County Galway Birding (local patch) (2 Viewers)

[Dermot Breen]

Dead stuff!

I hope no one is particularly squeamish, if so best not look at the attached shots in detail!:eek!:
Was out by Dogs/Gorteen Bay today and came across these delightful items.
Badly decayed remains of a smallish bird with a wing length of approxiately 13cm. Small size, black primaries, possibly white tertials and location would suggest Little Auk? There was also the remains of a very similar type bird very close by. Can't find wing length of Little Auk anywhere, only wing span.
Picture of a Fulmar which was presumably taken by a Peregrine, only striped the breast.
Also long dead small cetacean and seal.
Otter fishing in Gorteen Bay also.

135 Barnacle Goose 20 -30 seen flying over Croaghnakeela Island (long way out).

Dermot

 

[KM1]

Hi Dermot,

That's certainly a grisly set of photographs you have put up! The suspected Little Auk wing would appear to check out OK. The measurements given in the old Witherby Handbook of British Birds (still an excellent reference if ever you come across a copy of the five volume set at a reasonable price) are wing length 118-129 for a male Little Auk, 112 - 123 mm for a first-winter. The corresponding measurement for Puffin is 153-166mm, and of course the white secondary/tertial tips would rule out a Puffin. This is an excuse to attach a scan of Charles Tunnicliffe's beautiful study of a dead Little Auk, painted 60 years ago, where he records the wing length as 125mm.

Cheers,

Killian

 

[birchall]

3 Waxwing and 1 Mistle Thrush at Newcastle today circa 4.45 pm - at times all sharing the berry tree. Scanned high trees for 4th Waxwing but could'nt find.
Can any of you botanists give me the name of the berry tree, please?

 

[birdsgalway]

Dermot would hardly call them 'delightful items' This is a good link to help you further in your grisly endeavors http://www.skullsite.com/index.htm

Brendan I would say it is a Rowan Tree (Sorbus aucuparia)

Just uploaded a 1min Video of the Kumlien's Gull taken on Sat 30 Jan
http://www.birdforum.tv/members/action/viewvideo/1367/Kumlien_s_Gull/

 

[Sean Nixon]

re Dead Stuff

Crikey, Dermot! Nearly choked on my cup of tea!
Does the Little auk count as a tick?!
Sean

 

[Dermot Breen]

Killian
Thanks for the measurements and the attachment.

Sean
I had one nearly a month back here flying through someones back garden about 6km inland from Clifden. Have seen them here previously also but have never had good views of a bird sitting in the water. A good thing it wasn't a tick, would a long stretch to tick a pile of bones and feathers

Dermot

 

[Lawts]

Hi just wondered if the American Herring Gull is still as in and out as the records suggest, or is it lack of birders mid-week on site, or is it so regular that you've stopped reporting.

I know a chap was over from England recently and it was reported along with the Forster's for which records are also very hit and miss.

Thinking of coming over for both. Any info. much appreciated.

 

[Dermot Breen]

Hi Steve

The adult American Herring Gull is proving to be very elusive this winter to some at least, myself included (not seen it at all)! It is usually found around the RNLI Station in the docks (looking across the harbour from Nimmo's itself). It just seems to do its own thing and we have no idea where it disappears to. I've seen it out at Rossaveel on at least two occasions and at Ballyloughaun (only a mile east of Nimmo's) once in the past. It could well ramble over the city for some of its time but good luck trying to pin it down if it does.

The Forsters is a bit more regular on the rocks/beach between Nimmo's Pier and the causeway out to Mutton Island. It has also been seen in the south of the county at Traught beach/Doorus Pier (near Kinvara), at Tawin Island and also at Rusheen Bay/Silver Strand. A good tip is if you see 4-5 Sandwich Terns in the area the Forster's will not be far away. It was seen over the weekend at Nimmo's at least.

Btw. I've since found out that the cetacean pictured above is a Common Dolphin. I've also seen a White-beaked Dolphin, Bottle-nosed Dolphin, another dolphin sp. and a Sowerbys Beaked Whale washed out here, most in last 2 months along with 3 Seals and still no Ivory Gull:C

Dermot

 

[birchall]

2 Waxwing and the Mistle Thrush at Newcastle today. Some photos (long overdue, Tom) attached. Too busy with photos and too pushed for time to look for the other waxwings. At the rate the berries have been depleted since my first visit 48 hours earlier, I'd say they won't stay around for much longer.

 

[John Carey]

Tom-thanks for the photo, drove by several times on way to work but no joy....

Dermot, funny you should find lots of dead stuff at dogs bay. I was out there about 4 weeks ago and found a dead cormorant. No photos though. Perhaps dogs bay though beautiful is becoming a place of doom!

I had a super sighting of a Sparrowhawk being mobbed by the crows in NUIG during the week. Anyone else ever seen this bird in that area?

 

[Brosnabirder]

Tom-thanks for the photo, drove by several times on way to work but no joy....

Dermot, funny you should find lots of dead stuff at dogs bay. I was out there about 4 weeks ago and found a dead cormorant. No photos though. Perhaps dogs bay though beautiful is becoming a place of doom!

I had a super sighting of a Sparrowhawk being mobbed by the crows in NUIG during the week. Anyone else ever seen this bird in that area?

Hi John,
I've seen Sparrowhawk a few times in Dangan and in NUIG.

This morning up at Cloosh, 1 Woodcock and 3 (minimum) Crossbill.
The 12 Bens and Maamturks looked particularly good today with a light dusting of snow on them.

 

[John Carey]

Just seen those now infamous newcastle waxwings....many thanks to those involved in getting me that tick!!!!!

Seen the mamturks alot this week Tom, they looked awesome.

 

[dan pointon]

Coming over to Nimmos area on the weekend of the 20th-22nd Feb, in the hope of connecting with the AHG and Forsters Tern. Although the Forsters appears to have become fairly regular in the area of recent, reports of the AHG seem to have been few and far between lately, even when there's been reports of Kumleins etc from the docks. I assume this is due to a lack of regular observer coverage rather than just the continued absence of the bird (I read above a post off one of the local birders saying he for one has made little effort to see the bird). We will have 3 days at in the area, Friday to Sunday, given a continued concerted effort to see the two mentioned target species, could any of the locals give me an indication of the liklihood of connecting?

Cheers

D

 

[neillsgonebirdin]

Visiting Galway

Hi, this is my first message ever posted on the forum, I'm comin over to Galway on Fri,13th Feb. with 3 other birders. Gonna be birdin around Galway fri-sat and then around the county sun-mon. Could any of the local birders offer any advice on the local specials, (AHG, Forsters, Surfetc) and also any other birds or birding areas that we should visit while on our travels,
cheers B

 

[birdsgalway]

Neill and Dan
Dermot's message above covers the situation on the American Herring Gull and the Forster's Tern. ('lack of effort' is not a term you could apply to Dermot regarding birding. His birding exploits are regarded as above and beyond the call of duty.)

The American Herring Gull is just down to luck. I seen it last on the 8th Jan. Sean Nixon photographed on the 25th Jan which is the last recorded sighting.

Other birds of note
Surf Scoter at Silver Strand
Iceland Gulls Nimmo's and the Docks
Glaucous Gulls Nimmo's and the Docks
Ring-billed Gulls Nimmo's
Adult Kumliens Gull Nimmo's and the Docks
1st winter Kumliens Gull Clifden
Forsters Tern with 6 Sandwich Terns on Claddagh Beach
Waxwings at Newcastle
Red-neck Grebe at Blackrock Salthill
Black-throated Divers Galway Bay
Great-northern divers Galway Bay
Red-throated Divers Galway Bay
A few web sites you might find useful
http://www.birdwatchgalway.org/whereto1.htm
http://www.birdwatchgalway.org/sightings.htm
http://www.birdsireland.com/index.html
http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web
Attached some google earth maps. The small fishing boat dock is the best location for the AHG and the Adult Kumliens.

 

[dan pointon]

Cheers BG, much appreciated! By the term 'lack of effort' I was being specific to the AHG, as I imagine many of the local birders have seen it many times and so don't spend long looking for it?

D

 

[paul Robinson]

Hi
If you are arriving on the ferry through Dublin you could take a look at Sandymount Strand (From dublin port turn left out of the port entrance, cross the river and follow the coast road round after the toll booth). Pretty certain to get Med gull. If you arrive at Dun Laoghaire there should be plenty of them there too, or turn right out of the terminal up the coast road to Sandymount Strand and Sandycove.(Look out for Glaucous or Ring billed or Little too!).
regards
Paul

 

[neillsgonebirdin]

Galway trip.

Thanks for the gen guys, really appreciated. Looking forward to 4 days of top Irish Birding! Any updates during the week would be most welcome.

Cheers Neill :t:

 

[paul Robinson]

Hi
Could I also suggest you get a copy of:

Finding Birds in Ireland - Eric Dempsey and Michael O'Clery

Good book to have and great detail on site access etc

Best of luck - Paul

 

[neillsgonebirdin]

Hi Paul.
could you beleive it, my darling wife bought me a copy of the book at christmas, a brilliant little book that will help us out no end! Birders wives, a good thing ?, sometimes.
Waxwings, Newcastle, is that an area of Galway city, in the north? can,t see it on me maps.

Neill, soon be drinkin' Guinness B