had a fantastic week on the carry farm site in a lodge over looking the kyle and western bute..our 2nd visit here in 2 years.. first thing i done was set a bird table up and within 2 days most of the common birds visited..chaffs, (these birds as ever more bold feeding on the handrail and around our feet) ,greens..blue and great tit,young robins and h.sparrows on the bottom..and the local sparrowhawk found it great for his easy meal after 4 days!!
off the balcony most early morning and late evening on the water and shore--3 black guillemots, 20+ guillemots, 15 red breasted mergansers,the odd r.t.diver, eiders, gannets, manx shearwaters, common and sandwich terns, oystercatchers, turnstones, redshanks, ringed plovers, h.gulls, and the odd b.h.gull..herons along the shores..
a few pics more reports to come..
habitat wise a mix...shore line and farmland also mixed plantations..along with marshed areas..at least 4 pairs of grasshopper warblers over the 1 mile area around the site (very hard to get a good view,heard most of the time)..only had one whitethroat and no sedge! which was a shock..loads of willow warbler and med. pips., also 3 tree pipits..and the redpolls visited every morning the larch tree areas up the road towards ardlamont point..also the odd siskin ( one visited outside the lodge briefly)..
bullfinch family very shy here compared to what i am used to localy at home..
buzzards all over the place!! great to get the sparrowhawk as it was the only other bird of prey this time! (had golden eagle first visit)
also the rare magpie! yes rare here!! tawny owls heard most evenings
Nice reports from a lovely area Seggs, had a Peregrine just past the Kyles when we transitted on a boat last year.
Stewart