Arran Birding
Archived Sightings
Bird Sightings
Species
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Details
Bar-tailed Godwit
On Friday 24 February two Bar-tailed Godwit were photographed on the shore at Shannochie Kilmory.
This is the second report of this species on Arran this year.
Lesser Black-backed Gull
On Tuesday 21 February two Lesser Black-backed gulls were reported feeding in fields in Kilpatrick with Herring and Common Gulls. This is the first report of this species this year.
The first report in 2011 was from the mouth of the Rosa Burn on 19 February.
White-tailed Eagle
On Sunday 19 February around midday an immature White-tailed Eagle was photographed on the shore near Imachar.
The bird had a coloured ring on its left leg. It was later harassed by gulls and eventually flew off toward Carradale over the Kilbrannon Sound.
This is the first report for 2012 following on from the two reports in the latter part of 2011, namely an immature at Dougarie on 12 October and a tagged immature from 30 October to 4 November between Shannochie and Cleats Shore.
Pintail
On Sunday 19 February the pair of Pintail, first reported on Tuesday 7 February, were still on Cleats Shore.
Jay
On Saturday 18 February a Jay was watched for over an hour in Glen Cloy. This is the first report from this area.
This rare species on Arran has been around since 17 October 2011 and this was the first record since 1985.
Glaucous Gull
On Saturday 11 February a third winter Glaucous Gull was reported on the shore at Brodick. The bird was dwarfing the Herring Gulls.
This is the first report of the species on Arran this year.
Common Scoter
On Saturday 11 February a pair of Common Scoter was reported in Machrie Bay.
This is the first report this year.
Pintail
On Tuesday 7 February in the afternoon a pair of Pintail was reported on Cleats Shore. The attached photograph is a very distant record shot. This is the first report this year of this species.
The last report was a long staying female in Kilpatrick on 5 March 2011.
Bar-tailed Godwit
On Monday 6 February in the late afternoon a single Bar-tailed Godwit was reported on Cleats Shore. This is the first report this year of this species.
On 15 December there was also a report of Bar-tailed Godwit on Cleats Shore. It may or may not be the same bird.
Iceland Gull
On Sunday 5 February a second winter Iceland gull was reported with the gulls at Brodick Pier.
In January a sub adult Iceland Gull was with Herring Gulls on Sliddery shore from 5 to 31 January.
Before that the last record of this species on Arran was a second winter on Merkland shore on 25 April 2010.
Shoveler
On Wednesday 1 February a male and female Shoveler were photographed on Cleats Shore.
The last record of this rare vagrant to Arran was a male on a pond in Shiskine on 20 February 2011.
Pink-footed, Greylag and White-fronted Geese
On Wednesday 25 January there was a report of six Pink-footed Geese with around three hundred Greylag Geese in the Shiskine Valley.
This is the largest group of Pink-footed Geese recorded this winter. Last winter sixty five was the largest group recorded on Arran.
On Tuesday 24 January there was a report of one White-fronted Goose with over three hundred and sixty Greylag Geese in the Shiskine Valley.
This is the first report of White-fronted Geese in this area since three were reported on 31 December.
Knot
On Sunday 22 January a single Knot in winter plumage was reported on the shore by the Kinloch Hotel, Blackwaterfoot along with Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Turnstone.
This is the first report of this passage migrant this year.
Lapwing
By Thursday 19 January there had been three reports of Lapwing this year one at Strathwillan on 17th was the first. One at Kildonan on 19th was the the third. The other report was a group of eighteen in Kilpatrick from 17 to 19 January.
Whooper Swan
On Friday 13 January seven Whooper Swans were at Sandbraes in Whiting Bay.
This was the first report in this area this year.
On Saturday 14 January there were five.
Jay
On Tuesday 10 January at Cnoc na Dail and on Wednesday 4 January in Merkland Wood a Jay was reported. These are the first records of 2012. This species has now been continually reported since 17 October2011.
Prior to this the last previous Arran record was in Brodick Country Park on 24 October 1985.
Iceland Gull
On Thursday 5 January a sub adult Iceland Gull was with Herring Gulls on Sliddery shore.
The last record of this species was a second winter on Merkland shore on 25 April 2010.
Barnacle Goose
On Thursday 5 January a solitary Barnacle Goose was with the Greylags in the Shiskine Valley. This may or may not be the same bird that was reported in the same area from 9 to 11 December.
Slavonian Grebe
On Tuesday 3 January 2012 a Slavonian Grebe in winter plumage was on the sea opposite the bowling green in Whiting Bay.
This is the first report of this occasional winter and passage migrant since one was reported in Lamlash Bay on 6 March 2010.
From 2011
Pink-footed Goose
On Saturday 31 December four Pink-footed geese were reported with up to three hundred and fifty Greylags in the Shiskine Valley. Also present in the valley were three White-fronted geese but there was no sign of the Barnacle Goose reported earlier in the month.
This is the first report of Pink-footed geese on Arran this winter.
The last report of this speciesin the Shiskine Valley was on the 20 March 2011.
White-fronted Goose
On Sunday 18 December, at around two o'clock four White-fronted geese were reported with Greylags in the Shiskine Valley.
This is the first report of this species on Arran this year.
The last report was in November 2010 also in the Shiskine Valley.
Jay
On Saturday 17 December a Jay was reported at Cnoc na Dail at the top of Lamlash Hill.
This is the first report in over a month. There were records from 17 October to 17 November.
These were the first reports of Jay on Arran since 24 October 1985.
Black Redstart
On Thursday 15 December a female or first winter Black Redstart was reported on Cleats Shore.
This is the first report of this scarce passage migrant on Arran this year. The last report was of a male in Marganaheglish, Lamlash, on 11 December 2010.
Purple Sandpiper
On Thursday 15 December there was a report of three Purple Sandpipers with Turnstone at Drumadoon Point at high tide.
The largest group reported this year on Arran was eight at Kildonan on 8 November.
Jack Snipe
On Sunday 11 December a Jack Snipe was reported in Auchenhew Bay.
This is only the second record this year of this diminutive uncommon winter visitor.
Brambling
On Friday 9 December there was a report of six Bramblings with Chaffinches on the forestry track leading from Butter Hill to the forest in Kilmory. While last winter was a good year from Brambling with over ten records on Arran before this date last year, this year there has only been one report.
Barnacle Goose
On Friday 9 December a single Barnacle Goose was reported with around two hundred Greylag Geese in the Shiskine Valley. This is the first report of this species on Arran this year. There were three reports in 2010 the last one from Clauchlands on 2 December 2010.
The last time that there was a report in the Shiskine Valley was 28 March 2009
Gannet
On Thursday 8 December a solitary adult Gannet was reported fishing off Sandbraes in Whiting Bay. This is the first report since October and only the third December report in the last six years. This species normally return in January.
Goldeneye
On Sunday 4 December a female Goldeneye was reported on the pond at Port-na-Lochan.
This is the first report of this species on Arran this winter. The bird was still there on Monday 5 December.
Greylag Geese
On Sunday 4 December over two hundred Greylag Geese were in the Shiskine Valley. This is the largest group of the year so far.
Scaup
On Monday 21 November and again on Tuesday 22 November a female Scaup was on the sea between the entrance to Brodick Castle and the Wineport.
Other than the "scaupish" bird on Port-na-Lochan on 18 September this is the only record of this species on Arran this year.
Goosander
On Thursday 17 November a male Goosander was reported in the Rosa Burn by the museum in Brodick.
On Friday 18 November a male Goosander was reported in Loch Ranza in front of the youth hostel.
Grey Plover
On Saturday 12 November a Grey Plover was photographed on Kildonan shore. Grey Plover is an uncommon passage migrant on Arran. This is only the fourth record this year. The last one was at Machriewaterfoot on 17 September.
Purple Sandpiper
On Tuesday 8 November there was a report of eight Purple Sandpipers on Kildonan Shore.
This is the first report of this species this winter. The previous earliest report was on 9 November 2006 also on Kildonan Shore.
Arctic Skua
On Friday 4 November a dark phase Arctic Skua was harrassing Kittiwakes in Whiting Bay. This late record is the fourth for Arran this year. Last year there was only one record of this uncommon passage migrant.
Jay
On Friday 4 November there continue to be reports of Jay from Brodick Country Park and from Lamlash near the golf course and hospital. There may be up to three birds on Arran.
These recent records are the first for twenty six years.
White-tailed Eagle
On Friday 4 November there was yet another report of this bird. This time being mobbed by crows on Cleats Shore NR9421. Previous visits of this speciesto Arran have been fleeting.
On Tuesday 1 November there was a further sighting of the red wing tagged White-tailed Eagle. It was soaring above the rock face down from Lenamhor NR9620. This is about 400 metres west of the sighting on Sunday 30 October.
Again a distant photograph was taken. A good record shot.
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