Ireland in late November (1 Viewer)

We will visit our son who is working in i Dublin in late november and would like to combine that with some birding and bird photography.

We plan to rent a car for two days and are looking for some nice and beautiful places to explore.

I have found some info. about Wexford wildfowl reserve and I see that there might be some hides there. I have also seen some great photos from the Carne co beach there.

Are these good places to visit or can you recommend some others? We would also welcome any tips about a nice hotel or something like that in the countryside. We prefer charm and rustic atmosphere more than modern luxury....

Best regards/Bengt

For photography you will not beat Bull Island in Dublin for a host of winter waders and wildfowl, birds are accustomed to traffic and allow close approach. Birding in general very good on the island. Two estuarine lagoons for waders and wildfowl. Numbers of birds can be huge. 300, Knot, 1800 Bar Tailed godwit, 1800 Reshank, 300 blacktailed Godwit, 800 curlew, 1000 Oystercatcher, 1000 Golden Plover, 300 Grey Plover among others and hundreds of each Duck. Teal most numerous, followed by Wigeon, Shelduck, Shoveler and Pintail Brent Geese incredibly tame in their hundreds. Saltmarsh good for Kestrel, Little Egret, Skylark, Stonechat, Linnet etc. Beach for Gulls, Ringed Plver and Sanderling. On full tide Divers, Grebes, Shag, Seaduck etc of the bull wall to the south. Great gull loafing area at left hand base of the causeway has both Ring Billed Gull and Medataranian Gulls daily with a bit of searching, Iceland glaucous possible. Always a chance of a rarty on the island too. Raptors present in Nov. should include Peregrine and Merlin. Short Eared Owls winter too in long grass.
Close by Bull island you have Howth for Gulls, Purple Sandpiper, Divers and grebes around the harbour. Fulmars too in good numbers as well as Auks and Shag.
Sandymount Strand superb for Gulls, best site in Ireland for Ring Billed Gull. Med Gull present too.
Broadmeadows Estuary another superb site for Photograpy too, Waders, Wildfowls, Little Egrets etc. close approach to birds here too.

Hope this all helps!

Thank you so much for your very interesting reply, Buzzard! That is very good news for us as I assume that we can get to this island easily. Can you point me to some links for photos from this site?

Sandymount Strand, Broadmeadows Estuary, are they inside Dublin too?

If we would like to go somewhere nice outside Dublin for a day or two, what would be the best site for us, do you think?

I see that you are from Irland but living in Sweden, do you mind telling me why... ;o)

(Great paintings, by the way!!!!)

bengtfalke said:

Thank you so much for your very interesting reply, Buzzard! That is very good news for us as I assume that we can get to this island easily. Can you point me to some links for photos from this site?

Sandymount Strand, Broadmeadows Estuary, are they inside Dublin too?

If we would like to go somewhere nice outside Dublin for a day or two, what would be the best site for us, do you think?

I see that you are from Irland but living in Sweden, do you mind telling me why... ;o)

(Great paintings, by the way!!!!)

Click to expand...

Love it here in Sweden, like the birding, the open space and I do some fishing too. Have a job and friends living here so why not! Do miss seabirds though!

Let me know how you got on when you get back, look forward to seeing the photos. All the best,

Alan

Bull Island is extremely easy to access by car or public bus, on the coast north of city, 25 mins from city centre. Howth Penisula is visible from the island to the north, 15 minute drive. Broadmeadows is noth past Malahide Village on the coast, east of Swords. Sandymount just south of city at Merrion Gates, past Ballsbridge, easy access too, though with Dublin being as it is traffic can be very heavy. Link below for you----

http://www.birdweb.net/bullisland.html

Thank you so much, Alan! I really appreciate your time and patience with me..... ;o)

I have just rented a car at the airport so we will be able to drive around a bit. We will probably go for a couple of days to the westcoast as we have been there once many years ago my wife and I. We would like to show the beautiful landscape there to our son (who is living in Dublin) and one of our daughters that will join us on this small trip.

Do you recommend any particular place on the west coast?

The waterfront at Galway City is superp for rare Gulls. Always worth a look there. Ring billed always about. Often Iceland and Glaucous Gull too. Maybe a rarity such as Forsters Tern or Kumliens Gull. Keep an eye out for the smithonianous Herring Gull in the area for a few years now...
Any area can turn up birds though, small estuaries, open sea and harbours for gulls.


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