August 2026

Bird Sightings

This August was a little cooler and slightly wetter than last August with some periods of flat, calm settled weather. On these calm days Kilbrannan Sound was alive with seabirds. Hundreds of different species of gulls and auks, the stillness being pierced by their calls and the sound of multiple Gannets diving. The presence of a variety of cetaceans including a hump-backed whale helped make it a memorable August.

In August, summer visitors continued to be to the fore including: six Spotted Flycatcher in Brodick Country Park on 14^th, thirty Gannet off Imachar on 25^th, nine Lesser Black-backed Gull in Sandbraes on 26^th and four Whinchat on the Boguille on 30^th. Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler and Whitethroat all seemed to have fared well this summer. The largest group of each hirundine reported was fifteen Sand Martin in Glen Rosa on 11^th, one hundred Swallow in Torbeg on 17^th and one hundred House Martin in Auchenhew Bay on 30^th. Please share with me any large groups of hirundines in September plus try to give me your last record for Swallow and House Martin this year. Last year there were October records for both species. The last record of Cuckoo was a juvenile in Sliddery on 30^th, the adults having left weeks before.

Some other signs of successful breeding this month included: a family group of Common Sandpiper at Kingscross on 9^th, a family group of Black Guillemot by King’s Cave also on 9^th, a family group of Lapwing in the Shiskine Valley on 17^th, a young Great Spotted Woodpecker in a Blackwaterfoot garden also on 17^th, a female Red-breasted Merganser with nine young at Merkland Point on 21^st, a pair of Mute Swan with seven young at Sandbraes on 24^th, a family group of Red-throated Diver off Pirnmill on 24^th and a family of Kestrel in Glen Rosa on 28^th.

In August, breeding is coming to an end, birds begin to disperse, and a number of species begin to flock together, some in preparation for migration. These included: fifty-six House Sparrow in Porta Buidhe on 2^nd, sixteen Song Thrush at Kingscross on 5^th, thirty Mistle Thrush in Brodick Country Park on 12^th, eighty Goldfinch in High Kildonan on 17^th, sixty Siskin in Newton on 23^rd, one hundred and fifty Jackdaw in Feorline on 25^th, thirty-nine Ringed Plover in Sandbraes on 26^th and four hundred Starling plus four hundred Meadow Pipit in Sliddery on 30^th. In addition, unexpectedly there were up to one hundred and twenty Greylag Geese in the Shiskine Valley. For more information on Arran's Changing Greylag Goose Population click here.

All around the island, but particularly on the coast, there were signs of birds on migration, including one hundred Manx Shearwater off Pirnmill on 2^nd, eighteen Golden Plover at Auchangallon on 4^th, an Arctic Tern off Lochranza on 11^th, three Sandwich Tern in Brodick Bay on 15^th, a Whimbrel and a Bar-tailed Godwit in Blackwaterfoot on 18^th, a dark-phase Arctic Skua off Pirnmill on 20^th, twenty Turnstone at Dougarie on 22^nd, a juvenile Knot at Whitefarland also on 22^nd, a Common Tern in Brodick Bay on 24^th, a White Wagtail in Porta Buidhe on 25^th, eighteen Dunlin in Blackwaterfoot on 27^th and an Osprey over Machrie Moor also on 27^th. This August there were three Kingfisher reports. Last year there were seven reports. This August there were eight reports of Little Egret, including two reports of two birds together. Last year there were four reports of Little Egret.

Among the one hundred plus species reported in August there were a number of other noteworthy ones including: two Puffin off Pladda on 2^nd, a Goshawk over Corriegills on 10^th, a Long-eared Owl calling in Feoline on 14^th, thirty-five Shag at Clauchlands Point on 15^th, three Common Crossbill by An Tunna on 21^st, five Eider at Sandbraes on 26^th and two Little Grebe in Loch Ranza on 31^st.

September sees the start of the peak migration season when many birds are on the move. It is the time to expect the unexpected. I look forward to hearing from you.