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
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August 26, 2005
The brandon bonanza
Went to Brandon yesterday with P. Davis, D.o'Sullivan, H.Hussey and P. Moore.
An absolutely fantastic seawatch.
The species tallies were as follows.
2 Long Tailed skuas.
3 pomarine skuas
30 bonxies
30 arctic skuas
16 balearic Shearwaters.
over 2000 Sooty shearwaters.
1 Cory's Shearwater
5 great shearwaters
2 wilsons petrels
11 leaches petrels
11 sabines gulls including one gorgeous juvenile
8 grey phalaropes
and 1
yes 1 fea's petrel.That makes five.
There was a supposedly possible little shearwater...but i tried not to let not seeing it get me down.
Great day
Pariah
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August 24, 2005
Met eireann...again...
Having been promised gale force south westerly winds we went to galley in the evening, Finding a juvenile wood sandpiper at clogheen marsh on the way.
We arrived on galley to find light winds and clear skies.....just another met eireann let down.
5 Cory's shearwaters, 1 balearic shearwater, and about 20 sooty shearwaters were the best this evening.
Pariah
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August 22, 2005
A solid weekends birding
The Pelagic on friday morning was very disappointing with just 4 sooties and a distant single great shearwater and 2 bonxies being the highlights.
A 3rd year Glaucous gull was at union hall pier.
On saturday myself an HH made our way to the bridges of ross.
The winds were not as predicted and we were set for a very poor seawatch.
We had circa 50-60 sooties, 2 bonxies, and 2 arctic skuas.
We were set to leave when i picked up a petrel gliding towards me.
Wilsons i thought..but then i lost it.Luckily Harry picked it up from my directions and i got back onto it.
It was a wilsons and it hung around for about 10-15 minutes giving quite good views. And a tick for many birders there.
5 brits and 2 swedes owe me a pint each!!;)
A pectoral sandpiper at shannon airport lagoon was a nice year tick.
Sunday i went to Ballycotton and pilmore with a little stint being the best at bally cotton and a juvenile little gull at ring, ballymacoda.
Pariah
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August 17, 2005
Hope for galley yet!
A quick morning trip to galley produced 2 great shearwaters, 2 Cory's Shearwaters, 2 sooty shearwaters and 3 "large shears".The birds are out there again.Gives me hope for our pelagic on friday!
last night produced an interesting pale type balearic shearwater and 3 bonxies.
There were 4 ruff last night in whites marsh but only 2 this morning.
Bring on the pelagic!
Pariah
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August 15, 2005
Fantastic Four
Got my fourth Fea's petrel off brandon, Kerry on saturday.
It was my intention to go to brandon on saturday early.But when the alarm went off at 4 i rolled over and said fuck it!
I left cork at 9 and was there for 12.
There were reasonable numbers of sooties going by and i noticed a huge flock of feeding shearwaters further down the coast.
I walked down and was immediately greeted by a wilsons petrel just off shore amongst the flock.
The bird danced around on the water and did a few laps of the feeding flock.
A great shearwater also came into this flock and did the same looking truly massive at this distance.
After a while the flock dispersed and i headed back to the car park for lunch.
After finishing my smoked turkey and gouda sandwich (POSH) i looked back in my scope off the car park and was quickly looking at a Fea's petrel.
The bird was just drifting along slowly giving great views.
It hit a small feeding flock of 30 manxies and circled this flock 5 times before heading out west.
In all i had the bird for 5-6 minutes.
It was weird seeing this one because there was no one else around.so the usual shouting and swearing and giving of directions and panic wasnt there.
I just watched it at my ease!
Truly class.
Total counts were about 200 sooties.1 wilsons.30 stormies.5 probable wilsons.1 great shearwater.1 pomarine skua.2 bonxies.2 arctics skuas.1 little egret!!!!on a seawatch!!!;)...and one fea's.
Pariah
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August 12, 2005
Lough beg and smalls
Bah.Loughbeg is a great spot for birds...dont get me wrong...but it has one probem.....smalls....small waders.There can be a good number of dunlin and ringed plovers etc on the mudflats...but when the tide comes in they push out of the esturary into the harbour and not onto the BWI reserve.Thus making life difficult if you dont go at low tide!
Nothing doing in other words.
Pariah
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August 08, 2005
Sootylicious part 2
Success!!!!Got the bird in groomsport on saturday morning!!
It showed very well for about 5 minutes in the early morning.Flying, Calling and landed on cockle island before heading out to sea!
Also got wood sandpiper at the BP pools before heading home to dublin.
Good day!
Pariah
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August 02, 2005
The car comes in handy!
Went to clare on friday afternoon with Harry in the hopes of some decent seawatching.
It was truly abysmal on friday evening with no seabirds passing!
We found a blue headed wagtail on kilbaha pond.....only to discover that it had been present all week.....
The next morning produced 3 wilsons petrels, 3 sooty shearwaters and 2 arctic skuas in an other wise poor seawatch!But i was very happy with my tick, with the first bird being seen quite well!
We left early after it started to dry up.
We moved on to shannon airport lagoon, where i found an adult summer Long Billed dowicther.A really nice bird that showed well, although it did give a funny call at first which made us wary of calling it outright!
We made our way down to mallow sugar lagoons then to see 14 green sandpipers and then on home!
Sunday produced a full summer curlew sandpiper at timolegue along with a ruff and ring had the first summer glaucous gull still present.
This morning made my way to tacumshin wexford to see the Pacific Golden Plover found there last night!
Bird showed amazingly well down to about 15 meters and was just stunning.(forgive the poor record shot...mobile fone)
The bird even gave its spotted redshank like call.which was nice.......drained now...will probably head to galley for a seawatch this evening!
Pariah
Update......Galey had just 3 arctic skuas, a bonxie and a sooty shearwater this evening.That is all.
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