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County Galway Birding (local patch) (9 Viewers)
- Thread starter birdsgalway
- Start date
Dermot Breen
Well-known member
172 Arctic Skua, A.O'Donaill.
173 Sooty Shearwater, D.Breen.
I hopefully should have one or two more for the list tomorrow..
Dermot
173 Sooty Shearwater, D.Breen.
I hopefully should have one or two more for the list tomorrow..
Dermot
Dermot Breen
Well-known member
birdsgalway
Tom Cuffe
Mediterranean, Glaucous and Ring-billed Gulls at Nimmo's this evening.
I assume the Med gull is 2nd summer.
Common Tern feeding juvenile's at the end of Nimmo's Pier.
Small Copper butterfly at Carnmore last week.
I assume the Med gull is 2nd summer.
Common Tern feeding juvenile's at the end of Nimmo's Pier.
Small Copper butterfly at Carnmore last week.
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birdsgalway
Tom Cuffe
Dermot Breen
Well-known member
175 Wilson's Petrel, John Brittain
Dermot Breen
Well-known member
The Bridges have been reasonably quiet to date, 1 Wilson's there last week, didn't hear who had it. Still plenty of time for the good stuff to turn up.
Its been slow here too in Galway as per usual.
On a similar note I came across the following paper "SHEARWATERS AND OTHER SEABIRDS AT SLYNE HEAD, CO. GALWAY, IN THE AUTUMN OF 1969, J. Sheldon and D. Bradshaw" in the 1970 Seabird Report.
http://www.seabirdgroup.org.uk/journals/seabird_2.pdf
Grand totals of birds passing north and south at Slyne Head, 27th August- 10th September 1969. Btw. they only clocked up 102 hours of seawatching, lazy sods!
Species: passing North, passing South.
Cory's Shearwater: 7, 3
Great Shearwater: 45, 188
Cory's/Great Shearwater: 1080, 776
Sooty Shearwater: 213, 172
Manx Shearwater: 10991, 3532
Fulmar: 7193, 3203
Gannet: 6184+, 800+
Kittiwake: 720, 72
Auk sp.: 317, 7
The strangest result is that the majority of the birds were recorded flying North? Were these birds using the waters off Slyne Head as a feeding area at the time? Pity they didn't record skuas though I think skua field identication at the time would have been very basic to say the least.
I found the following in the 1969 Seabird Report
"Adrian Warwick-Hailer observed similar movement from the mainland from August 13. Great Shearwaters were seen in numbers on 8th and 9th (300 an hour N on 8th, up to 600 on 9th)."
It would appear that Sheldon and Bradshaw may have also Slyne Head previously to 1969 but I can't find any reference to this as the 1969 Seabird Report was the first of its kind.
Mouth watering stuff...
Dermot
Its been slow here too in Galway as per usual.
On a similar note I came across the following paper "SHEARWATERS AND OTHER SEABIRDS AT SLYNE HEAD, CO. GALWAY, IN THE AUTUMN OF 1969, J. Sheldon and D. Bradshaw" in the 1970 Seabird Report.
http://www.seabirdgroup.org.uk/journals/seabird_2.pdf
Grand totals of birds passing north and south at Slyne Head, 27th August- 10th September 1969. Btw. they only clocked up 102 hours of seawatching, lazy sods!
Species: passing North, passing South.
Cory's Shearwater: 7, 3
Great Shearwater: 45, 188
Cory's/Great Shearwater: 1080, 776
Sooty Shearwater: 213, 172
Manx Shearwater: 10991, 3532
Fulmar: 7193, 3203
Gannet: 6184+, 800+
Kittiwake: 720, 72
Auk sp.: 317, 7
The strangest result is that the majority of the birds were recorded flying North? Were these birds using the waters off Slyne Head as a feeding area at the time? Pity they didn't record skuas though I think skua field identication at the time would have been very basic to say the least.
I found the following in the 1969 Seabird Report
"Adrian Warwick-Hailer observed similar movement from the mainland from August 13. Great Shearwaters were seen in numbers on 8th and 9th (300 an hour N on 8th, up to 600 on 9th)."
It would appear that Sheldon and Bradshaw may have also Slyne Head previously to 1969 but I can't find any reference to this as the 1969 Seabird Report was the first of its kind.
Mouth watering stuff...
Dermot
Dermot Breen
Well-known member
What's the story with access to Slyne Head these days? I spent two separate weeks nearby in recent years but first time couldn't find public access so gave up on idea of seawatching - but wouldn't mind another try some August (or May). I know there's still the extra problem of birds passing beyond the islands i.e. mainland only goes so far which might explain so many unidentified large shears in 1969. But it would be handy to know if the local landowner(s) allow access.
Dermot Breen
Well-known member
Hi Paul,
Unfortunately you can forget about public access out to the head itself (where have I heard that before!). There is one difficult landowner who owns just about everything West of the caravan park. He wouldn't be long in telling anyone where to go with themselves if they stray past this point. A great shame really. I know the skua work that was done in the early 80's was carried out on Slyne Head proper i.e. Oileán Imill, the Lighthouse Island. As you say everything passes at a great distance when viewed from the mainland. The same applies to the entire West coast of Galway and even Inishmore with islands 2.5km off the West side. Inishbofin would probably be the only viable opinion.
Dermot
Unfortunately you can forget about public access out to the head itself (where have I heard that before!). There is one difficult landowner who owns just about everything West of the caravan park. He wouldn't be long in telling anyone where to go with themselves if they stray past this point. A great shame really. I know the skua work that was done in the early 80's was carried out on Slyne Head proper i.e. Oileán Imill, the Lighthouse Island. As you say everything passes at a great distance when viewed from the mainland. The same applies to the entire West coast of Galway and even Inishmore with islands 2.5km off the West side. Inishbofin would probably be the only viable opinion.
Dermot
Cheers Dermot,
Sad but predictable. Ireland really needs something like the recently-passed(?) Marine and Coastal Access Bill for England:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/documents/countryside/coastal-maca-policy.pdf.
Luckily the Waterford headlands are still accessible and producing the Balearics (and their trickier relative
) recently - hopefully something good this weekend too. Not sure we'll catch up with Galway's year-list but will be trying (Waterford still on 170 but ahead of last year anyway).
Sad but predictable. Ireland really needs something like the recently-passed(?) Marine and Coastal Access Bill for England:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/documents/countryside/coastal-maca-policy.pdf.
Luckily the Waterford headlands are still accessible and producing the Balearics (and their trickier relative
) recently - hopefully something good this weekend too. Not sure we'll catch up with Galway's year-list but will be trying (Waterford still on 170 but ahead of last year anyway).Dermot Breen
Well-known member
Today at Glennamaddy Turlough - 63 Grey Herons, 65 Ringed Plover, 25 Golden Plover, 43 Dunlin, 1 juv Knot, 5 Ruff, 52 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Whimbrel, 2 Greenshank and 1 Turnstone. No open areas of water left, just a few channels. Another week of this weather and all the mud will be well and truly baked solid.
Kiltullagh Lough - 15 juv Knot in one tight flock (by far the highest number I've seen inland), 2 Ruff, 1 Dunlin, 6 Golden Plover, 1 Water Rail and 1 Whooper Swan. Lots of water still. All the waders were up in the NW corner. Views were a little distant due to fields full of a bunch boisterous bullocks and one large bull. Normally don't mind cattle but these lads looked like they were looking for trouble!
Nothing at Loughs Curragh, Polleagh, Pollnacreeve or Coolcam though a few hundred duck at the latter.
Dermot
Kiltullagh Lough - 15 juv Knot in one tight flock (by far the highest number I've seen inland), 2 Ruff, 1 Dunlin, 6 Golden Plover, 1 Water Rail and 1 Whooper Swan. Lots of water still. All the waders were up in the NW corner. Views were a little distant due to fields full of a bunch boisterous bullocks and one large bull. Normally don't mind cattle but these lads looked like they were looking for trouble!
Nothing at Loughs Curragh, Polleagh, Pollnacreeve or Coolcam though a few hundred duck at the latter.
Dermot
10 Curlew Sandpiper at Muckrush this afternoon. Plenty of mud. Not many other waders but a Peregrine had just bombed through as I arrived and put everything to flight. Warm weather promised for the next four days so conditions for waders will be perfect at Muckrush. 3 White-tailed Sea Eagles from the Kerry project near Oughterard on Thursday last.
Dermot Breen
Well-known member
177 Lapland Bunting, two, Inishbofin, Anthony McGeehan.
We were up to 189 this time last year though its very similar to the 2008 running total. Still missing alot of seabirds and I wouldn't hold out much hope for adding many of them in the next while. Looks like SE winds for the next week at least. I had 7 Long-tailed Skuas, 10+ Leach's Petrels and a juvenile Sabine's Gull off Kilcummin Head, Co. Mayo yesterday.
Dermot
We were up to 189 this time last year though its very similar to the 2008 running total. Still missing alot of seabirds and I wouldn't hold out much hope for adding many of them in the next while. Looks like SE winds for the next week at least. I had 7 Long-tailed Skuas, 10+ Leach's Petrels and a juvenile Sabine's Gull off Kilcummin Head, Co. Mayo yesterday.
Dermot
Paul Troake
troakiebloky
Highlights from Rahasane this morning were a spotted redshank and 3 ruff. Not much water at the moment, so waterbird numbers were low. Only other waders I saw were 25+ black-wits, 2 greenshank, 3 dunlin, 30+ lapwing, 3 curlew and a handful of snipe. Also 12 wigeon, 30+ teal and 7 egrets. A juv male hen harrier was in residence, mostly perched, as was a juv. peregrine.
Later on I saw another peregrine over Ballinamana, and a third, an adult, was perched out on Mweenish Island (Ballynacourty). At least 34 white wagtails and a couple of wheatears were also here, plus 35 razorbills off the tip at high tide. Good numbers of small tortoiseshells too.
Troakie
Later on I saw another peregrine over Ballinamana, and a third, an adult, was perched out on Mweenish Island (Ballynacourty). At least 34 white wagtails and a couple of wheatears were also here, plus 35 razorbills off the tip at high tide. Good numbers of small tortoiseshells too.
Troakie
Dermot Breen
Well-known member
http://www.freewebs.com/punkbirder/earlisthenewgloria.htm
So who's going to do Inishmore for the next week then?
So who's going to do Inishmore for the next week then?
