Parian in origin

Posted by pariah at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2006

Some quick sniping

I offered young S. "shop" Ronayne a lift down to see the Icterine warbler at knockadoon, but was turned down. I didnt really fancy driving down, even for a cork year tick, so i said id do some sniping in the evening down at the old head.

I arrived at Garrets town beach and had a look through the few dunlin and plovers on the beach. Nada here save for a few white wags.

The sycamore garden had sweet FA.As did the magic garden. The garden in from the cross roads had a spot fly and some chiffs and willows. And the next garden north had 3 possibly 4 pied flys and more phyloscs.

The plantation had a turtle dove in the farm yard. Year tick.

And down the gully from the magic garden, was a lovely juv red backed Shrike.
A shame he was so elusive however. I picked the bird up flying down off a bramble bush. Instantly i copped it as a shrike. I moved a tad closer and got a reasonable view to say conclusively it was a red backed.
The bird then hopped the hedge and was never seen again.
Little swine.

Sin é

Pariah

Worth while links

Posted by pariah at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)

September 25, 2006

Pirate Week Bounty ---aaaar

As t'was talk like a pirate day during the week, ill spin ye a yarn in ye olde pirate talk me mateys.

On dark and stormy saturday morning, in the wee hours o' the day. Me and 3 shipmates did set forth, battling the the fiercest of storms that davy jone's locker had set upon us.

After a flood the likes o' which noah himself had never seen, had nearly felled our fair craft, the volkswagen polo, in wateford *cough cough* city, we didst set forth again with the assistance of the AA for Tacumshin.

Yarr it was a fair sight me hearties when we did leave the accursed earth of waterford, and feasted our eyes upon the the glorious sunshine of wexford.
Tacumshins east end, did produce both black tern and a juvenile garganey. Yet no fair sight of a black winged stilt.
Said vagrant had shifted to ladys island, and we did set forth at speed to see him.
A fair juvenile he be. And did feed in same spot all day for our amusement.
When we had had our fill we set out for tacumshin again, and did look a a tawny pipit for a good while. Twas a tick for me mateys!And a grand sight twas too!

Tacumshin then had many buffs and 2 pecs for us, and a brief view of a bairds for me. An armada of yellow wags was in a field with some horses and was an amazing sight.

On sunday we did set out full sail for Cape Clear, at the news that an Eastern Olivaceous had been found. We did charter a might vessel, that did conquer the swell and land us on the island. And for a good half hour we did watch the bird.
Yarrr...Sin é.

Piratin' Pariah

Worth while links

Posted by pariah at 12:06 PM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2006

Another Yank

One would think they would become tedious after a while....Nah.
After bumping into JF on sunday and asking him to get the water levels on the Marsh at loughbeg dropped and more saline. I got my first chance to check in on it yesterday evening. No sooner had i set up the scope in the hide than A gorgeous Juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs popped out from behind some reeds and began feeding on the newly exposed mud. Classy. A curlew sand was also present. With any luck Loughbeg will produce more now that its back in form.

Pariah

Lesser yellowlegs - Owen Foley

Lesserlegs 4.JPG

Lesser Yellowlegs - Owen Foley

Worth while links

Posted by pariah at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2006

Cleaning up on Cape Clear

On Friday i got news from HH that an Ortolan Bunting had been found on cape, giving good views. ortolan is a bogey bird for me.And a lifer. So i set off rather hastily.
I made the boat. But the bird was missing when i arrived. And remained so for the rest of the day. I decided to stay overnight and bird the island the next day.

I did get excellent views of HH's Greenish warbler in the campsite garden however which wa worth it alone.

I woke early on saturday morning and began tramping out towards the low road.
First up was a pretty little Imm. type Redstart on the waist. A yeartick.
Out to the low road, and staked out the ortolan spot for a while.
No joy. So i began walking the bogs. Central bog had 2 whinchats, a cork year tick, and whilst on West Bog I refound HH's Juv Rosecolored Starling up on the wires by the lake.
I moved up to this bird to get some shots.

Juvenile RoseColoured Starling - Owen Foley

Whilst at the lake a lesser WhiteThroat was at Mary Macs.
I then moved back towards West Bog and found a Barred Warbler on the stone wall at the end of the Olly Gully. This bird showed decently for circa 30 seconds and then hopped a good 20 meters into the foliage on the hill. Never to be seen again.

Back through central bog. Nada this time around. Up the track to the wheatear field. A good size flock of linnets here, a few wheatears and a tick in the form of a Lapland Bunting. At last! Little fecker flushed from infront of me, but not before i got a good view on the deck. Nice.

Chough - Owen Foley

Back down and through the bogs again. Nothing this time around. A quick view of the starling again and i went back up the high road and down to the campsite garden again. Here i got a good view of the Greenish again. very nice.

I then went for a well deserved lunch (having skipped breakfast) and sat into a nice meal just as the rain hit.
Did cotters again just before getting the boat off, and 3 pied flys showed well in here.

Definitely worth the stay over...and the hangover!

On sunday i went down to Ballycotton.
A juvenile black tern was present on the exit of the lake.
But i had forgotton to charge the camera after extensive use on cape.
Turned it on to see "Battery exhausted". Damn shame too! Bird was very obliging.

2 adult little terns were at pilmore.
And that was it. Knockadoon was dead.

Sin é

Pariah

Worth while links

Posted by pariah at 11:36 AM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2006

Up close and personal at Ballycotton

A quick evening trip down to Ballycotton, in the hopes of digging out a Buff Breasted Sandpiper, allowed me to finally view the Pectoral Sandpiper which i had heard call last thursday at shanagarry. The bird gave itself up to both myself and SC at the very back of shanagarry.
A green sandpiper was also calling in the area.

Pec 1.JPG

Pectoral Sandpiper - Owen Foley

Pec 2.JPG

Pectoral Sanpiper - Owen Foley

Pec 3.JPG

Pectoral Sandpiper- Owen Foley

Pec 4.JPG

Pectoral Sandpiper - Owen Foley

Pec 5.JPG

Pectoral Sandpiper - Owen Foley

Pec 6.JPG

Pectoral Sandpiper - Owen Foley

The beach itself continued to hold the Adult White Rumped Sandpiper aswell as up to 7 Curlew Sandpipers.
1 Large male ruff, an individual which i had seen last sunday at ballymacoda was at the back of the lake at Ballycotton this evening.

whiterumped sc1.jpg

White Rumped Sandpiper- Sean Cronin

whiterumped sc2.jpg

White Rumped Sandpiper - Sean Cronin

Pariah

Worth while links

Posted by pariah at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2006

Skiving, Mig and wader hunting and best laid Plans.

Had to pop down to the VW dealership in Lissarda as the one at turners cross didnt have the wing mirror I needed in stock. (some bollox smashed my right wing mirror).

As i was down there I said id check the gearagh.
A green sandpiper was cautiously grilled at lissarda itself and the gearagh was full of quacks, all looking manky this time of year.
The place was incredibly dried out. Looked perfect for waders, but besides a few curlews and Lapwing nothing special.
Thats not saying much tho...habitat is extensive and looks perfect for buffs, temmincks etc. who knows?

As i was out and enjoying the birding i just nipped down from macroom to rosscarberry. I felt compelled to check it for waders after missing the low tide on saturday. Nada here. Not even a ruff.

So i went down to galley to try and see Cols yellow wag and whinchats.
Didnt see any of these on the way out.
So i went up to the lighthouse and had a gawk out.
Almost straight away i picked up a juv sabs gull at about 1/4 distance.
Jumped out and got it in the scope.Very nice bird.
Saw that there was stuff moving ok so i decided to do a seawatch proper.
Bonxie up next and then arctic skua.
Up until now it had been a tshirt seawatch, but i could see a squall coming in so i was going to head away.
Until the matrix freeze frame moment happened.

FEAS PETREL. Underside view as it came into my scope, just a little closer than the manx stream. Tracked it from 11 to 2.30 for a good 2-3 minutes.
Utterly class! And really relaxed viewing conditions.
Then the rain hit and i bailed into the car....to spread the news.
hee.

Them locals....they aint happy!;)

I moved on to the estuaries after this, doing Clon, Timolegue, kilbritain and Garretstown.

A ruff was at timolegue and a yellow wagtail on the beach at garretstown with waders and pied wags.
Garretstown beach had quite a few smalls, i was sure that would be the place to have my bairds or semi p. But alas just dunlin, sanderlings and ringed plovers.
None the less.....I shall be keeping an eye on the place.

What an evening!...and all due to a duff wing mirror.
Sin e.

Pariah

Worth while links

Posted by pariah at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2006

300

And my 300th tick was...(Insert Drumroll here)......Tree Pipit.....I know...Shite 300th really...but the way things are going with those birds it could well turn out to be a mega in years to come!

Not a bad weekend for birding i have to say.
On saturday i went down to mizen head with SR to try and dig out passerines and waders.
First up was a nice Juv Pied Flycatcher in the orchard anlong with a juv Spotted Fly. 2 ticks for SR adding to the 3 Curlew Sandpipers at Whites marsh that morning.

We narrowly missed a wryneck here but thems the breaks.

Lissagriffin produced crap views of the lesser yellow legs and we missed the semi p.

Nothing much else doing around the place.

On sunday we went down to Ballycotton.
The whiterumped was showing very well for a good hour or so.
As was the Curlew Sand here.

Knockadoon produced another Pied fly in the thatch gully.
And a Tree pipit at the holyground farmyard.
Nice spot that. Will definitely be checking that in future. We just missed a possible hippo at the campsite.

Sin e. 300...WOOOOOOOO

Pariah

Worth while links

Posted by pariah at 12:44 PM | Comments (0)

September 08, 2006

Making enemies

white rumped sandpiper resize.JPG

Finding birds should be fun. A joyous exercise, enjoyed by all and sundry, with no malice or envy involved....yeah...right!;)

Yesterday evening i popped down to Ballycotton with a friend to show her somewhere scenic by the coast.....so naturally i chose a famous wader hotspot.

After 20 minutes on site I was looking at a rather attractive White rumped sandpiper at the exit of the lake, accompanied by a juv curlew sandpiper.
I picked it up from the opposite side at some distance, but was fairly sure and put the news out.
We then drove around to strand road to get closer to it.
We managed to get right up to it, and were soon joined by DOS and HH and IH.
It was then i learned that several birders had been doing ballycotton and east cork all week with nothing to show for it....and that i had just jammed in on the rarity in a 20 minute dude guiding excursion. Cest la vie! ;)

However i did receive a rather abusive text from on well known Brit ex pat. who had been doing the area over the past few days, stating that i should "bugger off back to lough beg". ;)

When i first moved down to cork one cork birder said that i was more than welcome, especially if i was finding birds....im not so sure i believe that anymore!

As the tide dropped, the birds moved down the beach and i took sara up to skinnys for some grub.
Before stopping we went up to the cliffs so she could take some pics of the coast.
As we were walking along the cliff track i spotted a small bird hopping along the gravel.
Wryneck! A brief 30 second view was all i got before walkers flushed it down into thick gorse.
15 minutes and no sign after that, but im told DOS relocated it this morning.
Corroboration i think the IRBC calls it!;)

Some grease in skinnys, and we moved back to the beach, to re find the white rumped sand at the sluice on shanagarry. Nice views in the fading light of the evening.

Not a bad evening!

Pariah

Worth while links

Posted by pariah at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)

September 04, 2006

1 Away with Greenish warbler

On sunday, after a few beers the night before I awoke late to find news of a greenish warbler waiting for me on Brownstown head.
I hate Brownstown head.
I have a track record for missing stuff there.
Went down anyway, with Phil Rowe in tow.
We arrived to find several birders staring into the garden from different points.
The bird was present calling, but practically invisible.

I eventually managed to see the bird, but always briefly, either a few seconds on the outside of a bush, or bits of the bloody thing through leaves.
Stayed for 5.5 hours in total, and even managed to re find it for Tony when he showed up.

I last saw it in the sheltered back garden, which was quite a good open view.
But again it dived for cover and Mick Sull missed it.

Bastard of a bird really.
Ill go for another if its more obliging or on a bush free island.

Pariah

Worth while links