The weather has turned distinctly wet and misty over the past couple of days
and the wind has eased slightly and now has a more easterly element to it.
This change off weather appears to have opened the floodgates to allow the
arrival of many winter birds.
First off today though, we saw the arrival of the first skeins of barnacle
geese from the west, as 31 dropped onto Traigh Mhor and then later 90 were
over Northbay.
Redwing also arrived in numbers today, with the largest flocks around Creachan
wood where we counted at least 80 birds. The first yellow-browed warbler of
the winter was seen in the wood today, though not by us.
I would imagine that most pink-footed geese are already in their UK wintering
grounds, since birds in Lancashire are now counted in the tens of thousands,
so these 13 birds over Northbay were probably just stragglers.
Four black-throated divers were on the sea from Traigh Eais on the opposite
side of the road to Traigh Mhor. They looked like a family party.
The nine glossy ibis were still on Eoligarry marsh.
Pear-shaped puffball in Creachan wood.
Traigh Eais.
The airport at Traigh Mhor.
Bird of the day though, was at Northbay harbour, where we saw a kingfisher,
only the 3rd record for Barra, following others in 1892 and 2021.
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