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County Louth (formerly Dundalk Bay) local patch. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter breffni
- Start date
gareth2005
Well-known member
You can track some of the larger trawlers online here http://www.shipais.com/showship.php?refresh=2&count=1&map=-1&mmsi=232003406
Click on the ship icon for more information and a history of its positions. There seem to be one operation out of Drogheda aswell
Nice web site - the trawlers are dredging for razor clams at the moment. This is in deeper water, below the intertidal zone, around 20 metres depth. Whatever is going on with the scoter, I never see them in Dundalk bay in any great numbers these days - they seem to spend all their time of Cruisetown.
Saturday afternoon at Cruisetown the lone icleand gulls stood out like ghosts on the beach otherwise bereft of gulls, later caught up with the shoveler (102) who was diligently guarding its mate (and did not come to bread!) then spent nearly two hours tramping around Blatray looking for snow buntings (103), which eventually flushed from the road on the way back - waited until dark for the owl but no show.
The configuration of the beach looks better this year with the packed crushed shells and sand making a shelf above the high water mark - though I guess winter storms are not finished yet!
The configuration of the beach looks better this year with the packed crushed shells and sand making a shelf above the high water mark - though I guess winter storms are not finished yet!
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Derek Watters
Well-known member
There were 6 of us out at Baltray yesterday morning looking for Snow Bunting, but no joy. Any reports of them later in day?
On an other issue entirely, on two recent Sunday mornings, I have travelled the road that runs along the North side of the Boyne River towards Baltray. On both occassions I met a group of people, who seem to have little or no regard for their own safety, walking in the middle of the road, apparently putting clumps of grass down every 100yards or so! Is it some local tradition? Does anyone know WHAT ARE THEY AT?????
Brosnabirder
Well-known member
Hi Derek,
I'm going to guess Road Bowling. I believe there is a club in Drogheda.
Does anybody have any other ideas?
Derek Watters
Well-known member
I was thinking that myself, but never seen them bowling. In addition, the road is very twisty and has quite alot of potholes, which didn't appear to me to be suitable - maybe I'm wrong. From a safety point of view it may have been ok in the days of the horse and cart, but now it's an accident waiting to happen. If they are undertaking any activity on a public road, they should at least have signs warning approaching traffic!
Brosnabirder
Well-known member
http://www.drogheda.ie/cms/publish/roadbowling.php
Just googled this Derek. I'm no expert on Road Bowling at all. I lived in Drogheda for 6 months a few years ago but I'm a bit hazy on the geography. Would this be in the same area as you mentioned above? Maybe they were marking the course in preparation for a game but I thought the grass was used to mark positions after each throw. As I say I'm no expert on it.
I'd say too a couple of pounds of metal whizzing along made a few cart horses jumpy in the olden days too
Just googled this Derek. I'm no expert on Road Bowling at all. I lived in Drogheda for 6 months a few years ago but I'm a bit hazy on the geography. Would this be in the same area as you mentioned above? Maybe they were marking the course in preparation for a game but I thought the grass was used to mark positions after each throw. As I say I'm no expert on it.
I'd say too a couple of pounds of metal whizzing along made a few cart horses jumpy in the olden days too
Peter Phillips
Well-known member
Dam and Blast!
I was at Baltray this morning and having checked the two areas on the beach,I headed north to check the rest of the shoreline with no success. I completely ignored the road.
All quite today elsewhere.
It is indeed road bowls every Sunday morning, and has gone on there for years. They normally have people at either end, either stopping or slowing the traffic, or waving you on. And I think the case probably is that the windier the road is the better.... The All Ireland final was on there last winter one of the days we were trying to do the iwebs count, not too many birds around that day!
I am trying to attach two pictures of sparrows in the snow today. Not sure if I have managed it and also think another picture is a juvenile robin from last spring. Is the bird sitting on fence behind hawthorn leaves a dunnock or what, not sure?
Attachments
Pair of Shoveler still at Beaulieu though as soon as I set up to photograph the male, he scooted off around the other side, so that's my excuse for poor quality photos. Quite a lot of Teal, Moorhen and Mallard as well. Herons setting up home in the trees make an interesting sight. Didn't see any Little Egrets in there today.
Hi Dolce, I cannot see the possible Dunnock in your photo, probably just my bad eyesight!
Hi Dolce, I cannot see the possible Dunnock in your photo, probably just my bad eyesight!
Attachments
Peter Phillips
Well-known member
Pictures 1 and 2 ;2 male House Sparrows
Pictures 3 and 4 ; Juv. Robin
Picture 5; Spiders Web!
Good to see you using the camera. Looking forward to more garden pictures.
Ah yes, the road bowls ..... you haven't lived down there in Dundalk Derek if you don't have road bowls!! It's very popular here and you learn how to throw a ball around a curvy road .... and live dangerously at the same time, what more can you ask for?? (ok maybe a Snow Bunting ouch, sorry).
Peter Phillips
Well-known member
Nice shots Margaret and Maurice.
Its hard to believe how busy all the local patches are getting. If you look at the local patch page it lists the 25 most recently visited 'Local Patch'. Only a couple of weeks ago it was taking 3-4 days to fill the 25 slots. By the next week or two the 25 slots will be filled daily.
I managed to get out for an hour this evening. The docks were quiet. I could not see a Ruff anywhere. The geese were out in force at Lurgangreen, including at least 3 Pink footed Geese.
They are there, honest!
117 Pink footed Goose.
Its hard to believe how busy all the local patches are getting. If you look at the local patch page it lists the 25 most recently visited 'Local Patch'. Only a couple of weeks ago it was taking 3-4 days to fill the 25 slots. By the next week or two the 25 slots will be filled daily.
I managed to get out for an hour this evening. The docks were quiet. I could not see a Ruff anywhere. The geese were out in force at Lurgangreen, including at least 3 Pink footed Geese.
They are there, honest!
117 Pink footed Goose.
Attachments
Brosnabirder
Well-known member
Is this a challenge. Spot the geese.
I think I see 2-3 in the second group of geese in from the left hand side of the picture. Think I see dark heads and lighter bodies. The group I'm talking about has four geese in total in it.
Are those the ones Peter?
I'm probably totally wrong now
Derek Watters
Well-known member
No road bowls up here in Dundalk Margaret or snow bunting either!!! Maybe one of the bowlers hit them.
Peter Phillips
Well-known member
Is this a challenge. Spot the geese.
I think I see 2-3 in the second group of geese in from the left hand side of the picture. Think I see dark heads and lighter bodies. The group I'm talking about has four geese in total in it.
Are those the ones Peter?
Yes. I think you can just about make out the 3 dark necks! It was much easier when they were 'heads up'. I took about 20 digiscoped shots and would you believe not a single bird had its head up in any of the shots. They must have been busy getting some food into them, before they went to roost. Its a great place for geese, but from the end of the lane (where I took the shots)they are always very distant, unless they are having a bath/drink in one of the channels.
