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Isle of Islay March 2001

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Sitting up in bed enjoying an early morning cup of tea on a Monday morning in March, while looking out across Loch Indaal watching the sun rise, seemed a good way to start our visit to Islay. Then suddenly we heard the yapping of barnacle geese and saw skein upon skein of them streaming up the loch for about twenty minutes. As the last few birds passed, the sun burst out from behind the clouds and so began the first of five enjoyable days on Islay.

Islay is a magical island to visit in March, with its thousands of geese still in residence, whooper swans beginning to move back to their breeding grounds and with other wintering birds and spring migrants moving onto the island. In one day we saw snow buntings on a beach and the first wheatears arriving.

We had an almost completely dry week (weather) and although the wind had a cutting edge to it, we were able to keep dry and warm using our coach as a mobile hide. There were excellent views of barnacle and white-fronted geese together with greylag and pinkfeet as well as the long returning snow goose. A good number of whooper swans were present on Ardnave loch and we had regular views of a flock of scaup, close in at Glenburn. Lapwing, ringed plover and purple sandpiper were present in numbers on the shore of Loch Indaal.

Great northern divers seemed to be everywhere on the water, together with Slavonian grebes. After seeing the many pigeons on Bempton Cliffs it was great to see true rock doves around the island and a good number of chough gave a great display around Machir Bay.

We had gone to Islay hoping to see sea eagles, but unfortunately we had only distant views in spite of searching out all the usual sites. Having said this, we had brilliant views of hen harriers. On two occasions we were lucky enough to witness the male harrier's sky-diving display. This activity is really spectacular and quite breathtaking to see.

Buzzards were a common sight all week as were brown hares. We counted 24  in one field, and we hadn't been to any of the distilleries! Red, roe and fallow deer are present on the island in good numbers.

Otters are another attraction around Islay and were viewed on two mornings, before breakfast, at Port Charlotte. On the third and subsequent mornings they had changed their routine and were not seen again that week!

Our week in Islay had passed all too quickly. We had had very good companions on the tour, an excellent and very knowledgeable guide and we are left with many happy memories of this magical place.