County Galway Birding (local patch) (1 Viewer)

[Neil Sharkey]

BridWatch Galway Talk

To round off what must have been one of the most remarkable weeks in Galway BirdWatching why not come along to Pete Capsey's talk on
'The Magic of Rahasane Turlough' on Friday next at 8pm in the Anno Santo Hotel Threadneedle Road.
Hope to see as many as possible there.

 

[birdsgalway]

News Update

County List
202 Rose-coloured Starling Inishmore Dermot Breen and the Punkbirders
203 Short-eared Owl Curraghline Paraic Reaney and Aonghus O'Donnaill

 

[Helsinki Birder]

15 Ring necked duck out on Inishmore! A flock that came in from the sea.
Awesome.

Owen

 

[Brosnabirder]

Amazing record of 15 RN Duck

Nothing so exciting at Rahasane this afternoon,
1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 4 Ruff, 1 Grey Plover. Also on Monday 2 Oystercatchers. There is a real flavour of the coast about the place these days.
I couldn't see the Pecs but there was a huge flock of Golden Plover and Godwits on the southern side so they may well still be there.

 

[Brosnabirder]

Curraghline this evening
1 female Marsh Harrier, 1 Short-eared Owl, 2 - 4 Merlin, 2 Hen Harriers. Water Rail.
Good evening out, everything seemed to be mobbing everything else.

 

[birchall]

Can anybody give me an update, directions or grid ref on the Little Blue Heron. Is it still in Barnaderg bay?

 

[birdsgalway]

Brendan

Attached google map should help. Reports indicate it was there all day today.
For anyone travelling from Galway I would go into Clifden and turn right on to the N56 at the Church much better road. The other road is very poor.

Tom was the SEO down where the Bittern was released?

 

[birchall]

Tom,
Thanks for that. I hope to get up there tomorrow or Fri.

 

[Lawts]

Hi, hoping to get across this weekend, probably flying to Knock on Saturday, returning to Manchester Sunday. Can anyone recommend any good accomodation and cheap car hire around Knock?

Also, any other good birding areas in the vicinity of the LBH would be much appreciated.

Fingers crossed it sticks, and thanks in anticipation.

 

[birdsgalway]

Clifden has a few very nice Hotels at this link
http://www.discoverireland.ie/WEST/where-to-stay.aspx
Closer to Letterfrac check these links
http://www.rosleague.com/
http://www.letterfracklodge.com/
http://www.discoverireland.ie/WEST/where-to-stay.aspx
Carhire
http://www.discoverireland.ie/di/re...9&Radius=0&rbSelect=&SortBy=1&SubCategoryID=0

Other locations for birding you could try anywhere along the coast towards Ballyconneely or Connermara National Park

 

[Dermot Breen]

Totals from Inishmore yesterday 8th October 2008.
15 Ring-necked Ducks
2 Yellow-browed Warblers
3 Garden Warblers
17 Chiffchaffs (good fall)
1 Whinchat
1 "rostrata" Redpoll

News from Rob Vaughan this morning includes Long-billed Dowitcher back again, 15 Ring-necks still present, 4 Jack Snipe and 1 Yellow-browed Warbler so far. Can't imagine weather conditions are great out there today.

Thread on the 15 Ring-necked Ducks here
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1305569#post1305569
Is this yet another addition to county yearlist? Any chance of seeing the complete list up here?

Dermot

 

[birdsgalway]

County List
204 Ring-necked duck Inishmore James Gilroy.

For some reason I thought the Ring-neck Duck was already on the list but it was not, although I have a vague recollection that Paul Kelly had one on Loughrea earlier in the year or was that last year.

I assume 'rostrata' Redpoll (Greenland) and 'cabaret' Redpoll (North Western) are sub species of Carduelis flammea.
Any one like to expand on this.

List to date is attached.

 

[Paul Troake]

I assume 'rostrata' Redpoll (Greenland) and 'cabaret' Redpoll (North Western) are sub species of Carduelis flammea.
Any one like to expand on this.

Hi Tom

Redpoll taxonomy is a complex issue...
The British Ornithologists Union split Redpoll in to two species in 2001:

Lesser Redpoll C. cabaret (monotypic)
Common Redpoll C. flammea (includes Mealy Redpoll C. f. flammea, Greater Redpoll C. f. rostrata and Icelandic Redpoll C. f. islandica)

Lesser Redpoll, cabaret, is the common species in Ireland and across much of Europe.
rostrata is also referred to as Greenland Redpoll (though I believe that's confusing to American birders since that's what they call the Greenland race of Arctic Redpoll!).
islandica's status as a seperate subspecies is open to debate - some believe that rostrata should include the Icelandic birds. Thus, the term 'North-western' Redpoll I presume encompasses the Greenland and Iceland populations (ie. rostrata/islandica).
Hopefully this explanation hasn't made things even more confusing!?

I've attached a couple of record shots of the RND flock, digiscoped in fading light on 8th. Also 16 whoopers there.

Troakie

 

[Dermot Breen]

Paul Kelly had a Lesser Scaup on Loughrea the winter just gone and a Ring-necked Duck at Portumna, Lough Derg in Feb 06.

Yet another addition to the list from Inishmore.
205 Juv/fem Blue-winged Teal in flooded fields behind Kilmurvy Beach found by Rich Moores. Flew off east. Hopefully will pitch down in Loch Phort Chorrúch or the lough at Barr and Phointe.
Headed back out this evening, weather to clear overnight so fingers crossed.
We have to pull a Yank passerine out of the bag this year!

Redpolls are a bit of nightmare. We had a few birds up in Falsterbo, Sweden which looked like flammea plumage wise but had cabaret measurements and vice versa?! Think it may have been one of the few cases that BOU were too quick to split. No one knows where exactly the islandica population fits into the whole equation.

Dermot

 

[Lawts]

Thanks Tom. Booked on a flight next week so just hope it now sticks.

 

[birdsgalway]

County List

206 Yellow Wagtail Inishmore Dermot Breen 11.10.08
207 Red-brested Flycatcher Inishmore Dermot Breen 12.10.08

Thanks lads on the education re the Redpoll.

Clare News MEGA NEWS (Loophead Kilbaha)
PHILADELPHIA VIREO
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/693/overview/Philadelphia_Vireo.aspx

Little Blue Heron was showing well yesterday down to 10 feet the bird appears to have settled in and is almost tame.
Video and pics in later.

 

[Brosnabirder]

Rahasane Saturday,
1 Spotted Redshank and 1 Ruff. Large flocks of Golden Plover and Godwits but they were distant.

Also went out to have a second look at the Little Blue Heron yesterday which is still attracting a few people. I must have just missed you there Tom. I was there about midday or just before. The Avoca gift shop has a little Blue Heron visitor book now.

Semipalmated Sandpiper on Inishmore today on the beach at Kilmurvey.

 

[birdsgalway]

Few shots of the Little Blue Heron yesterday.
First two shots DSLR and the last shot is Digiscoped with Cp8400

 

[DEREK CHARLES]

Hello Tom,
What this thread really needs is a picture of a Little Blue Heron!

Derek

 

[nialltkeogh]

Great craic!!!

http://www.freewebs.com/punkbirder/inishmore2008.htm

http://www.freewebs.com/punkbirder/news.htm

See Ya,
Niall