August 29, 2005
Galley gets a little suprise or 2
(my notes)
Well it was a bumper birding weekend.
On saturday i started out birding on galley with little doing.Roscarberry was very quiet, as was clonakilty.
In the evening i tried loughbeg (also very quiet) and on a whim chanced the douglas estuary.
A Bee eater was the last thing i expected to whizz by me, but it happened.The bird flew inches from my face calling and flew off east never to be seen again despite several people wishing for it!
After that i thought things could get no better but on sunday morning i made a late start and went to galley, arriving at about 11.10 am.
After 20 minutes and 2 great shears and a single sooty shear i was staring a Little shearwater in the eye all by my lonesome!!
The bird gave amazing views before flapping off west as fast as its little wings could carry it.
That evening, after another great shearwater, 9 balearic shearwaters,30 or so sooty shears, a blue fulmar, several bonxies and a pomarine skua, a second "small" shearwater was found by K.Cronin.
This was a much more distant bird in dim light....but was most very likely a little shearwater.
2 in a day!
amazing.
Will be off to spain for 2 weeks now so no blogging for a while!
Pariah
Worth while links
Carmo Police
My (outdated) website
what's next then? Albatross? Am heading off to do a spot of birding on an island in October, looks like it should be good with a 2 hour ferry journey to pick up some seabirds, check out this website for a look at the place
www.focusonnature.com/HeguraIslandJapanFeature.htm
Can't wait. Have fun in Spain
Posted by: Carmo at August 31, 2005 04:21 PM