While the mean temperature in July was a little lower than June and the rainfall for the month was more than double the rainfall in June. The period May to June this year was warmer, mean temperature two degrees higher, and drier, 30 per cent less rain, than the same period last year. This was more conducive than last year to the successful breeding of many species of birds.
A golden plover in breeding plumage.
Photo by Nick Giles
For some of our avian summer visitors, such as the warblers and hirundines, which rely on insects to raise their young, the weather conditions were better than last year. Whereas last year many of these species had given up and left, this year many seemed to be attempting to raise a second brood. Examples included: house martins and swallows starting a second brood in Kildonan on 8th, sand martins with young in Kilpatrick on 13th, grasshopper warbler setting up breeding territory again in Lakin on 15th, a family of blackcaps, the young with brown caps, in Lamlash on 28th and at least 12 willow warbler including many young in a small patch of High Kildonan on 29th.