Slow spring, scarce migrants.

Little to report from the NW - the air temperature is still way down and 'spring' migrants are few and far between- a few sand martins, the occasional willow warbler, chiffchaff and wheatear, a very occasional swallow and a single singing tree pipit. With white-winged gulls still sticking around at Achnahaird it still seems rather wintery, although one or two of the resident great-northern divers are starting to look good in their summer plumages. A pair of merlin sat on the salt marsh was a bonus as was a fly-over white-tailed eagle. Today the first white wagtails tipped up so it is very much a transitional period at the moment. Hopefully we will get a good twitchable migrant before too long- preferably on the mainland or else I'm gonna have to go for the serin…………

glaucous gull

Iceland gull

great northern diver

merlin

white wagtail

white-tailed eagle

Little and large

More raptor action today with falcons from both ends of the size spectrum turning up. This delightful merlin put in an appearance midday and spent a few hours dashing around the ship's superstructure before eventually roosting on the foremast. At least one unwary redstart was caught during this tiny falcon's rounds.

merlin with redstart

Later in the fading light a real thumper came down from the north and briefly landed. I had a good long look at this bird- initially I thought it was a Saker, then I thought it was a lanner. From a plumage perspective it seemed to share characteristics of both species. In the end I relied on the structure of the bird to cinch (I think) the ID as a saker- the tail was very long and extended way beyond the tips of the primaries. I'll be delighted if someone can assist with the ID though.

saker (probably)

Also added yellowhammer, twite, stonechat and goldcrest to the ever-lengthening migrant species list for the trip.

yellowhammer

goldcrest

A migratory, roosting bat species was also a bonus find- desperately trying to shelter from the wind and rain in a coil of line.

bat sp.