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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

County Louth (formerly Dundalk Bay) local patch. (2 Viewers)

drogheda chiffer

I got out this morning at 6am and found presumably the same Chiffchaff about 40 metres short of the bridge. I heard it sing just 4 times in 40 minutes and it seemed to be mobile going silent for several minutes at a time. First of all I would like to point out that I am not great with bird song, but I did some research last night.

http://www.surfbirds.com/Features/ibechiffs/ibechiffs.html

When I first heard the bird it gave two or three chiffchaff like notes and then a short rapid rattle. I did not manage to record the call but it sounded interesting. It lacked what you might call a 'bridging note' between the initial call and the rattle at the end and I think some birders who heard it the other day thought it did not sound quite right for Iberian Chiffchaff. I did not get any sort of view of the bird so I cant comment on its appearance.

I had some recordings on a portable dictaphone with me. When I played it just after hearing the Slane bird I could not detect much if any difference between the two however I did not manage to get a recording of the bird singing.

There seems to be some variation in Iberian Chiffchaff song so you would need to get a recording of the song to be sure. I think in the UK only birds that have been recorded singing/calling have been considered for acceptance by the BBRC.

Peter

pic of drogheda chiffer
 

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Swallows flying around edge of Daisyhill woods and also flying beside the river and small woods in the Meadow. We saw close enough what we believe could not have been anything other than a pale Barn Owl or some sort of whitey fronted Owl near 8 am from a bus away outside Armagh in the middle of countryside. And enclose photo of Wagtail of what I thought was a bit different than usual Pied Wagtail but maybe not ............ It was taken at Loch Derg which is a paradise simply of heaps of beautiful very red necked Swallows and House Martins (no end to them) and saw one small plain Warbler ...... I also saw definite two Linnets in my garden twice yesterday and one sighting a week ago plus saw one male Reed bunting at same time.
 

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Checked all the usual places this year but so far no sign of a cuckoo - i think this wind is keeping then down? Gropper at mullaghattin and another wetland to the north (where ther road turns right towards windy gap).
 
Swallows flying around edge of Daisyhill woods and also flying beside the river and small woods in the Meadow. We saw close enough what we believe could not have been anything other than a pale Barn Owl or some sort of whitey fronted Owl near 8 am from a bus away outside Armagh in the middle of countryside. And enclose photo of Wagtail of what I thought was a bit different than usual Pied Wagtail but maybe not ............ It was taken at Loch Derg which is a paradise simply of heaps of beautiful very red necked Swallows and House Martins (no end to them) and saw one small plain Warbler ...... I also saw definite two Linnets in my garden twice yesterday and one sighting a week ago plus saw one male Reed bunting at same time.

Male pied wagtail - they can be quite variable in the extent of black...
 
Checked all the usual places this year but so far no sign of a cuckoo - i think this wind is keeping then down? Gropper at mullaghattin and another wetland to the north (where ther road turns right towards windy gap).
Same here. Have been doing daily checks on Mullaghattin, Glenmore Forest and the forest at Foxes Rock, where I frequently had cuckoos last year, and there's been none this year.
Also a gropper on the road to the mast (Omeath side), though I have not been up since the fires there last week which may have distroyed that area.
BTW Swifts were back in Dundalk on 4 May.
 
harrier

Same here. Have been doing daily checks on Mullaghattin, Glenmore Forest and the forest at Foxes Rock, where I frequently had cuckoos last year, and there's been none this year.
Also a gropper on the road to the mast (Omeath side), though I have not been up since the fires there last week which may have distroyed that area.
BTW Swifts were back in Dundalk on 4 May.

A female harrier was seen at Dundalk Docks at about 4 30.It was only seen for a short time but looked small and could be a montagus harrier.It was last seen going east on the north side of dundalk docks so keep a look out in louth for this bird.
 
Male pied wagtail - they can be quite variable in the extent of black...

Huge roosts of Pied Wagtails can be seen in winter in-between the 2 maternity wards of Drogheda hospital.
There is a green/bramble covered area in between the 2 wards that is surrounded on all 4 sides and literally dozens of Pied wagtails stream into it at darkness.
 
Checked all the usual places this year but so far no sign of a cuckoo - i think this wind is keeping then down? Gropper at mullaghattin and another wetland to the north (where ther road turns right towards windy gap).
Eventually had first cuckoo last evening, plus 2 more groppers high in the
woods at Ballymakellet.
 
National Dawn Chorus is tomorrow morning - for Louth we are meeting at the Ballymascanlon Hotel, just north of Dundalk, at 5am in the main carpark. We will take a walk around the grounds until 7.

all are welcome

Breffni
 
Bird probably had to pick up a few items!

I looked around yesterday evening but no sign - bird is probably hungry and needs any kind of raw fish or meat...escape from a UK site apparently.
 
Ringed Black Guillemot at Clogherhead Pier this morning. Coulldnt make out much info but passed on what little info to BTO. Plenty of them around the pier this morning.

Matt.black guillemot ringed.jpg
 
Lovely shot Enda. As a matter of interest was he close to my house? There's been one here calling practically non-stop this past 4 days and at this stage I just cannot get the constant cu-cuing out of my head!
Thanks Derek.No, in the Ravensdale/Annaverna area

Enda
 

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Huge roosts of Pied Wagtails can be seen in winter in-between the 2 maternity wards of Drogheda hospital.
There is a green/bramble covered area in between the 2 wards that is surrounded on all 4 sides and literally dozens of Pied wagtails stream into it at darkness.

Well they must like hospitals as always plenty of them around the hospital here too ...... wonder why ? I could see some of them on the low flat roofs drinking out of the pools of water (also see lots of House Martins drinking too and Swallows skimming for water).
 
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