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County Louth (formerly Dundalk Bay) local patch. (1 Viewer)

ardnasx1 said:
Took a trip out to the beach at Baltray today. I think we'll have our work cut out for us this year! There were at least 10 pairs of ringed plovers there on the nesting area.

I am up for the challange!

Got some 18 inch wavin pipes today 13 in all another 3 or 4 knocking around so I will nab them soon. Only 4 inch diameter -6 inch very scarse.

Good idea re the container at baltray. We will need somewhere to store stuff and shelter in inclement weather. Did you use tents last year, or just got wet?

Migrants are starting to arrive ( Birdtrack) so keep an eye out this weekend.

I have a pair of Collard Doves on week old chicks in the zoo and a Blackbird midway through laying her first clutch. Spring is here at last!

Peter
 
Peter Phillips said:
I am up for the challange!
Good idea re the container at baltray. We will need somewhere to store stuff and shelter in inclement weather. Did you use tents last year, or just got wet?
Peter

We were lucky enough with the weather last year, there were light showers but nothing too bad as I remember, which was just as well as there was no shelter at all. A container would be great all right as shelter would be needed from both the rain and the sun (not to mention the wind!).
The Ring Necked Duck is still showing at Mell Quarry this morning.
 
We are organising a guided walk along the Navvy Bank Dundalk to look at the birds that forage along the riverbanks and mudflats in the area. People will be on hand to explain what species are present and to give some information on their natural history and conservation.

To join in, meet at Soldiers Point, Dundalk, at 12 noon on Sunday the 18th of March 2007. All are welcome! Children should ideally be aged 8 or over.

Please forward this message to anybody who may be interested.

See you there!

Breffni Martin
087 9145363
 

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breffni said:
We are organising a guided walk along the Navvy Bank Dundalk to look at the birds that forage along the riverbanks and mudflats in the area. People will be on hand to explain what species are present and to give some information on their natural history and conservation.

To join in, meet at Soldiers Point, Dundalk, at 12 noon on Sunday the 18th of March 2007. All are welcome! Children should ideally be aged 8 or over.

Please forward this message to anybody who may be interested.

See you there!

Breffni Martin
087 9145363
Bad timing for Sandra and myself .... Mothers Day will keep us busy until at least 1 pm. How long do you expect the walk to last?
 
Peter Phillips said:
Got some 18 inch wavin pipes today 13 in all another 3 or 4 knocking around so I will nab them soon. Only 4 inch diameter -6 inch very scarse.
That's great about the pipes Peter, 4'' are fine.

A lot of brent geese on the Boyne the last couple of weeks. I've noticed they only really seem to be there this time of year, I imagine that it must just be a stopping off point for them to feed before they depart. There was one dark bellied among them last week.
 
breffni said:
To join in, meet at Soldiers Point, Dundalk, at 12 noon on Sunday the 18th of March 2007. All are welcome!
See you there!

Breffni Martin
087 9145363


See you there at 12.

Sandra, How many pipes do we need?

Peter
 
Peter Phillips said:
Sandra, How many pipes do we need?
Hard to say really, your guess would be as good as mine. I checked the Kilcoole warden's manual and they had 50. They cater for far bigger numbers of birds than us so I'd imagine that the number you have should be enough, but if we get more all the better. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

More signs of spring around yesterday with gannets feeding off Salterstown and Hermitage, and Margaret spotted a tern off Hermitage.
 
The horizontal hailstones put us off the walk on the navvy bank today - thanks to everyone who showed up anyway - we could do another one on the 1st April but high tide is around noon (that is 11:50 gmt)...so maybe later on a falling tide eg 1pm or earlier on a rising tide eg 10am?

Saw a hen harrier on marsh south; later checked clogher - no progress with black guillemot holes despite promises - two winter plumage birds hanging around the harbour...
 
ardnasx1 said:
I'd imagine that the number you have should be enough,
Margaret spotted a tern off Hermitage.

I should be able to get about the same number again so I will have about 25. If Kilcoole need about 50, I would say 20-30 should be plenty.

I would imagine in was a Sandwich Tern. There had been a few in Britain so far.A flock of 80 birds wintered in France this year.

Shame about the Black Guillemots at Clogher Head. I wonder, will thet desert the colony?
 
I was on my way for lunch in Dublin with the mother in law and stopped off at Dundalk port and tide was at highest so no luck for me re Dowitcher. Stopped on the way back and no sooner had I got out of the car Peregrine dived into flock of golden plover and everything upped and away so on my third attempt no Dowitcher. Is it still there ?
 
Sand Martin's at Keenan's Cross pond

Went out this afternoon. Very cold and windy. Colgher Head:There is access now to the harbour area but only a single Goldcrest in the Youth Hostel garden, no sign of any Chiffchaff yet. Very quiet at Cruisetown. I had two Sand Martins struggling into the northerly breeze over Keenan's Cross pond-my first summer migrants.

The weather looks good for later in the week for some more early migrants.

Peter
 
Peter Phillips said:
Went out this afternoon. Very cold and windy. Colgher Head:There is access now to the harbour area but only a single Goldcrest in the Youth Hostel garden, no sign of any Chiffchaff yet. Very quiet at Cruisetown. I had two Sand Martins struggling into the northerly breeze over Keenan's Cross pond-my first summer migrants.

The weather looks good for later in the week for some more early migrants.

Peter
Took a stroll down along the coast to-day and boy what a day.Not much flying-Heads down!.Came across a lone Wheatear down on Hineys beach.My first Spring migrant and beats my previous records by a whole 4 days.By far the largest and most interesting sight on view to-day was the naval ship the LE EITHNE anchored close inshore just south of Clogherhead opposite Port Oriel.Great scpoe views were available at Glaspistol on the road to Termonfeckin.
 
Peter Phillips said:
I had two Sand Martins struggling into the northerly breeze over Keenan's Cross pond-my first summer migrants.
The weather looks good for later in the week for some more early migrants.
Peter
Well done Peter, it was so cold yesterday that I did most of my birding from the car. A grey wagtail at Dunany (spotted by Sandra) was magnificent in its vibrant yellow. The sea seemed very quiet.

james mullen said:
Took a stroll down along the coast to-day and boy what a day.Not much flying-Heads down!.Came across a lone Wheatear down on Hineys beach.My first Spring migrant and beats my previous records by a whole 4 days.By far the largest and most interesting sight on view to-day was the naval ship the LE EITHNE anchored close inshore just south of Clogherhead opposite Port Oriel.Great scpoe views were available at Glaspistol on the road to Termonfeckin.
Hi James, welcome to the forum, always good to have another contributor, and well done with the Wheatear.
Saw that boat all right. We first saw it on Sunday and it was conveniently anchored in view from our kitchen window, so Tommy had the scope set up but I notice that its gone this morning.
 
Pluvius said:
I was on my way for lunch in Dublin with the mother in law and stopped off at Dundalk port and tide was at highest so no luck for me re Dowitcher. Stopped on the way back and no sooner had I got out of the car Peregrine dived into flock of golden plover and everything upped and away so on my third attempt no Dowitcher. Is it still there ?
Dowitcher is still there - was showing well yesterday between the bouts of hail - the best time seems to be about mid to low tide when it feeds along the edge of the river, as the tide rises it seems to go up the channel and out of sight. At high tide it can sometimes be seen on the fringes of the spartina clumps getting deep into the water.
 
Peter Phillips said:
Welcome to the forum James. Where is Hineys beach?

Peter
Hi Peter-Thanks for the welcome. Hineys beach is just South of Dunany Point.Travelling north from the Port direction before the sharp turn left which leads you up by Dunany Church and the cul-de-sac straight on that brings you down to Dunany House-Turn right ,the lane is about 400 metres long and brings you right to the beach.The beach is named after a man called Hinny Dolan now deceased.Some of his family still live on the lane.
 
james mullen said:
Hi Peter-Thanks for the welcome. Hineys beach is just South of Dunany Point.Travelling north from the Port direction before the sharp turn left which leads you up by Dunany Church and the cul-de-sac straight on that brings you down to Dunany House-Turn right ,the lane is about 400 metres long and brings you right to the beach.The beach is named after a man called Hinny Dolan now deceased.Some of his family still live on the lane.
Hi James and again welcome to our thread. I know the lane you mean, we call it Dolan's, after the same man!


breffni said:
The horizontal hailstones put us off the walk on the navvy bank today - thanks to everyone who showed up anyway - we could do another one on the 1st April but high tide is around noon (that is 11:50 gmt)...so maybe later on a falling tide eg 1pm or earlier on a rising tide eg 10am?

Saw a hen harrier on marsh south; later checked clogher - no progress with black guillemot holes despite promises - two winter plumage birds hanging around the harbour...
Should be worth trying to organise that walk again, we couldn't have as bad of luck with the weather again.

I've checked Clogherhead several times over the last few weeks and have only seen one black guillemot in summer plumage on one of those visits, though of course it's not to say there aren't more around. It is a shame they couldn't have had the nest holes ready.
 
MargaretM said:
Well done Peter, it was so cold yesterday that I did most of my birding from the car. A grey wagtail at Dunany (spotted by Sandra) was magnificent in its vibrant yellow. The sea seemed very quiet.


Hi James, welcome to the forum, always good to have another contributor, and well done with the Wheatear.
Saw that boat all right. We first saw it on Sunday and it was conveniently anchored in view from our kitchen window, so Tommy had the scope set up but I notice that its gone this morning.
Hi! Margaret and thanks for the welcome.Hope that ship looking in your Kitchen window did'nt spoil lunch.
 
Irish East Coast Bird Report

james mullen said:
Hi! Margaret and thanks for the welcome.Hope that ship looking in your Kitchen window did'nt spoil lunch.

Birdwatch Ireland publish an annual publication, a bird report, that deals with the east coast of Ireland namely Louth, Dublin, Meath and Wicklow. While Dublin and Wicklow are well represented Louth is not, mainly because there are so few active (outside your garden) birdwatchers. I have suggested to Dick Coombes (Editor) that I would collect the sightings from the forum and send them on to him for publication. There are interested in all bird species, not just rare ones. Some rare species are well documented eg Med Gull but species like Wheatear and Spotted Flycatcher rarely get reported. It would be great if people could report all there first few dates for summer migrants or anything else that might be worth publishing. If you put it on the forum, I will forward all the records and contributors names on to Dick.

Thanks

Peter
 

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