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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Tipperary/Offaly Birding (1 Viewer)

The Short-eared Owl was again present at Boora on Saturday. Seen by Pat Brennan in the morning perched and flying.
Unfortunately I missed it that evening.
I did see a Red-necked Phalarope on Saturday which Pat Brennan found that morning too. It was in the exact same place as last weeks bird and may be the same one. Some great finds lately.
There is some further info on the SEO and Phalarope on www.irishbirding.com Also a pic of the Phalarope taken on Saturday.

Also managed to catch up with one of Boora's Buzzards soaring over the farmlands area.
Lapwing adults and chicks in abundance too and the Partridge seem to have had a good breeding season so far. I also heard a few calling birds near the pens.
 
Negative news on the Red-necked Phalarope and Short-eared Owl at Boora today.
At Drinagh 2 Dunlin, 4 adult and 2 juvenile Ringed Plover .

Also there were 2 Red-breasted Mergansers at Goat Island, Lough Derg last Saturday. Male and female I forgot to mention it earlier. They're scarce breeders in Tipperary and Offaly. Thanks to Pat Brennan for the news.
 
1 Buzzard at a regular site in North Tipp today. Seen by Pat Brennan.

Last Saturday was very quiet at Ashton's Callow, Turraun and Boora Lake. A Ringed Plover and a small flock of Lapwing at Turraun the only birds of note whatever.
 
I finally got to my second visit to my two Atlas squares this week.
Highlights were a pair of Peregrine still present in one square. Unfortunately no young were visible. Also a pair of Grouse. A non bird sighting was a Pine Marten I've visited the square over 30 times over the last few years and this is the first time I've ever seen a Pine Marten here.

At Lough Eorna yesterday one Common Sandpiper (passage) was present. Two Common Sandpiper at Drinagh. Also one Black-tailed Godwit at Boora Lake. Thanks to Pat Brennan for those sightings.

Also last Thursday night, a Nightjar was heard near the Vee in the Knockmealdown Mts in South Tipp. Good to see them persisting here. See the Birdwatch Tipp website for some more details.
 
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Is the Nightjar site on a Coillte plantation?

I heard from a reliable source that they will take certain measures to preserve the Nightjars if they are informed about it.

Large mats can be placed down on the ground which curtails vegetation growth and maintains the bare sandy soil which is vital for nesting...

Regards,
Niall
 
Was at Drinagh today. A few waders about - 3 ad Dunlin, at least 10 Ringed Plovers (including fresh juvs, so must be breeding at the site), 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Redshank (getting late), 2 families of Great-crested Grebes and a single Kestrel.
At Boora Lake one ad Black-tailed Godwit with about 100 Lapwing and 14 Greylag Geese (at least one family party).

Dermot
 
The Little Brosna in this weather

Hi Tom,
Have you been out to the little brosna recently. I've been away for a while and need to catch up on whats happening there? Any sightings? whats the water level like.
 
Hi all,
has anyone been to Little Brosna callows recently? I've benn away for a few months and want too catch up on what's happening there. Any species to report? what are the water levels like?
 
Hi,

Myself and Noel Keogh stopped into Lough Ourna/Eorna on Friday eve on the way back to Dublin from Clare.

2 female Ruddy Ducks were seen in the narrow, reedy corner of the lake, viewed from where the horses browse the shoreline. (where the BWStilt was??)

Female Shoveler, 3 female Teal, c. 12-15 Tufted Duck (incl. juvs) and an alarm calling Blackcap were the only other birds of note. Lots of Swallows feeding over the water and plenty of breeding birds in evidence with juv. Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Great-crested Grebe and Little Grebe noted.

We called into the B&B to ask permission before going down to the shore.

See Ya,
Niall
 
Driving from Dublin to Cork this weekend I saw three birds of prey along the Cashel by-pass. A sparrohawk, a kestrel hovering along the verge (I see a kestrel every time I am on this piece of road which is quite often) and a bird i'm not too sure of but i'll give a brief description. It was flying quite low and it looked much like a large swift. It would beat it's wings two or three times rapidly (and it looked very rigid when it did this) and then glide.

I was thinking kestrel but it looked smaller then the one i saw further up the road. Has anyone any ideas?

Thanks

Ian
 
Hi Ian,
I travle that motorway a number of times a week, going from our Campus in Clonmel top our campus in thurles. I often see a few Kestrels hunting along it. The most I've seen on the stretch from the Cashel roundabout to the Chair/Clonmel roundabout is 4. in mid September I was surprised one morning to see a Buzzard on the edge of the motorway.
Not sure about your small bird?
Keep in touch
Mike
 
It is a great spot to see Kestrel alright. Also always see one along the verge of the motorway that bypasses fermoy as well...great to see.

I had a look on the rspb site and the description of the merlin and the hobby seemed to resemble what i saw but doubt it was a hoppy myself this late in the year. Might just have been kestrel...
 
Ian,
Yep, It’s really frustrating when you don’t get a good look at something or a good ID. I doubt it was a hobby, and I’ve never seem a Merlin along there, but you never know! The last thing I expected to see was a buzzard feeding along a motorway. I had a great view of a Kestrel this morning on the M8 near Cashel, it was a male sitting on a tree overlooking the motorway. We should be seeing more when the M8 bypassing the Horse & Jockey open soon.
 
I haven't been home for a while so haven't had a chance to get out and about.

There was a drake American Wigeon at Shannon Harbour today. Found by Pat Brennan. Great stuff
 
What's the status of Little Egret in Tipperary? Know that they are still quite rare in extreme inland Cork, though, perhaps, more common than we think (there are very few resident birders in north Cork, with only Ger Walsh near Mitchelstown coming to mind, and whoever happens to be warden at Kilcolman in a given year).
Buzzard, as I hinted in the Cork thread, is really starting to get, if not quite 'common', a lot more firmly established here now, with perhaps up to 20 known pairs at this stage...not bad, when one considers that they weren't proved to breed until 2004!
Regards,
Harry

Hi Harry, Just noticed your post re the status of Little Egret in Tipperary and Buzzards, I do the IWeBS count on the Little Brosna with Noel Bugler (NPWS).
We has three Little Egrets on the callows during the December count Mon 15th, We also had three on another recent count, prior to these sighting we had the odd one showing up, so they are spreading. I see them regularly between Clonmel and Thurles. I've got a link on Blog to a Little Egret survey I'm piloting for Co Tipperary, but I'm getting sightings in from a lot of other places also. I work at The Centre for Biodiversity at Tipperary Institute, we will be launching a Little Egret survey of Tipperary early in 2009.
As for Buzzards, I was watching a pair of buzzards in Tipperary, near Knocklofty Bridge from November 07 to March08, then I lost them. I saw a buzzard four times since September on the new section of road which links the N24 Clonmel/Cahir road to the M8 Motorway. I've seen a buzzard three times over the Centre for Biodiversity office at Ballingrane on the N24.
Records are coming into our biodiversity data base of buzzard sighting in Kilsheelan and around the Cahir / Clonmel area.
You came enter sighting of little Egrets on the Pilot survey by going to my Blog: http://www.mikemaunsell.net (I'll be launching the survey in January 2009 as the pilot survey was a success)
 
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Was down at Boora today and the place was alive with finches. Kieran Buckley and the other lads of the Irish Grey Partridge Conservation Trust have done great work with the sowing of areas of various crops which are greatly benefiting many other species. The new partridge area (south of Boora Lake) in particular was fantastic. Highlights included 100+ Chaffinches, 50 Redpoll, 20 Greenfinch, 50 Linnets, 10 Goldfinches, 7 Crossbills (in adjacent forestry), 100 Reed Buntings, 20 Skylarks, 2 Kestrels and a juv/first-winter Common Buzzard that was getting alot of stick from Rooks and 2 Ravens. 2 colour ringed Whoopers in amongst a flock of 100 Whoopers also nearby. Managed to the get one of the rings.
Shannon Harobur was nearly dry.
On to Blackwater Lake and while going through at 1500 Teal looking for a returning Green-winged Teal I came across a male Garganey, most unexpected! There was also an adult and first-winter female Hen Harrier hunting together out on the bog which were mobbed briefly by a Merlin at one stage!

Btw. although not in the area of this thread there are currently at least three different Lesser Scaups up in Westmeath at the moment. I saw the first-winter male and female on Lough Ennell on Saturday with the finder Paul Kelly. Paul had the adult male there the previous day and had it or another at Lough Owel on Sunday.

Dermot
 
Cabragh Wetlands

Green-winged Teal at Cabragh Wetlands yesterday. Dipped on the American Wigeon.
Buzzard near Blueball, Co_Offaly on Saturday while doing a Bird Atlas square.

Dermot
 

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