[rlchew]

A few weeks ago I went on a short trip to Islay. I have travelled extensively throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands but this was my first visit to Islay, something that I had been promising myself for many years.

I have already posted a report of an incredible encounter with an Otter here ….

Otter encounter

…. but I thought I would share a full trip report with you all. I hope you find it interesting and enjoy my photos.

Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland and lies in Argyll and Bute. It measures about 25 miles north to south by 20 miles east to west although it is an irregular shape. The island is made up of a diverse range of habitats that support an amazing variety of wildlife throughout the year.

You may recall that the BBC Springwatch programme visited Islay in 2007.

One of the highlights in the Islay wildlife calendar occurs from early October each year when the geese began to arrive from their Arctic breeding grounds. By late October or early November, up to 35,000 Barnacle Geese and 15,000 Greenland White-fronted Geese have arrived.

I think I saw 34,999 of the former and 14,999 of the latter …. well, that is my excuse for visiting again next year to spot the missing ones!

Barnacle Geese from Svalbard, Greenland, Russia and the Baltic winter primarily on Islay and at Caerlaverock on the Solway Firth. Occasional birds that I have seen in southern England are most likely to be escapes from wildfowl collections so it was good to see genuine wild birds in such large numbers.



Greenland White-fronted Geese not surprisingly originate from Greenland and they are quite noticeably larger and darker than the Eurasian White-fronted Geese that I often see in Kent, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk.



The geese are an amazing spectacle and can be found in small groups or huge flocks, particularly in the areas around Loch Indaal and Loch Gruinart. It is an especially memorable experience seeing them flying in to roost against a sunset sky.



My trip to Islay was excellent and I really do not know why it took me so long to get there. I saw 78 species of birds including 8 of which were new for the year for me.

The highlights have to be the enormous flocks of wintering geese. The species that I missed which I was expecting to see were Golden Eagle, Long-tailed Duck and Short-eared Owl but then I saw a Common Tern and a Greenshank which I was not expecting to see so late in the year. Such is the unpredictability of wildlife watching.

In addition to the birds, I saw 6 species of mammal …. including that Otter!

I can highly recommend Islay. Although the scenery is not as awe inspiring as many other parts of the west and north of Scotland which I have visited, wildlife watching is as easy or as hard as you want to make it. If you want it easy, roadside watching from the car does not get any easier and is very rewarding. The malt whisky isn’t bad either .

Although this was my first trip to Islay and I certainly do not claim to be an expert on where to go and what to see, I would be very happy to provide any information I can to assist other visitors.

Day 1 – Saturday 3rd November 2007

I started out very early (2 a.m.) as I always do on trips to Scotland to avoid the joys of motorway gridlock .

I made very good time until I got to Tarbet on Loch Lomond side where the A82 road that I need to take was closed due to a landslide . Where I live, a diversion can be very annoying and add just a few miles at most to your journey. This diversion took me through magnificent Highland scenery but added nearly 40 miles to my journey …. I caught the ferry at Kennacraig at 1 p.m. with just 10 minutes to spare .

Waiting for the ferry to depart allowed me to start my trip list and this included 4 male Wigeon, 4 Mute Swan, small groups of Eider and Mallard, several Oystercatchers, a Heron and small numbers of Herring Gulls.

The 2 hour CalMac ferry crossing to Port Askaig produced at least 10 Great Northern Divers (the first of the year for me), a possible Black-throated Diver, 17 Black Guillemots and 3 Guillemots (all in their rather different winter plumage), 5 Kittiwakes, several Cormorants and Shags and a Common Buzzard (not a typical seabird!).

Having arrived on Islay, there was just time to get some quick birding in at Loch Indaal and Loch Gruinart before it went dark. Amongst the birds seen during the gathering gloom, I added 3 species that I had not seen during the year so far: Barnacle Goose and Scaup at Loch Indaal and White-fronted Goose at Loch Gruinart. I saw plenty more geese over the next few days!

Day 2 and more photos to follow.

Richard