October 23, 2006
Cape strikes again and a finders tick!
On thursday evening i went down to see the isabelline shrike again, on the old head of kinsale.
Bird was once again giving itself up.
Isabelline Shrike - Owen Foley
Isabelline Shrike - Owen Foley
That evening news broke of a hermit thrush on cape (at the post office).
And a boat was organized for 7.30am friday morning.
We left baltimore at 7.45 and got the taxi up to the post office.
The bird was giving itself up, feeding just a few feet away.
Absolutely stunning!
Hermit Thrush - Owen Foley
Hermit Thrush - Owen Foley
Hermit Thrush - Owen Foley
Hermit Thrush - Owen Foley
After about an hour or so we set off up the east end in search of the little bunting.
No luck with this, but a wryneck and a black redstart were good compensation.
Wryneck - Owen Foley
A common rosefinch was in the waist, and a Firecrest and Yellowbrowed warbler were in cotters. A very tame turtle dove was also at cotters.
Turtle Dove- Owen Foley
When we came off HH and PR followed me to Ballymacrown, Baltimore,...where i found a gorgeous Juvenile Woodchat shrike. A particularly cold individual. Very nice to watch.
Juv. Woodchat Shrike (Ballymacrown) - Owen Foley
Juv. Woodchat Shrike (Ballymacrown) - Owen Foley
Juv. Woodchat Shrike (Ballymacrown) - Owen Foley
Juv. Woodchat Shrike (Ballymacrown) - Owen Foley
Juv. Woodchat Shrike (Ballymacrown) - Owen Foley
Juv. Woodchat Shrike (Ballymacrown) - Owen Foley
A wryneck was also in the same general area.
On saturday I went down galley way. Very windy, so i decided to quit with the mig searching and do a seawatch.
A good number of skuas were passing with the tallies being
1 juvenile long-tailed skua
4 pomarine skuas
12 arctic skuas
7 bonxies
2 little auks
3 leach's petrels
6 sooty shearwaters
1 grey phalarope
1 velvet scoter.
The lesser yellowlegs was still at rosscarbery.
On sunday I took shop down the old head. The woodchat shrike was still present in the first gully, and a garden warbler was on the boreen.
I found a yellowbrowed warbler in the last garden on the right.
We then went on to rosscarberry to see the AGP. So 3 ticks him.
Excellent weekend!
Pariah
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006
October 18, 2006
Day of the Shrike 2. This time its a county tick.
Harry texted me yesterday evening to say he had just found an Isabelline Shrike on the Old Head of Kinsale...in the same general area that the other shrikes had been (indeed the woodchat shrike was present with the Izzy)
Myself and shop lashed down to see this bird, giving shop his 200th tick.
Gorgeous bird..and what a sight to see it munching on a freshly killed robin!!!
Incredible!
Lots of caps and crests on the head also, but nothing else major!
Nice one H!
Pariah
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006
October 16, 2006
Day of the shrike and twitching Cape again!
On Thursday afternoon Golden Graham called me to say he had found a Woodchat shrike and a Red Backed Shrike, together, at the old head of kinsale!
I threw young shop in the car and we lashed down to see these two birds in a once in a lifetime situation!
The birds gave great views for over an hour!
Woodchat shrike (juvenile) - Owen Foley
Woodchat shrike (juvenile) - Owen Foley
Woodchat shrike (juvenile) - Owen Foley
Woodchat shrike (juvenile) - Owen Foley
Woodchat Shrike (juvenile) - Owen Foley
RedBacked Shrike (juvenile) - Owen Foley
That night we heard news that a Baltimore Oriole had been found in the waist on cape.
Plans were set in motion and a boat organized from schull for 6a.m.
We arrived in the dark, and waited several hours for a sighting of the bird. But after this length of time birders began to fan out and look for other stuff.
A 1st year rb fly made a brief appearance in cotters.
And a barred warber was also on the island.
CC called me to say he had relocated the Subalpine in Cotters and i dashed up to see it.
I got a Good brief view from the bnb but the bird never reappeared, probably due to the sudden presence of several photographers, who insisted on going right up to the tree the bird had been in.
At about 3pm, an hour before we were due to leave cape, i took a stroll down to the waist in the hopes of seeing the oriole.
5 minutes spent in the house site yielded nothing and i went and sat on the bench overlooking south harbour.
I said what the hell, and decided to give it a little bit of pishing.
The baltimore oriole hopped up instantaneously, and began calling back at me angrily!
Stunning views just a few feet away from me!
2 birders were in ear shot and came running hastily at my shouts.
Apparently MOK, a distance up the lighthouse road, heard my shouts echoing across the harbour and came a runnin too!
I rang the Pig in cotters, and he brought the rest of the birders running down!
What a sight to see him barreling down the hill, miles ahead of the others and just in time to get a view of the bird moving around the tennis court.
Happy with our elusive tick, we got the boat off the island.
Got no birding done this weekend, due to the Thongs birthday back in dublin!
Damn awkward time of year to be born Thong!
Pariah
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006
October 11, 2006
Omni Present Owen And Golden Graham go twitching
2.a.m. Saturday morning. Myself and Graham Gordon set off from cork for the Mullet peninsula, Co. Mayo. We arrived on site at about 8.a.m.
After about an hours searching or so the Red eyed Vireo finally made an appearance and showed well for about half an hour.
We then moved on to see the female Snowy owl on Termon hill. This bird also gave good views for about half an hour, including good flight views.
We then refound the lesser yellowlegs at Cross Lake.
On sunday we set off for home, and just after reaching limerick we received news that Irelands first Canada warbler had been found at kilbaha, Co.Clare.
We turned round rather hastily and arrived just in time to get the last view of the evening. Incredible bird!
We stayed over for another day, and got even better views of the Canada the next day, and also saw the red eyed vireo at kilbaha. My second in as many days.
A common rosefinch was dug out by denis, providing yet another tick for me, and an RB fly was a welcome year tick.
I set off for home leaving Graham to stay on another day.
Yesterday i tried for the Blackpoll on dursey, (with a stopoff to try for a "reported" Great white egret at ballylickey) but dipped.
Hopefully it will stay around for another attempt.
Sin é
Pariah
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006
October 02, 2006
Yank wader bonanza hits cork proper
On Friday evening I caught up with the summer black necked grebe at ballycotton (first for the site in 30 years apparently).
On Saturday I had a lazy start, and left quite late in the morning for the Old Head of Kinsale. Checked the beach first. A single curlew sand here.
A quick check of the various gardens produced very little. Not even a phylosc.
I then caught sight of a flock of starlings on the far side of the head.
I could see a pale starling in with them, but couldn’t make out the bill.
Wary of a possible leucistic starling, I hopped back in the car and drove around hastily.
The flock had moved from the wires, into some fields at the center of the head. As I was walking into the fields to get to them I heard a "tlu-ee" call from behind me. AGP!! (American Golden Plover for the non birdy types)
I looked around and caught him flying by me, in off the sea. He continued to call as he flew over and on inland towards the pier. Fantastic bird.
The fourth individual i have found.
A massive down pour saw me running back to the car, and I then drove back down to the beach in the hopes of finding the plover on it. But it was still too manky out, so I dashed into the blue harbor bar for a bowl of soup and a pint whilst I waited it out....for an hour!
A massive flock of starlings was by this bar, and I couldn’t look through them all.
When the rain eased off I went back to the beach. No joy here. Just the same flock of smalls.
The pier didn’t fare much better, no sign of the plover at all.
As I was putting my scope away, I suddenly heard a funny noise.
Was that a bird call? Or the sound of the leg of my scope grating into position?
"Spizzzz"
Tree pipit!! The bird flew up out of the caravan park. And headed off in the direction of the beach.
I tried to refind it here, and on the pitch and putt course, but it had probably dropped into a field somewhere.
I chased starling flocks around for another while, but they were not helpful, and I never managed to look through them all.
I then heard that some sniping git had found a juv long billed dowitcher on my patch at loughbeg!damn.
So I drove back home in the hopes of seeing it on the rising tide.
No joy Saturday evening however.
On Sunday morning I picked up young shop at the ferry and we went down to see the dow. It was giving itself up in the reserve, but constantly being harried out of the marsh by a sparrowhawk. When looking for it on the outer estuary from the causeway I suddenly spotted the lesser yellowlegs (or a lesser yellowlegs) in with the shanks.
2 yanks together on my patch. Class!
Long Billed Dowitcher (juvenile) - Owen Foley
Long Billed Dowitcher (Juvenile) - Owen Foley
Long Billed Dowitcher (Juvenile) - Owen Foley
Long Billed Dowitcher (Juvenile) - Owen Foley
Long Billed Dowitcher (juvenile) - Owen Foley
Long Billed Dowitcher (Juvenile) - Owen Foley
(I will have to do some investigating this evening however, just to make sure that there are not 2 individuals concerned as the other one may still be on the carrigaline estuary.
However it’s more likely that these 2 estuaries are linked and that the high tide roost for both is at loughbeg.)
We moved on down west to toe head to get shop a tick in the form of hoopoe.
The bird was giving itself up along the loop, allowing us to approach to within 10 feet in the car. At one point we wanted to just move on and look for stuff, but he would just constantly fly in front of the car. In the end another vehicle came in the opposite direction and flushed him around us and back onto the loop.
Hoopoe - Sean Ronayne
Hoopoe - Sean Ronayne
We then moved on to rosscarberry, a Ring billed gull and a few meds were the best here.
Ring Billed Gull - Owen Foley
Ring Billed Gull - Owen Foley
On to clonakilty, and we hit clogheen first. I parked the car by the wall, and hopped out to have a gawk in with my bins.
In amongst the lapwing I spotted this gangly looking wader, silhouetted against the sun. As it moved into an area of shade I could see it looked very clean white below...hmmm. I set up my scope knowing what I would find....ANOTHER LESSER YELLOWLEGS!
How good can things get?;)
We watched this bird on the mudflat with several little stints for about 30 mins and set off for home.
Excellent weekend for finds.
Excellent weekend full stop.
Sin é
Pariah
Worth while links
Irish County yearlists page 2006