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County Louth (formerly Dundalk Bay) local patch. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter breffni
- Start date
A quick trip to Baltray beach at lunchtime showed plenty of waders - dunlins, sanderlings, a few hundred knots. Also plenty of gulls. It's a good place for terns so I checked to see if there were any on the off chance that the forsters tern might be there but no luck. I take it there have been no sightings of it since?
newbie checking in
Have just recently come across this forum and have registered today.As you can see I'am not actually from Co. Louth but I do most of my birding around Cooley.I was at the talk in the Spirit Store on Monday night but had to leave as soon as it was over so I didn't get a chance to meet you all.Hope to remedy this in the future.
Have just recently come across this forum and have registered today.As you can see I'am not actually from Co. Louth but I do most of my birding around Cooley.I was at the talk in the Spirit Store on Monday night but had to leave as soon as it was over so I didn't get a chance to meet you all.Hope to remedy this in the future.
gareth2005
Well-known member
Nice to have you have you aboard ! Welcome to the forum.
Hi JimmyC and welcome, the more here the merrier.JimmyC said:
Just found out what's going on at Mell quarry. Aside from the new fence that was put up there has been a lot more work going on over the past few weeks, levelling out of the mounds, areas cleared for paths and they have portacabins in there now. What's going on is that since the recycling centre was built on the other side of the quarry the entrance into the nearby old landfill site is gone. Drogheda Borough Council have to put a cap on the landfill site and this is now the only way in for them. As soon as they have their work done that entrance will no longer be used and the quarry will be left in peace. There are no plans whatsoever for the quarry at present.
Derek Watters
Well-known member
Crow roost at Park Hotel
Hi all and welcome Jimmy C. Unfortunately I missed the Spirit Store meet last week as I was abroad. While in Warrenpoint on Saturday evening I noted large numbers of crows flying SW towards the wood at the Park Hotel. They came from North of Carlingford Lough - from the Mournes beyond Rostrevor and also from the Carlingford / Omeath direction. I counted over 1,400 while I watched but I'd say there were many more. There seemed to be no movements from West to East (i.e. from Newry etc).
While near Grange, Cooley yesterday evening I noted crows gathering and flying WNW in the direction of Omeath. I can only assume that they were heading to the above mentioned roost - some 9 miles away.
Where are there other large roosts in Louth - it would be a good way of estimating crow numbers in the area.
Nothing interesting to report from the Carlingford / Cooley area at the weekend.
Hi all and welcome Jimmy C. Unfortunately I missed the Spirit Store meet last week as I was abroad. While in Warrenpoint on Saturday evening I noted large numbers of crows flying SW towards the wood at the Park Hotel. They came from North of Carlingford Lough - from the Mournes beyond Rostrevor and also from the Carlingford / Omeath direction. I counted over 1,400 while I watched but I'd say there were many more. There seemed to be no movements from West to East (i.e. from Newry etc).
While near Grange, Cooley yesterday evening I noted crows gathering and flying WNW in the direction of Omeath. I can only assume that they were heading to the above mentioned roost - some 9 miles away.
Where are there other large roosts in Louth - it would be a good way of estimating crow numbers in the area.
Nothing interesting to report from the Carlingford / Cooley area at the weekend.
gareth2005
Well-known member
Noticed in the past week or so a large influx of Long tailed Tits in the area.
Do these continental birds bump up the irish population during the winter ?
I didnt see any in years and then recently I have spotted small groups of them in 3 different areas.
Do these continental birds bump up the irish population during the winter ?
I didnt see any in years and then recently I have spotted small groups of them in 3 different areas.
Funny enough when I was out at lunchtime in Beaulieu I saw a flock of long tailed tits, must be about 6 months since I'd seen any. I don't know about migration, someone else might help there.
Over the years I've seen massive numbers of crows flying past Kilsaran morning and evening, I don't know where they roost but they seem to head in the direction of Drumcar in the evening. There would be thousands, the sky would be absolutely full of them for quite a while. If I figure out where they actually roost I'll let you know.
Quiet enough weekend, 4 ruff at seabank being the best.
Over the years I've seen massive numbers of crows flying past Kilsaran morning and evening, I don't know where they roost but they seem to head in the direction of Drumcar in the evening. There would be thousands, the sky would be absolutely full of them for quite a while. If I figure out where they actually roost I'll let you know.
Quiet enough weekend, 4 ruff at seabank being the best.
Out yesterday saw a phesant half way up a small tree being mobbed by four magpies...weird behavior for a phesant but it turned out to be an elderberry tree and the phesant was eating the elderberries, to the great displeasure of the magpies. Last year i saw a pair of mistle thrushes guard a holly bush pretty much all winter chasing off all comers.
Later at Lurgangreen a curlew sandpiper and a small flock of whooper swans drinking and preening by the Fane. At seabank four or five Ruff.
Twitched the canada warbler on Friday, dipped the very elusive baltimore oriole on saturday but two cooperative yellow browed warblers made up for it. Shots of the canada warbler:
http://www.kitday-uk.com/canada_warbler.html
My 10 cents worth would be that it might be a bit early in the year for an influx of long-tailed tits - i suspect that they become more visible at this time of the year because they start to join into large groups of 10 or more birds foraging together, also because there is less foilage on the trees, making them easier to see, also because to get the insects they eat they may need to search beyond the areas where they breed. There is a good BBC Radio 4 show on long tailed tits here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/livingworld_20060326.shtml
Later at Lurgangreen a curlew sandpiper and a small flock of whooper swans drinking and preening by the Fane. At seabank four or five Ruff.
Twitched the canada warbler on Friday, dipped the very elusive baltimore oriole on saturday but two cooperative yellow browed warblers made up for it. Shots of the canada warbler:
http://www.kitday-uk.com/canada_warbler.html
My 10 cents worth would be that it might be a bit early in the year for an influx of long-tailed tits - i suspect that they become more visible at this time of the year because they start to join into large groups of 10 or more birds foraging together, also because there is less foilage on the trees, making them easier to see, also because to get the insects they eat they may need to search beyond the areas where they breed. There is a good BBC Radio 4 show on long tailed tits here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/livingworld_20060326.shtml
I have an adult and a juv buzzard regularly visiting the area of templetown/balaggan, sometimes associating to hunt the many discreet rabbits in the area, the juv light with a huge white supercilium, the adult very dark.
Last monday had five swallows, and yesterday two...as late as i have seen them around here. Derek heard redwings last night - redwings and swallows in the same week...amazing! But then a yellow browed warbler turned up in the same garden as a red eyed vireo in Mayo last week, the former should be in south east asia, the latter a should be in latin america!
Last monday had five swallows, and yesterday two...as late as i have seen them around here. Derek heard redwings last night - redwings and swallows in the same week...amazing! But then a yellow browed warbler turned up in the same garden as a red eyed vireo in Mayo last week, the former should be in south east asia, the latter a should be in latin america!
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Up to a thousand scoters off Cruicetown today. At Hermitage saw a flock of about forty Jackdaws flying together, changing direction etc. They eventually made their way to where we were and we could see that they were harassing a Kestral .... quite a sight. Tommy saw ten House Martins on Wednesday so as you said Breffni, they are unusually late leaving - global warming or what?
MargaretM said:
A kestrel quarters a stubble field near here every afternoon, when he shows up if there are any crows in the vicinity (rooks, jackdaws, grey crows) they immediately fly over and mob the kestrel, making the kestrel fly away, apparently in distress, calling out, crows in pursuit...a few times i have seen the kestrel stop in a tree, the crows fly on, but the kestrel continues calling, bringing them back...off goes the kestrel still calling and leading the now large flock of crows over the brow of the hill...10 minutes later the kestrel is back but this time can hunt in peace.
A few shots from west cork...the lesser yellowlegs was very cooperative.
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the forsters tern was seen again this morning at cruisetown strand.
Seabank had 6 ruff & 3 little egrets with a large flock of finchs,buntings (yellowhammers & reed buntings) & tree sparrows along the hedgerow & as Sandra has mentioned greylag geese & whooper swans (18 when i was there) at lurgangreen. 12 whoopers also at Rathcor (cooley)
Seabank had 6 ruff & 3 little egrets with a large flock of finchs,buntings (yellowhammers & reed buntings) & tree sparrows along the hedgerow & as Sandra has mentioned greylag geese & whooper swans (18 when i was there) at lurgangreen. 12 whoopers also at Rathcor (cooley)
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Great to see the ruff, 8 at seabank, 1 or 2 at lurgangreen and 3 at dundalk harbour on monday, also colour ringed black tailed godwits. Along cruisetown beach at least 40 dead guillemots, all skin and bones, one ringed. On clogher head flushed a few snipe, one maybe a jack snipe (rose silently from my feet and landed nearby, seemed small but i didn't get a proper look). At sea at least one slavonian grebe, hundreds of razorbills, seemingly unaffected whatever is killing the guillemots...
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gareth2005
Well-known member
Was out in Lordship looking for a house/Site and came across a field of Deer. There is 3 fields with about a total herd of 40-50. Anyway, these animals are dieing. There is about 8 dead that I can see, the rest are starving, lame and malnourished. It looks like they havnt been fed in weeks.
I rang the SPCA Louth branch and left a message, I then rang the Guards who didn't seem to care.
I'll go back up tomorrow and see if anything has changed. If anyone think they can track down the owner of them or assist the animals please do.
I can be contacted on 087 204 5369 if you want directions.
I rang the SPCA Louth branch and left a message, I then rang the Guards who didn't seem to care.
I'll go back up tomorrow and see if anything has changed. If anyone think they can track down the owner of them or assist the animals please do.
I can be contacted on 087 204 5369 if you want directions.
