Dublin Birding (1 Viewer)

Peter Phillips · Jan 28, 2008

I thought I would start a thread for Dublin. It will give me somewhere to post my pictures from Dublin Zoo,Phoenix Park (where I work).

No rules or regulations you can post what you like.

There are plenty of fantastic coastal sites, particularly around Dublin Bay.

Here are a few pictures from the zoo feeders. We only started feeding two years ago but get Brambling regularly and Hawfinch once. Also all of the regulars.

The zoo ponds hold about 1000 wild duck in the winter, including over 500 Tufted Duck, and a few gulls mainly Black headed Gulls.

There are still at least 4 Brambling coming to the feeders.

Here are a few pics for starters.

Mabel · Jan 28, 2008

Yay! I post most of my reports up on Ex-Beeb, but hopefully I can add to this perhaps!

Peter Phillips · Jan 29, 2008

Mabel said:
Yay! I post most of my reports up on Ex-Beeb, but hopefully I can add to this perhaps!

What is Ex-Beeb?

Brosnabirder · Jan 29, 2008

Hi Peter,
Mabel seems to be offline. Ex-Beeb is one of the forums on BF. Subscribe to view.
On another topic this Dublin thread is a good idea. Hopefully a few people in Dublin will support it. You're lucky to have Brambling coming to feeders in the Zoo. This might be a silly question but are those feeders accessible to the public? Its years since I've been there.
Also any luck catching up on that ringed Redpoll you posted a pic of in the Louth thread a while back?
Tom

MargaretM · Jan 29, 2008

Peter Phillips said:
I thought I would start a thread for Dublin. It will give me somewhere to post my pictures from Dublin Zoo,Phoenix Park (where I work).

Good luck with this thread Peter, its a large enough area so there should be plenty to post and will be of interest to us in County Louth ...... boy you'll be busy between this and the Co. Louth thread!!

Sancho · Jan 29, 2008

Great idea, thanks Peter. Unfortunately I don't take photos, but I'll sure enjoy all of yours! I always thought the tufties at the zoo were domesticated, great to know they're wild. Hope I get a chance to take the kids to the zoo soon, so I can check for Brambling.

Peter Phillips · Jan 29, 2008

Sancho said:
Great idea, thanks Peter. Unfortunately I don't take photos, but I'll sure enjoy all of yours! I always thought the tufties at the zoo were domesticated, great to know they're wild. Hope I get a chance to take the kids to the zoo soon, so I can check for Brambling.

The Brambling are best viewed outside the zoo. Opposite the entrance for the Garda depot walking towards the zoo entrance. The large building on your right, inside the fence is the zoos facilities building. The feeders are outside the zoo canteen (great views) but can only be viewed by the public from outside the fence(poor views). The birds are best seen as they commute between the feeders and the band stand hollow about 100 metres away beside the tea rooms. The birds are often on the trees over the feeders which are viewable from the park side of the fence.

Apparently a flock of Hawfinch were regular in the park I am not sure when -either early 1900s or late 1800s

Its a pity you dont have a camera Sancho but some others do. You should still let us know whats about anyway.Dave Dillon, hes a handy snapper and is a regular at Rogerstown? Any snaps from up your way Dave? You should take some photos now before they fill the rest of it in! Only joking. Whats the story with Rogerstown anyway? Has Bertie Bowl 2 got the go ahead?

Thanks Margaret and Brosnabirder. No I have not started catching redpoll yet.

dfd · Jan 29, 2008

Peter Phillips said:
Apparently a flock of Hawfinch were regular in the park I am not sure when -either early 1900s or late 1800s

Peter,

Following historical info on Hawfinches in Phoenix Park

"The fluctuation of the numbers of Hawfinches in different seasons has been observed in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, which is more constantly visited by them than any other locality known in Ireland. Mr. Godden, the head-keeper there, wrote to me in 1894:
"Many years ago they came every winter to the park, then they seemed to quit it for about twelve years, until six years ago I noticed them return, and five birds stopped in the park. The year following I counted twenty-five together. That was the largest number I ever saw. Last year three birds, and this only one. They come about the end of November, but the bird that stopped with me this season came on the 4th October. They leave about the end of February. I noticed one to stop two years ago until April and then disappear. They certainly do not build here or I should notice them. One thing I could not understand was when I did not find them in their usual haunts they were certain to be on the ground where any furze was burnt a short time before, but never on ordinary ground. When we have a good crop of haws then we have many finches." Their usual haunts in the Phoenix Park are the groves of ancient hawthorns which are such a feature of the place.
.

From Ussher & Warren (1900)

Its a pity you dont have a camera Sancho but some others do. You should still let us know whats about anyway.Dave Dillon, hes a handy snapper and is a regular at Rogerstown? Any snaps from up your way Dave? You should take some photos now before they fill the rest of it in! Only joking. Whats the story with Rogerstown anyway? Has Bertie Bowl 2 got the go ahead?

Not good enough light out there at moment (at least when I'm off work!); only be annoying yourself bringing a camera out in that murk!

In the spirit of the thread some January "highlights" from the north County:

113 Stock Dove Lowtherstown
4 Lapland Bunting "
24 Tree Sparrow "
105 Skylark "
1 Pink-footed Bremore
11 Jacksnipe Portmarnock
650 Linnets Portmarnock
47 Stock Dove Portmarnock
15 Brambling Rog

Any wonder I've been up your way so much so far!!

Peter Phillips · Jan 30, 2008

Thanks for that Dave. Its nice to get the full story about the Hawfinch in the park.
Nice few titbits up in north County Dublin. I grew up in Baldoyle and Jack Snipe were a scarce but regular visitor in winter. Short-eared Owls were our speciality in the fields behind the Monye River (not sure of the correct spelling). I think our best was 7 Short eared Owls together. Like a small flock of Curlew, it was!
Not much left of the old racecource now. How is Baldoyle Estuary holding up? Are Slavonian grebe still there?
I was looking through an old notebook recently from 1985-87. Its amazing how things have changed even in 20 years. I remember a flock of 5000 finches in a field of rape seed that was too wet to cut and was left for the birds.If you saw a flock of 500 now it would make BINS!
Barn Owls were regular. They used to nest on the Moyne Road near the railway. I remember one evening a pair and two recently fledged chicks on my neighbours roof.
Although 20 years in the racer (baldoyle racecource) was fun, it does not compare to my new local patch up in Louth. The birds have been fantastic all winter.From November right through.I hope is not just a good year. Like 1974 on Clogher Head.It would be nice if it was like this every year. I cant wait for spring.

Your always welcome up here, thats from one dub to another!

Keep us up to date with the 'news from rog' and elsewhere in capital D.

See you on cape for a pint next october perhaps.

Mabel · Jan 31, 2008

Not to put a downer on things, but the last I heard, they were going to build on the stubble fields. Maybe it's common knowledge, but I mean, towards Baldoyle they certainly have been building a lot. If you want to see Yellowhammer, you better get down while they're still there! I know that's where I saw my first. There were Short-eared Owls there in December, but I haven't seen any in January. Also, (hi Peter) Baldoyle Estuary seems to be doing better. The water is certainly clearer and reeks less of sewage. I'm sure others know more than I do, but I haven't seen any Slavonian Grebes lately, although I could well be overlooking them. There were two or three white-winged Gulls there though throughout the winter so far.

Peter Phillips · Jan 31, 2008

I-Webs

Mabel said:
There were Short-eared Owls there in December, but I haven't seen any in January. Also, (hi Peter) Baldoyle Estuary seems to be doing better. The water is certainly clearer and reeks less of sewage. I'm sure others know more than I do, but I haven't seen any Slavonian Grebes lately, although I could well be overlooking them. There were two or three white-winged Gulls there though throughout the winter so far.

Thats good news at least.You should keep a record of your sightings and send them into birdwatch Ireland. The Irish East Coast Bird Report is published every year (I can hear the laughter from here) and they would love to get those records. Do you know if the white winged gulls were Iceland or Glaucous Gulls? Iceland are a bit more regular these days.

Anyway, today I spent my lunch doing the monthly Irish wetlands Bird survey at the Zoo Ponds and taking a few snaps. Over 1000 waterbirds present. Moorhen 27, Mallard 210, Tufted Duck 523, Pochard 125, Little Grebe 1, Grey Heron 23, Shoveler 76, Teal 8 and Coot 75.

Not bad considering that most of them rely on the wheat we feed out twice daily.About 14 Euros worth of wheat ;50 kilos.

Sancho,I think I met you last year in Cotters Bar on Cape Clear in October. Are you from Bray? Do you bird in South County Dublin at all?

Sancho · Feb 1, 2008

Peter Phillips said:
Sancho,I think I met you last year in Cotters Bar on Cape Clear in October. Are you from Bray? Do you bird in South County Dublin at all?

It´s a fair cop, guv´nor, I´ve been rumbled and that´s a fact! Yeah, that was me and my mate, wow, I´d forgotten Cotter´s, on my first visit to the Cape, pretending to be a real birder. I tend to gravitate towards North Wicklow, but regularly check out the West Pier in Dún Laoghaire, without much success recently (although there were 3 Purple Sandpipers there last weekend, haven´t seen ´em there for a long time). I´ll report here anything of interest I see around the DL/Sandymount area. I suppose Bray/Kilcoole/Broadlough are well-watched and reported by more competent folk than I, and in any case aren´t in Co. Dublin.....

Twite · Feb 1, 2008

I hope this doesn't make me look too STUPID but looking at the Tufted Duck pic.4 in the opening post? What is going on? I have never seen one this dark and I have seen more than a few. Thanks for not laughing.

Twite.

Peter Phillips · Feb 2, 2008

Sancho said:
I tend to gravitate towards North Wicklow, but regularly check out the West Pier in Dún Laoghaire, without much success recently (although there were 3 Purple Sandpipers there last weekend, haven´t seen ´em there for a long time). I´ll report here anything of interest I see around the DL/Sandymount area. I suppose Bray/Kilcoole/Broadlough are well-watched and reported by more competent folk than I, and in any case aren´t in Co. Dublin.....

Thats great. Thanks Sancho. I think in the absence of a thread covering wicklow it would be a good idea to post stuff from wicklow here, I dont think anybody is going to object.I like to know whats about and I dont mind if you have found it or you "heard a report of a...... at.......". Kilcoole has one of the best covered sites in the country, but if your not ringing the bird information news line (BINS)daily or are out of the loop you generarly dont hear about it, till its to late. If the info is posted Bird Forum at least we can make our own loop!

Purple Sandpiers have become very scarce the last number of years. I think with global warming they are wintering further north, but I am open to correction. I have only seen them once in Dublin in the last 5 years (on the bull wall) and I have not seen them at Howth in a long time(they used to be regular on the east pier).

Peter Phillips · Feb 2, 2008

Twite said:
I hope this doesn't make me look too STUPID but looking at the Tufted Duck pic.4 in the opening post? What is going on? I have never seen one this dark and I have seen more than a few. Thanks for not laughing.

Twite.

Not at all. At least you noticed! It was only after rechecking the picture that I realised it was a young male Tufted Duck and not the female that I thought it was. The flanks of the bird are still a dirty brown, as the winter progresses it will become whiter and the rest of the dark brown feathers on the head, breast and back will be replaced by nice glossy black feathers

Twite · Feb 2, 2008

Hi Peter.

The reason my attention was drawn to this bird was, to all appearances with the exception of the flanks it looks like a mature male. The bill colour, crest and overall black colour point to this. I cannot see any brown tones in this bird just black and washed out black/dark grey flanks. Is it just an aberrant bird? Is the bird in pic.5 the same one? The dark trailing edge on the secondaries is broader than on the primaries, normally these would be the same width.

Twite.

Peter Phillips · Feb 2, 2008

Twite said:
Hi Peter.

The reason my attention was drawn to this bird was, to all appearances with the exception of the flanks it looks like a mature male. The bill colour, crest and overall black colour point to this. I cannot see any brown tones in this bird just black and washed out black/dark grey flanks. Is it just an aberrant bird? Is the bird in pic.5 the same one? The dark trailing edge on the secondaries is broader than on the primaries, normally these would be the same width.

Twite.

Sorry my mistake, I just realised this pic was taken in late summer early autumn ( and not the other day) and I am assuming an Adult Male in eclipe plumage.
Im not sure if the other pic is of the same bird.

Peter Phillips · Feb 2, 2008

Twite said:
Hi Peter.

The dark trailing edge on the secondaries is broader than on the primaries, normally these would be the same width.

Twite.

Secondaries;possibly still growing if the bird is in moult?

Twite · Feb 2, 2008

Even if the secondaries were still growing this wouldn't affect the width of the dark trailing edge. I imagine in parks and zoo ponds hybridization is bound to happen and may the case here.

Twite.

Sancho · Feb 2, 2008

Thanks, Peter! I'll apologise in advance to the serious Big Guns of Wicklow for having the temerity to post Wicklow news here...(remember Birdwatch Irl. is in Wicklow, folks...

). This morning, a family of Bewick's Swans found about a fortnight ago at Kilcoole are still in the scrub south of Webb's field. They're grazing a few metres apart from the main Whooper group.

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