Dublin Birding (4 Viewers)

[GreyEagle]

Hi,
Living on the coast of Meath, I’m caught between the might of Dublin and the birding enthusiasm of the wee county. There is no Local Patch covering our short 10km of coastline so I will post to both Dublin & Louth.

Yesterday afternoon (Sat 20th Sept) I saw 9 Brent Geese at the Nanny estuary in Laytown. Am I right is surmising that it is very early for the geese to arrive here for the winter?

Paddy

 

[stevensi]

Well the brent geese are finally starting to arrive in good numbers now. I had a large number on Sandymount Strand last evening...wonderful sight seeing them fly in. Also big numbers of redshank, black headed gulls and a good number of bar tailed godwits.

The only other thing of interest was the number of meadow pipits around espcially in Poolbeg I counted groups of 15 to 20 together at some stages...also had 1 skylark.

 

[paul Robinson]

Bull Island today 3-5pm

Hi
Managed to catch the Bull on a hight tide going out.
Caught up with the blue winged teal finally south of the causeway at the outfall. Dropped the scope down, pointed at the nearest shoveler and there it was. Clearly bigger and greyer than nearby female teal - no brown or orange tones. Face and chin much whiter then the uniform brown/grey of teal and broken white eye ring clear. Did a nice wing preen for the money shot too.

Counted 108 wigeon, 44 shoveler, 200+ golden plover on the island side, 10 greenshank, 50+ redshank, 20 brent (with more landing all the time), 100+ bar tailed godwit, a few dunlin, 1 peregrine and a pair of pintail at the stream north of the causeway.

regards
Paul

 

[stevensi]

Not quite Dublin but on the Cork Dublin motorway yesterday I saw 6 kestrels along the route hovering along the verges of the road.
Last evening at the Irishtown Nature reserve I had one Snipe and a juv great crested grebe out at sea...

 

[derekbrown]

Hi all

Here are Purple sandpipers at scotmans bay in Dun Laoghaire

regards

 

[DEREK CHARLES]

On the 28th Dennis Weir and myself had the female Blue Winged Teal one hundred metres to the right of the causeway at the Bull Island.
Huge flock of Golden Plover also, in fact big numbers of everything. Fantastic place.

derek

 

[nialltkeogh]

2010 Dublin Bird Race - change of date

Hi all,

New details for the 20th annual Dublin Bird Race as posted on the IBN are as follows;

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In view of the current severe weather, which is forecast to continue
through next weekend, it has been decided on the grounds of safety, to
defer the date of the Dublin Bird Race until Saturday 23rd January.
Saturday 16th January was considered as an alternative date however as it
clashes with IWeBs and National Whopper Swan counts it was discounted. If
anyone is aware of potential participants who are not on the birdnet would
you please make them aware of the new date?

New details as follows:

DUBLIN COUNTY BIRD RACE 2010
Date: Saturday 23rd January
Meet: Booterstown car park at 08.00hrs
Start: 08.15hrs
Finish: 18.00hrs at The Yacht Pub (recently re-opened), Clontarf Road.
Teams: 3-4 people per car
Entry: 5 euro per person

EVERYONE WELCOME! If there are enough teams, there will be a two-tiered
category system - "Expert Birders" and "Not-quite-so-expert Birders" -
so no excuse not to take part.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All the best,
Niall

 

[Captain_of_Crunch]

Unusual Chaffinch photographed in Dublin Zoo today:

http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/20307/Chaffinch.html

I have just checked the Field Guide to the Atlantic Islands and this bird matches none of the described forms (or North African Chaffinch). The closest would be Azorean or Madeirean Chaffinch, but the colouring of the head is different, amongst other features. I guess it might just be an aberrant Chaffinch lacking brown pigment.

More aberrant Chaffinches:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=160979

 

[Peter Phillips]

Thanks for that Peppershrike.

I had another look this morning and the bird has greenish cheeks and and orange breast..so I think this rules out any of the african subspecies .

Thanks for the link. If I get some decent shots I will post them on the Chaffinch thread.

Peter

Unusual Chaffinch photographed in Dublin Zoo today:

http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/20307/Chaffinch.html

I have just checked the Field Guide to the Atlantic Islands and this bird matches none of the described forms (or North African Chaffinch). The closest would be Azorean or Madeirean Chaffinch, but the colouring of the head is different, amongst other features. I guess it might just be an aberrant Chaffinch lacking brown pigment.

More aberrant Chaffinches:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=160979

 

[paul Robinson]

Rather beautiful looking leucistic black headed gull snapped by Sean Geraty in the Phoenix Park today

http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/20453/Blackheaded_Gull.html

anyone know where abouts in the park roughly & time?
Paul

 

[Peter Phillips]

not sure but the gulls are usually found either on the polo grounds just north of the zoo or on the 15 acres beside the popes cross

Rather beautiful looking leucistic black headed gull snapped by Sean Geraty in the Phoenix Park today

http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/20453/Blackheaded_Gull.html

anyone know where abouts in the park roughly & time?
Paul

 

[stevensi]

Hi,

This morning at Dun Laoghaire the Red necked Grebe is still present at the east pier. Also present were a pair of red breasted mergansers, 5 great crested grebe's (coming into summer plummage), 2 razorbills and 2 Guillemots.

At the base of the east pier the black redstart is sill showing well feeding in the seaweed.

Ian

 

[hjvandijk]

http://bwireland.observado.org/index.php?lang=en&local=xx

 

[Sancho]

I know technically it´s Wicklow, not Dublin, but a friend reports a dozen Little Terns arriving at Kilcoole yesterday evening.

 

[paul Robinson]

North end of Bull Island badly burnt

Hi
Extensive burnt areas on the north end - never saw anything in the news but it looks a few days old.
Seems to be a lot of fire setting going on, especially in the west? A field in tallaght near where I work has been set on fire several times in the week too.
Very odd carry on!
Carrion crow & willow warbler on the Bull anyway & two sand martins at the church next to the botanical Gardens with several swallows.
Paul

 

[Sancho]

Does anyone know where Dwyer´s Chair is in Glenmalure? I know Michael Dwyer´s Rock, overlooking the old barracks at Drumgoff bridge/crossroads from the hill to the NW of same. But I´ve never heard of the Chair. Want to go and look for GW there.

 

[JK001]

Hi there,

Did anyone happen to be looking skyward at about 12:15 today in the Rathmines area? A large bird circling caught my eye. My first thought went to buzzard, but after watching it for a bit (without optics unfortunately), I soon decided it wasn't that. It had very pronounced white patches on the underside of the wings near the tips. It didn't look like any bird of prey I've seen, so my best guess is that it was a red kite. It was too high to see much detail like the forked tail though. It hardly seemed to flap its wings at all and then headed north at speed.

JK

 

[dariuszadamkiewicz]

Hi guys! I’m a wildlife photographer/birdwatcher from Poland. Next week I’m traveling to Dublin (3-19 June) to take pictures of birds. I’d like to reach somebody who would be able to show me birding spots in area of Dublin. I’ve been dreaming about pictures of puffins, gannets or fulmars. I can repay being a birding guide in Poland.
Thx in advance!
D. Adamkiewicz

 

[Sancho]

Hi guys! I’m a wildlife photographer/birdwatcher from Poland. Next week I’m traveling to Dublin (3-19 June) to take pictures of birds. I’d like to reach somebody who would be able to show me birding spots in area of Dublin. I’ve been dreaming about pictures of puffins, gannets or fulmars. I can repay being a birding guide in Poland.
Thx in advance!
D. Adamkiewicz

I think the only place in Dublin you can get photos of these three breeding is a little rocky island called "Ireland´s Eye" off the coast off Dublin, not far from the airport. You can´t land on the island, but I think you can get a boat to take you out to circle it from the village of Howth.

 

[dariuszadamkiewicz]

I think the only place in Dublin you can get photos of these three breeding is a little rocky island called "Ireland´s Eye" off the coast off Dublin, not far from the airport. You can´t land on the island, but I think you can get a boat to take you out to circle it from the village of Howth.

Thanks for the information. I'm familiar with Howth, I was taking pictures of seals there two years ago. What other places do you recomend?