Scottish islands have an allure for me and Islay was one that I had never visited ...
The sea was calm for the ferry crossing from Kennacraig to Port Askaig and a Red-throated Diver was the first of its genus to appear ...
... there were also a few Great Northern Divers ...
... and luckily a single Black-throated Diver ...
... once on Islay the priority was to see some geese, reports of large scale departures were a little concerning ...
Greenland White-fronted Goose was one that I was particularly keen to see as I hadn't encountered this subspecies as yet this winter ... while scanning the fields for Chough, there was a single one ...
... showing its strongly barred belly ... and when it turned, the narrow white terminal band to the tail distinguished it from the Russian subspecies ... all in all I found aroiund 15 ...
Barnacle Geese of the Svalbard population have been an ever prsent feature on the Solway over winter but it was good to catch up with some of the Geenland birds that frequent Islay ... these two were the only ones I saw ...
Loch Gruinart, so famous for geese, delivered spectacular views of an adult male Hen Harrier ...
... and Choughs were proving a little flighty and elusive with some nice but rather distant flocks ranging widely ...
... Ardnave Point had some good wader flocks with 10 Bar-tailed Godwits and 60 Sanderling feeding ...
... then from the cover of the van some Choughs gave better views ...
... and Willow Warblers sang and showed wonderfully well on the bare branches ...
... at Machir Bay Hooded Crows dallied in the clear blue skies
... and a pair of Stonechats posed on a fence ...
... and ever-present Ravens commuted purposefully ...
... the coast to the SW of Bowmore produced more waders and a single Whimbrel called while Ringed Plovers were scattered along the shore. At Laggan Point an adult and first-winter Whooper Swan floated languidly ...
... then passing by the farm there a very showy Chough posed along with its bling ...
On Arran a walk at Sannox produced a spectacular charge-by of a pod of five Bottlenosed Dolphins ... cetaceans have that ability to astound beyond (dare I say it ?) that of most birds ...
The harbour at Brodick hosted a very lively group of around eight Black Guillemots ...
... ... the white patch on the secondary coverts was unmarked and did not extent to the primary coverts thereby eliminating any hope of a high Arctic mandtii subspecies ...
