martins
89. Rock Pipits
90. Pale Bellied Brent Goose
91. Bullfinch
92. Black Tailed Godwit
93. Coot
94. Merlin
95. Twite
96. Whinchat
97. Purple Sandpiper
98. Green Sandpiper
99. Red Throated Diver
100. Common Scoter
101. Kestral
102. Brambling
103. Turnstone
104. Sanderling
105. Common Tern
106. Stock Dove
107. Blue Tit
108. Little Grebe
109. Mistle Thrush
110. Common Sandpiper
111. Cormorant
112. Black Throated Diver

Sounds like a great trip and I'm glad you enjoyed it - one of my favourite places. I'm guessing you saw a regular Otter in the sea rather than a Sea Otter (which is only found in the Pacific Ocean!). Yellow-legged Gull would be a pretty significant rarity in Islay and Little Gull is quite a good sighting (maybe only just about annual). Goosander and Stock Dove are also rare locally, although I think there have been some other sightings of both recently.

It's a beautiful island, isn't it. I'd love to go back again after two super holidays there.

What a great list you came back with too D0c.

Thanks for the replies.

And I'll edit my post regarding the otter, as it was in the sea I just presumed in was a sea otter, don't know much about otters.