• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Nimmo's Pier (1 Viewer)

Clive Watson

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit ampheta
Following on from a recent thread about birding in Ireland, can anyone provide a recent update on what gulls are to be found at Nimmo's Pier at the moment? Last March I saw 6+ Icelands (1 3rd-winter, 1 (distant) adult and all the rest 1st-winters), just 1 near-adult Glaucous (I think it was a very poor winter for them last year) and two Ring-billeds (adult and 2nd-winter). The American Herring was about but we missed it. What are things like this winter?
 
Clive

In the last two weeks, adult smickers, 1w smickers, 1+ kumliens 8 - 9 icelands, 2 - 3 glaucs, 2+ ring billeds, forsters tern, on and off

Rich Bonser is there this weekend and Derek Charles will be there next weekend, no doubt we will be updated by the lads on their return

ATB

Paul
 
Sounds like things are broadly similar. I'm trying to wangle a weekend there soon but work is proving very difficult to work around. I've seen a few shots on Surfbirds and other sites of adult Iceland and 2nd-winter Glaucous that I didn't manage last time which is tempting me! Plus the smithsonianus of course, which I've still never seen this side of the Atlantic (I dipped horrendously on one in Portugal during the International Gull Conference once). As an aside, can anyone recommend a good B+B in Galway that's within walking distance of Nimmo's Pier?
 
No, I was referring to the Ireland in Late March thread by Gareth Blockley. But thanks for the link, that looks very useful.
 
Sounds like things are broadly similar. I'm trying to wangle a weekend there soon but work is proving very difficult to work around. I've seen a few shots on Surfbirds and other sites of adult Iceland and 2nd-winter Glaucous that I didn't manage last time which is tempting me! Plus the smithsonianus of course, which I've still never seen this side of the Atlantic (I dipped horrendously on one in Portugal during the International Gull Conference once). As an aside, can anyone recommend a good B+B in Galway that's within walking distance of Nimmo's Pier?

Apologies if I sound like I'm trying to diddle the Irish tourist industry out of your tourist euro, but if you're tempted to go to see an adult Iceland Gull and a 2w Glaucous, have you considered going a bit further north for some March gull watching in SW Iceland? In mid-March you'll see hundreds if not thousands of Icelands and hundreds of Glaucous, plus Kumlien's, and if it turns your crank, more Glaucous x Herring hybrids than you can shake a stick at. We've even got a Thayer's here at the moment and as there are only three birders in the whole of Iceland who can be bothered to look through flocks of large white-headed gulls (and two of them are abroad until the spring), the chance of finding something good yourself is pretty high. Supporting cast of Gyr Falcon, Harlequin, Barrow's Goldenye and King Eider likely. Just a thought. Can't help on the Galway B&B.

E
 
Apologies if I sound like I'm trying to diddle the Irish tourist industry out of your tourist euro, but if you're tempted to go to see an adult Iceland Gull and a 2w Glaucous, have you considered going a bit further north for some March gull watching in SW Iceland? In mid-March you'll see hundreds if not thousands of Icelands and hundreds of Glaucous, plus Kumlien's, and if it turns your crank, more Glaucous x Herring hybrids than you can shake a stick at. We've even got a Thayer's here at the moment and as there are only three birders in the whole of Iceland who can be bothered to look through flocks of large white-headed gulls (and two of them are abroad until the spring), the chance of finding something good yourself is pretty high. Supporting cast of Gyr Falcon, Harlequin, Barrow's Goldenye and King Eider likely. Just a thought. Can't help on the Galway B&B.

E

Nimmo's Pier has the major plus point of being an excellent place for gull photography, can the same be said for SW Iceland? Of course, it all boils down to time and money, and it's actually the former which is causing the problem at the moment.
 
Nimmo's Pier has the major plus point of being an excellent place for gull photography, can the same be said for SW Iceland? Of course, it all boils down to time and money, and it's actually the former which is causing the problem at the moment.

I'll PM you, don't want to hijack this thread any further!
 
Warning! This thread is more than 16 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top