May 22, 2006
Through the Force...things you will see.
After arguing with the beast on friday night over which one of us would actually find anything over the weekend, i felt the force urging me out to east cork.....actually it was more a case of me being too broke to shell out petrol for west cork..but i digress.
I went straight down to Ballyvergan on saturday morning and did yet another 2 hour stake out of the reedbed...no sign of the marsh harrier...again!
Pilmore strand was the next stop, and after dodging the strewn condoms and the big convoy of pigeon racing trucks (they released a few thousand of the winged vermin) i walked down to the pool.
Here i had a cuckoo and a grasshopper warbler singing.
A tree pipit called over head, but i never got on to it!
They are real bastards tree pipits!
As i was driving towards knockadoon the force stepped in to save the day.
An adult summer gull billed tern flew across the road in front of my car, at the womanagh flood plain near ballymacoda.
I screeched the car to a halt, pulled her in and set my scope up at lightning speed.
I just got a view of the bird at a distance before it disappeared behind a hill.
I was 99.99% sure it was a Gull Billed Tern at this point, so i rang Dennis, Paul and Harry to give them advanced notice.
As i sent my last text, the bird popped out again and gave crippling views.
120% sure now.;)
The lads showed up and the bird gave great views both on the deck and in flight.
They are amazing things to watch on the deck.
The legs are far longer than they are portrayed in the Collins, and they walk like a mix between a gull and a pipit.
A truly stunning bird.
The bird showed for the whole day, and was seen briefly the next morning after which it fecked off!
Cest la vie!
Pariah
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006
Carmo Police
My (outdated) website