March 27, 2006
F-in Miserable
Miserable wet weekend.
Best bird...the franklins gull at rosscarberry.
...that is all.
Pariah
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006
Carmo Police
My (outdated) website
March 21, 2006
Disco Fever - part 2
Just some of the good birds in cork this paddy's weekend.
All shots by and are property of Robert Vaughan...the bittern finding legend!
Franklins gull - Rosscarberry - 18/03/06
Franklins gull - Rosscarberry - 18/03/06
Glaucous gull - 1stwinter - Owenahincha - 18/03/06
European Bittern - Ballyvergan - 19/03/06
European Bittern - Ballyvergan - 19/03/06
European Bittern - Ballyvergan - 19/03/06
Black Duck - Kilcolman - 20/03/06
Black Duck - Kilcolman - 20/03/06
Little Ringed plover - ballycotton- 19/03/06
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006
Carmo Police
My (outdated) website
March 20, 2006
Disco Fever
What a class weekend!
Disco Rob came on down on paddys day and i met him at the lough and we gawked at the first year laugher for a wee while!
Then we hit Rosies bar in carrigaline for a few jars!....what a shit hole!
But twas good craic all the same!
On saturday we went down to Rosscarberry to see the franklins gull, a tick for Disco.
Eventually got the bird and a first year glaucous at owenahincha.
Wheatears we here and there, and a reasonable passage of Manx shearwaters were off galley (oh yeah!!)
A female long tailed duck was at ballygranna and a green sandpiper at belgooly.
On sunday Disco, Dara and I went down to ballyvergan looking for migrants...no more than 10 minutes in the hide and a stunning european bittern popped out...RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE HIDE!
The bird seemed to fly from right beneath us and landed on the other side of the pool in front of us...roughly 12 meters away. It then proceeded to stalk through the reeds in a classic bittern manner before coming up onto a grass tussock and doing that "bitterning" posture with the head held up straight!...right out in the open too! I doubt anyone in this country has ticked the species so well!
Stunning views!What a way to get a lifer!!
The bird was just class..there are no words to describe it other than F-ING CLASS!
We then had a few wheatears at ring, 2 chough at Knockadoon, and the little ringed plover at Ballycotton.
The first winter little gull was off cobh.
Went back down to ballyvergan with the beast and de da!
They dipped...oh well......BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Pariah
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006
Carmo Police
My (outdated) website
March 19, 2006
Various pics from this and last year by Disco Rob
Twite - Belfast harbour estate
Buff Breasted sandpiper - Kilcoole
Lesser yellowlegs (with water rail) - Whites marsh
Taiga bean goose - Mount Norris
Citrine Wagtail - Shannon airport lagoon
Blue winged Teal - North Bull Island
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006
Carmo Police
My (outdated) website
March 14, 2006
A wet weekend
On saturday i went down west cork way.
The weather was horrific and the best i had was a wintering whimbrel at myross near union hall.
I arrived into cobh in the evening and refound the Adult bonapartes gull at the pilot boat which saved the day!
On sunday i went exploring. Myself and S.R. went along the blackwater river in search of wildfowl.
18 whooper swans and a little egret were the best here.
We then worked along the coast back to cobh with very little to show for our efforts.
Yesterday i went with S.R, H.H, And G.G to see Dara's Franklins gull at roscarberry. The bird gave good views in the drizzle and even flew at us and over our heads looking very like a little gull/black tern hybrid as it did so!
Class bird!
We stopped off for the adult laughing gull at ring on the way home, which also gave good views.
Pariah
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006
Carmo Police
My (outdated) website
March 06, 2006
Believe in the Force Ya Bas
The force is back ladies and gentlemen! Oh Yes.
On saturday i went up towards mallow hoping to see corks first tundra Bean goose (rossicus).
Stopping off at mallow sugar lagoons on the way i was delighted to find a stunning male Ring necked duck on the deep pools. This bird gave cracking views for a good hour.
Then i moved on to Kilcoman reserve, a fantastic marsh hidden away from prying eyes.
I managed to relocate the Tundra (it had not been seen since thursday) in a field not too far away from the reserve entrance and watched this bird for a good hour (although the bird didnt give great views) and a half before moving into the reserve hide itself.
I had barely set up my scope when i found myself looking at a gorgeous male Black Duck! This bird was fairly close and gave excellent views...except that it didn't show its speculum or underwing that evening.
It seemed i had to come back the next day to clinch the ID....
I took young Sean Ronayne up with me the next morning.
3 minutes into the hide on sunday morning and the bird preened, showing the speculum and then flapped showing the underwing...typical...but it was worth it...It was a classic drake Black duck...A real tank of a bird!
If you were hungry there would be good eating on that bird.
We then watched the bean goose again for about half an hour and then onto mallow sugar lagoons so Sean could tick RN duck.
I then drove on to cobh, figuring that we could check the dump and cuskinny before i dropped Sean home.
The dump was barren of gulls...but cuskinny...
I parked on the pier and saw that there were a good few gulls on the small beach there.
I scanned through them with my bins, first seeing a ring billed gull, and then noticing a small dumpy looking gull at the far end of the beach...it looked as if it had pink legs and small dark bill.Uh Oh.
I put the scope on it and sure enough it was an amazing looking adult Bonapartes gull!
Another tick for Sean and another finders tick for me!
The birds were spooked quickly after this and all the gulls fecked off.
But luckily DOS managed to relocate it on the marsh in the evening for his cork year list!
Best weekend birding this winter in cork for me!
Many Thanks to Paul Moore and Sean Ronayne for their shots of these birds.
Pariah
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006
Carmo Police
My (outdated) website