Wet and windy today so didn't venture far! A slight change in the Kilkeran duck flock late afternoon, with the 3 scaup back, but with only 1 tufted duck and a female goldeneye today.
Got home just before dusk tonight to find the lake hopping! A family party of 5 whooper swans pitched down on the lake shortly after I got in - they were a bit nervous though, and flew off towards Ross soon afterwards. Even more surprising was that there was also a party of 7 aythya ducks on the lake! The light was very poor from the house, so I nashed down to the shore, to find 3 grubby looking scaup (131), and 4 grubby looking tufted ducks! The 2 coots were also still present along with 36 (count 'em!) little grebes, recreating the days of yore when Kilkeran used to hooch with wildfowl!
Quite a few birders out scouring Galley this am, but not too much to show for it, with c. 7 chiffchaffs and a blackcap in Dirk, and not much anywhere else! There were good numbers of skylarks around, a wheatear near the lighthouse and chaffinches on the move but nothing better than that. On the seawatching front, 1 sooty shearwater and 1 manx shearwater were seen off Galley this morning, while a coot was on Kilkeran Lake this evening - it doesn't get any better than that!
October 29, 2009 - New Cork Bird Report just out!!
The new Cork Bird Report covering 2005 and 2006 is now available!
182 pages with full colour throughout and many photos and sketches - its a bargain at only 20 Euro a copy, plus €2.00 p&p (£22, inc p&p to UK). Order your copy today here!
Galley's first yellow-browed warbler of the autumn finally showed up in the garden at Shite Lane crossroads this afternoon, (not that I caught up with it). There were good numbers of chiffchaffs in Dirk Bay, with a ringtail Hen Harrier over too - probably the same bird reported during last week. Elsewhere, 2 black redstarts were out near the lighthouse.
