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County Louth (formerly Dundalk Bay) local patch. (4 Viewers)

Managed to see the dowitcher this afternoon for about half an hour. It was very busy but stayed within a small area and was visible nearly all the time for that half hour.
 
Long-billed Dowitcher

I see from the excellent photos on Paul and Andreas www.irishbirdimages.com site that the "Dundalk Dowitcher" has been positively identified Long-billed. I'm a little embarrased and a little wiser after the fact. Its a new one for me having seen the Short-billed on Bull Island a couple of years ago. If it stays till tuesday I can get another look at it. Hopefully Asiatic Dowitcher will turn up next, it looks a little easier to identify! (We will have to chip in to get Gerry a better camara! Or new glasses for me).
 
dark bellied brent from lurgangreen today
 

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Nice day out yesterday in very nice light - carrion crow at carlingford lough yesterday, between greenore and carlingford and a flock of 190 scaup on carlingford lough near omeath, nice to see so many. Also at least 6 ruff at dundalk harbour with the (now) long-billed dowitcher, twitched nonetheless by at least 20 visitors during the day...
 

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[ Also at least 6 ruff at dundalk harbour with the (now) long-billed dowitcher, twitched nonetheless by at least 20 visitors during the day...[/QUOTE]

Make that 21 Breffni. Thanks to Enda's call I managed to pick up the dowitcher on Sunday morning. Super bird.
 
Pic Long billed dowitcher

fredbern said:
[ Also at least 6 ruff at dundalk harbour with the (now) long-billed dowitcher, twitched nonetheless by at least 20 visitors during the day...

Make that 21 Breffni. Thanks to Enda's call I managed to pick up the dowitcher on Sunday morning. Super bird.[/QUOTE]
 

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Castletown Estuary bird signs

I went for a walk down along the Castletown Estuary, just east of the Dundalk Docks. I have never been down here before and was delighted to see how accessable the birds of the bay were to the public passing on the footpath. A number of people stop to ask me about the birds and were surprised to here how important Dundalk Bay is for waders and ducks.

A number of signs depicting the birds of the bay had apparently been put up in the last year but many have been vandalised. A further extention to the path to link it to Blackrock is in the planning stages and I think its a good time to ask the council to put up some signs that would be less prone to vandalism (I have a few ideas) and perhaps some signage that accuratly reflects the species present ( Blue-winged Teal and Painted Snipe are both on the signs- The Painted Snipe is on a nest!). Also if the signs could highlight the importance of the bay and its ecosystems it might give people a greater sense of pride in the place.

Breffni, would it be possible to get Birdwatch to have some imput into future signage and perhaps get some free advertising in return.

I walked on further and found Soldiers Point. Where exactly do/did the Twite hang out. Has some/all of their wintering habitat been built on?

Went to Lurgangreen. Dark-bellied Brent, Peregrine and Merlin present
 

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Peter

The walk you were on today is called the Navvy Bank. I'm always amazed at how interested people are in birding along this route - perhaps it's because they regularly walk the route and see the various birds, or just enjoy the outdoors and anything associated with it. It's one of those places you can take a scope or even binoculars, and you will spend more time talking to walkers about birds, than actually birding. Maybe this would serve as a good location for our next outing - especially with such a large population close by (and of course a good range of birds on view).
I've seen twite (not this year) in the bushes / trees near the old houses at Soldiers Point and often along the pathway. Regarding the loss of habitat, they were there last year when all those new houses were already built. Some of the trees they used to frequent got the chop last year.
There was a flock of them in the trees about half way down the Shore Road (probably same ones as it's only a field or two away) - (Directions = drive from the Soldiers Point along the Point Road until you reach a yield sign at a sharp bend. Turn right onto the Red Barns Road, pass two sharp bends and after approx 1/3 mile take the right turn). This tree lined road runs right down to the marsh (actually where the extended walkway you referred to will pass). In previous years the hawtorn bushes provided food for the largest Waxwing flocks ever seen locally. Always worth a quick look.
Peregrine and merlin nearly always a certainty at Lurgangreen recently.

Derek
 
I was out that way myself yesterday - beautiful light - dowitcher still on show though tantalisingly just out of range for decent photography.

There is a project with the council for the improvement of signage. There was a suggestion to put a hide in this area but i think there is little point because the birds are used to walkers and it would be prone to vandalism. However a few shelters would be nice such as those along the bull wall in Dublin. The pointman on all this is Brendan McSherry, Heritage Officer at the council (give him a call with any ideas for vandalism-proof signage).

Soldiers point used to be good for twite, white wags, water pips and more - the rough area south of the point where the Blackwater flows into Marsh South, prone to flooding, used to provide foraging for the twite in particular. Much of this is now cleared for housing with removal of several hedgerows and stands of sycamore. Further development is planned, including several multi-story apartment buildings (much to the consternation of the folks recently moved into the "mansions" down there). The whole area is a few inches above the high water mark (i wonder how long it will be practically habitable?) But I think the lack of twite, brambling, waxwings etc this year may be more due to the extremely mild winter in continental Europe http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070116/59141276.html. Confiding bullfinch and song thrush in sloe berry bush at harbour...
 

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I think the idea of a hide on the Navy bank might be asking to be vandalised or used by junkies etc, but the shelters that are on the North Bull Wall that you mentioned are excellent.
I took a walk down there last Sunday ( North Bull )for the first time and was surprised at how well developed and balanced the area is.
Just an off topic question, Does the council have it within its capacity to take part in conservation work etc. There have been sightings of a Barn Own in the Clarkes Wood?/ Belfry Avenue area over the past few months and there are precious few breeding sights available these days. I think that whole area beside the Marshes shopping Centre including the woods is set for future development thus threatening the last viable breeding site for the Barn Own and Sparrow Hawk that have been spotted in the area.
 
gareth2005 said:
I think that whole area beside the Marshes shopping Centre including the woods is set for future development thus threatening the last viable breeding site for the Barn Own and Sparrow Hawk that have been spotted in the area.
Gareth
I don't think there's anywhere suitable for barn owl to breed there, but it may well be providing a rich food source to such predators. As far as I am aware, Dundalk Town Council has plans to develop the area known as "Clarkes Forest" into a public park, which in itself, if not properly undertaken, may be detrimental to the area's wildlife.
PS - I note from an earlier posting, that you mentioned you're living near the Avenue Road (as I do) and that you had not seen any blackcaps this year - has this changed, as this is the first year I recall not having them eating me out of apples!
Derek
 
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Derek Watters said:
Gareth
I don't think there's anywhere suitable for barn owl to breed there, but it may well be providing a rich food source to such predators. As far as I am aware, Dundalk Town Council has plans to develop the area known as "Clarkes Forest" into a public park, which in itself, if not properly undertaken, may be detrimental to the area's wildlife.
PS - I note from an earlier posting, that you mentioned you're living near the Avenue Road (as I do) and that you had not seen any blackcaps this year - has this changed, as this is the first year I recall not having them eating me out of apples!
Derek

Still no Blackcaps I'm afraid ! Plenty of Goldfinches though, I had a group of 4 on the feeders over the weekend. My new house is in the Avondale area, I wasnt expecting such a variety of birds to the feeders stright away.
Your probably right about the breeding sites around the Marshes i'd love to know where the predators are breeding as I expect if its in an urban area it might well be under pressure for development.
 
The Clarke's Forest tender is here: http://www.e-tenders.gov.ie/search/search_show.aspx?ID=JAN074776
Barn owl is red-listed in Ireland - a confirmed breeding site would have to be taken into consideration by the council in any planning/development activities. Incidentally I notice that a developer has taken aim at the Mounthamilton woodland area (Willow Grove, near the railway station)...

The next talk is on Monday the 29th at 8pm - more details later.
 
Clarke's forest

Speaking of Clarke's forest - more damage was done in one hour this morning by the wind, than any council could do in a week!
I'd estimate that at least 10% of the trees were blown down in the storm. It was difficult to see the extent of the damage as the whole area around the Marshes Shopping Centre was closed off due the falling / flying debris.
I will visit later when I get a chance and get better estimates.
 
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Derek Watters said:
I'd estimate that at least 10% of the trees were blown down in the storm. It was difficult to see the extent of the damage as the whole area around the Marshes Shopping Centre was closed off due the falling / flying debris.
I will visit later when I get a chance and get better estimates.
Road from Ramparts past The Marshes still closed, but I now recon 25 - 30% of the trees are down!
 
Louth records for 2006

If anyone has any good records of rare and scarce birds seen in County Louth in 2006 please send them to me at [email protected] including loaction, date, observer and species seen. Thanks.
 
Dark bellied brent goose was at Lurgangreen again this afternoon. Not a single greylag though. Very high tide and huge numbers of birds there but visibility was very poor.
 
Yesterday I took a walk down the fields at Salterstown to take a closer look at the whooper swans that have been there for a while. There turned out to be 60 of them there, and there were around 30 greylag geese in among them. At the other end of Salterstown, the Annagassan end, there was a big number of great crested grebes together, I counted around 70.
 
Very quiet weekend - large flock of redwing and fieldfare in mountains, no sign of crossbills, dowitcher seems to have departed. 100 or so greylags lurgangreen at dusk last night - may have been more...however last nights blast from the north may move things a bit...

The guillemots we get around here in winter seem to be mainly the subspecies aalge (white cheeks) with smaller numbers of albionis (dark head) - i cant remember what the situation is in summer - anyway yesterday near giles quay i had an aalge apparently paired with an albionis, the latter was bridled, first time i've seen this but birds were in close enough to discern...
 
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