[Enda]

Cuckoo showed well today in the cooley mountains

Enda
www.cooleywildlifephotography.com

[Derek Watters]

Originally Posted by Enda

Cuckoo showed well today in the cooley mountains

Enda
www.cooleywildlifephotography.com

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!

[Enda]

Originally Posted by Derek Watters

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

[Dolce]

Originally Posted by breffni

Male pied wagtail - they can be quite variable in the extent of black...

thanks just back from Mallorca.

[Dolce]

Originally Posted by gareth2005

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).

[frank c]

Sorry Boys,
Seen a Iceland Gull on the beach at Templetown yesterday, forgot to post.

[Derek Watters]

Originally Posted by frank c

Sorry Boys,
Seen a Iceland Gull on the beach at Templetown yesterday, forgot to post.

No sign of it this afternoon. Saw two manxies far out - my first of the "SUMMER"!
PS Cuckoo back this evening in Glenmore after a few days break - can hear it now from my window.
PS2 Also worth keeping an eye out for White tailed Eagle "Star" - last gps at Newgrange.

[Enda]

Buzzard shot from the Cooley mountains yesterday

Enda

[breffni]

Nice shot Enda - wish we had one for our birding weekend!

I had a confusing bird that turned out to be a very dark purple sandpiper yesterday - today its still hanging around associating with the flock of dunlins at cooley point...

[Dolce]

some photos in my garden except first one taken over a small river on edge of woods here today....... I saw 3 odd large olivey coloured plainish backed upright stance birds ........ bit odd but maybe juvenile Mistle Thrushes not sure as really wrong colours for adults. They put me in mind of Skylarks at first but have to see again ....

[frank c]

Wood Warbler giving views down to twenty feet, Hawthorne Hill Slieve Gullion
Forest Park, Walk up the hill for about 400 yards, about fifty yards into the woods on your left hand side.

[Dolce]

Pretty sure they are 3 lovely juvenile Mistle Thrushes as I got a bit closer and they have plain fawny backs really. On saturday I also saw 3 maybe 4 beautiful but skinny juvenile Song Thrushes flying from low wall to other side of woods road right in front of me. It puzzled me for ages wondering what on earth they could be and then dawned on me.
I notice the Blue Tit and Great Tit bring their young always to feed up high in the birdhouse for seeds (have 3 juvenile of each sort daily) or at least where they encourage them to feed and not on tray on ground wisely. I watched one juvenile Great Tit take yonks to figure out how to feed on the squirrel proof peanut feeder, it was on top of it and under it and I thought it would never work it out ........... but it did finally. I have 3 lovely juvenile Starlings also and noticed one juvenile Coal Tit so far. I also have 2 little Redpolls who come together every few hours and only feed seeds up in birdhouse also with other juveniles ....... they do not go near the Niger seed oddly and wondering if they are juveniles too.

[Peter Phillips]

I had a cuckoo today at Rahanna Ardee.

[Dolce]

I was so lucky to see what I think is a wild Hare but maybe wrong. I only had time for a quick walk but got pic of a beauty of a female Bullfinch, also think Chiffchaff and query last small bird with longish pointy beak.

[Irish Kite]

Originally Posted by Dolce

I was so lucky to see what I think is a wild Hare but maybe wrong. I only had time for a quick walk but got pic of a beauty of a female Bullfinch, also think Chiffchaff and query last small bird with longish pointy beak.

Looks like a rabbit TBH:)

[Dolce]

Originally Posted by Irish Kite

Looks like a rabbit TBH:)

There were two of these running about and wondered if young ones ..... as I saw a much larger one another day. I see the ears need to be much longer for Hares from looking at photos.

[Dolce]

I noticed it for ages in Hawthorns first with such yellow in the wings, heavily streaked chest and thought Twite immediately as right size. (saw an identical bird beside Dominican chapel about 4 years past). Next thing it was down feeding and stayed all day till evening but constantly moving a lot and difficult to get close enough without disturbing to get a decent photo. The photos do not do it justice at all as such a beauty up close with binoculars.

[Dolce]

The Complete Field Guide to Irelands birds by Eric Dempsey & Michael O'Cleary is a really fabulous book and drawings unbelievable (so good).

[Enda]

a few shots from the weekend were jays,buzzards,red squirrels and pine marten all showed well
Enda
www.cooleywildlifephotography.com

[paul Robinson]

Continuous stream of manx shearwater (1000+) going North to South yesterday morning 10-30 to 11.30 into the wind. Views down to 50m. Not really dressed for it and my right ear begged for mercy after the hour.
regards
Paul

[mak3154]

Originally Posted by Enda

a few shots from the weekend were jays,buzzards,red squirrels and pine marten all showed well
Enda
www.cooleywildlifephotography.com

great shots Enda,
WOOD WARBLER still at slieve gullion

[carmojp]

I have set up a new Twitter account called ECoastBirdNews (www.twitter.com/ECoastBirdNews) which I hope will mirror the great work that Colin Barton has done with CorkBirdNews. Please text me your news from Co. Louth and follow the news on Twitter. If anybody does not have my mobile number, please email me.

Thanks

Mark

[breffni]

Wood warbler not at Slieve Gullion yesterday - heard a spotted flycatcher on the upper part of the path...
Today a few manzies on the east wind very far out...

[gareth2005]

Where is the cheapest place locally to get a 20kg back of Peanuts, Jollies in Newry seem to have raised there prices since last time :(

[Dolce]

Originally Posted by gareth2005

Where is the cheapest place locally to get a 20kg back of Peanuts, Jollies in Newry seem to have raised there prices since last time :(

I mostly go to Barneys just across from bus station as if you go regularly you definitely get offered an even better price per weight of bird food. Most of us keep and reuse the clear thick plastic long bags there for weighing how much you want. He has bunches of fresh millet stalks which birds go mad for (just tie them to a branch). I have to say I also buy Robin no mess no fuss with insects seed bags or Mealworm seed treats in Poundstretcher at 3.99 as a base and I would then mix in plenty Barneys seeds especially red and white millet for my Reed buntings, shelled sunflower, finch mix, his chopped peanut mixture etc. I experiment with different mixtures added but now know a flock of Reeds will descend together out of the blue and clean a tray mixed with red and white millet seed in minutes ......... the same tray of seeds would last Sparrows etc hours. I have a few Reeds mostly females or juveniles that hang around all day but the flock (about 10 to 15) of them that descends occasionally do not hang around and just come to clean you out ........
I make tubs of melted lard, flour, oat flakes and sultanas etc for the Starlings and fatballs from Poundstretcher as best value and nothing left behind. I did notice Jollies dear for peanuts, my father also said that and we mostly get peanuts in Poundstretcher if not all GONE or Barneys.