January 2024

Bird Sightings

With two named storms plus a cold dry spell, January’s weather was very variable and unsettled. In comparison to last January, this January had a similar rainfall, but the mean temperature was almost a degree lower. The wet and windy weather was not conducive to being out of doors.

Having said that, there was no shortage of interesting birds. Highlights included forty further reports of Little Egret mainly from the east coast. All were single birds. It will be interesting to see how long Little Egret stay on the island this year. The previous two years there have been no records in the breeding season. When Little Egret eventually do stay to breed, I anticipate that the heronries around the island could prove to be attractive. Another colonising species, Nuthatch, was reported in Strathwillan on 30^th . There was one record last year, none in 2022 and in 2021 one over-wintering bird generated forty reportsOther highlights included two Red Grouse on Leaca Mor on 7^th, three Great Northern Diver off Pirnmill on 10^th, two Dipper at Glenashdalewaterfoot on 12^th, a Little Grebe and a White-tailed Eagle by Kingscross fish farm on 23^rd and three Black-throated Diver in Cosyden on 25^th. In addition, Barn Owl was a feature of the winter nights. An observer driving from Lamlash to Pirnmill on 17^th encountered six Barn Owl, Another observer driving between Lochranza and Blackwaterfoot on 29^th saw eight Barn Owl. A cyclist on the Rodden was treated to a close encounter of a silent hunting Barn Owl on 30^th.

Wintering wildfowl included: four White-fronted Geese in Feorline on 1^st, ten Whooper Swan flying over the Rodden on 4^th, thirty-eight Canada Geese on Cleats Shore on 5^th , eight Goldeneye in Lamlash Bay on 14^th, fifty Wigeon by Eilean Mor, Blackwaterfoot on 15^Th, fifteen Teal in South Carlo on 29^th, and four hundred Greylag Geese in the Shiskine Valley on 30^th. In addition, there were reports of a single male Common Scoter between Pirnmill and Catacol between 3^rd and 26^th.

Other wintering species included: 6 Fieldfare in Sliddery on 4^th, one Dunlin on Cleats Shore on 5^th, one Sanderling at Slidderywaterfoot on 6^th, four Purple Sandpiper on Silver Sands on 7^th, four Redwing on Arran High School playing field on 10^th and two Yellowhammer in Sliddery on 26^th.

Wintering flocks included: six Bullfinch at Sheeans on 1^st, twenty-six Turnstone on Silver Sands on 2^nd, six- hundred Kittiwake off Pirnmill on 3^rd, forty Curlew at Clauchlands on 4^th, forty-seven Lapwing on Cleats Shore on 5^th, fifty-two Oystercatcher in Lamlash on 14^th, fifty-six Ringed Plover in Kildonan also on 14^th, twenty Pied Wagtail on Machrie Golf Course on 24^th and about one thousand Jackdaw in three merging flocks in Machrie on 31^st.

Interesting garden birds in January included: a very dominant Blackcap in Clauchlands on13th, eleven Coal Tit in Largymore on 27^th, two Treecreeper in Margnaheglish also on 27^th and a pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker in Lagg 31^st. In a future Bird Note, there will be a report on the Arran RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Weekend held over the last weekend in January.

In January there was one report of returning Gannet, one off Slidderywaterfoot on 6^th . There were a number of reports of returning Shelduck on coastal territories including Auchenhew, Carlo, Clauchlands, Cleats Shore, Cosyden, Kildonan and Slidderywaterfoot. Other signs of approaching spring included: a Starling singing in Shiskine on 1^st, a Lesser Black-backed Gull in Brodick on 22^nd, one hundred and twenty Eider with many displaying males off Kingscross point on 25^th and Grey Heron nest building in Lagg on 31^st. But the winter is not over yet.