• 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.

Birding in County Donegal, Ireland - Info Please (1 Viewer)

etudiant said:
Hi,
Am planning to spend a week in Donegal late this May, staying first in Ardara and then near Malin Head. Can anyone suggest what birds should be sought at that season and where.
WTWB in England and Ireland gives Malin Head a paragraph, but any more detailed pointers would be much appreciated.
Many thanks for any help or suggestions.
Click to expand...
Details for Malin Head from Finding Birds in Ireland:

All year: eider, buzzard. cormorant, shag, chough.
Spring/summer: corncrake, sedge warbler, wheatear.
Seawatching (best late July to end October, from just N of the signal tower): Red-throated diver, Great Northern Diver, Fulmar, 'Blue' Fulmar, Great Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, Storm and Leach's petrel, Pomarine, Great and Arctic Skua, Sabine's Gull, Iceland and Glaucous Gulls, Sandwich, Common and Arctic Terns, Guillemot, Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Puffin.
Rarities: Black-browed Albatross, Cory's Shearwater, Black Tern, Little Auk, Hoopoe, Red-breasted flycather, Yellow-browed warbler, Rose-coloured Starling.

Recommended viewing points are: Signal tower, Esky Bay, and White Strand.

I strongly recommend this book. It has good maps and plenty of directions and advice.

As regards Ardara, nearby Rocky Point and Glencolumbkille, and Killybegs, are also good places, though for details you'll need to buy that book! It covers all the counties of Ireland.
 
Last edited:
Yes, I would recommend "Finding Birds in Ireland" too. It will give you all the best spots. The maps are not too great, so buy a couple of Ordnance Survey maps when you get here.

While at Ardara you might try Sheskinmore Lough Grid Ref: 700960 Ordnance Survey Discovery Series Sheet 10. Also worth a try is Killybegs Harbour and Mountcharles.

All the best,

Richard
 
I was at Blanket Nook (Nr Inch Island) today, fair numbers of Widgeon, Mallard, Goldeneye, Lapwing. Saw one Slavonian Grebe and 2-3 Great Crested Grebe. Lake was very high after heavy rains
 
Drake Ring-necked Duck at Blanket Nook on Saturday and drake Black Duck there the previous weekend (may still be about). Sheskinmore Lough is generally very poor for birds. Much better from a flora view point.

Dermot
 
To Dialyt, rdspalm, Dermot,
Many thanks for the very helpful suggestions. FBII and OS maps are on the purchase list. They will help keep me focused pre trip during April, when the local migrants clamor for attention.
Meanwhile, short of a detour to Tory Island, is there any likelihood of finding a corncrake near either site?
 
Yes you have a reasonable chance of Corncrake at Malin Head. The flat bog fields near the village are usually a good place to start.

However, if you can manage a trip to Tory the odds are much, much better. In late May your chances of seeing Corncrake are excellent on Tory. We went last year and got good close up views literally at the back of the village.
 
rdspalm said:
Yes you have a reasonable chance of Corncrake at Malin Head. The flat bog fields near the village are usually a good place to start.

However, if you can manage a trip to Tory the odds are much, much better. In late May your chances of seeing Corncrake are excellent on Tory. We went last year and got good close up views literally at the back of the village.
Click to expand...

I'd love to do that if late May is the best time to see one. Can you fill me in on exactly how to get to Tory Island? I mean I can find out how to drive there no problem; what I desire to know is where, how, when to get the ferry, how much, can you go over on a day trip etc....
 
Tory Island: Yes a day trip is easy. At that time of year the ferry goes from Bunbeg Pier, Gweedore only. From memory it goes at 9.00am and leaves Tory at 6.00pm. You can check with the ferry company. www.toryislandferry.com. Last year's prices were about 24 euro. Ferry journey is about 1.5 hrs. Good sea watching on the crossing. Skua, Manx Shearwater, Geat Shearwater, Storm Petrel possible. Give me a shout nearer the time as I will probably be over during May and can let you know what is around.

Regards,

Richard
 
Last edited:
rdspalm said:
Tory Island: Yes a day trip is easy. At that time of year the ferry goes from Bunbeg Pier, Gweedore only. From memory it goes at 9.00am and leaves Tory at 6.00pm. You can check with the ferry company. www.toryislandferry.com. Last year's prices were about 24 euro. Ferry journey is about 1.5 hrs. Good sea watching on the crossing. Skua, Manx Shearwater, Geat Shearwater, Storm Petrel possible. Give me a shout nearer the time as I will probably be over during May and can let you know what is around.

Regards,

Richard
Click to expand...

Thanks. I will certainly contact you nearer the time. I'd love to see a corncrake, though hearing it would be pretty good too.
 
Hi Richard,
Thank you very much for the extra data on getting to Tory Island. It's a family trip for me, so breaking away for a day is pretty much out, but you give me hope that Malin Head is a decent prospect. Just hearing a corncrake would be a great start. It seems like a species that needs friends if it is to stick around.
 
Yes you can camp on Tory, but there are little or no facilities. Just a bare field. You would be better off staying in one of the bed and breakfasts or the hotel. I've stayed in the hotel a few times and it's excellent. Staff are friendly and the food is very good.
The hotel has a basic website www.toryhotel.com

Regards,

Richard
 
You have a good chance of seeing the Chough if you climb up the hill. They often feed on the lower slopes near the rocky inlets. The best vantage point is the hill with the metal cross. In late May you should see the Little Terns and the Arctic Terns. For them take the road down to the lighthouse. The cliffs on the far side of the island have breeding puffins, guillemots and razorbills. You can get quite close if you are careful.
 
rdspalm said:
Yes you can camp on Tory, but there are little or no facilities. Just a bare field. You would be better off staying in one of the bed and breakfasts or the hotel. I've stayed in the hotel a few times and it's excellent. Staff are friendly and the food is very good.
The hotel has a basic website www.toryhotel.com

Regards,

Richard
Click to expand...
We'll be operating on a shoe string budget. Do you need permission to use the field, and do you have to pay?
rdspalm said:
You have a good chance of seeing the Chough if you climb up the hill. They often feed on the lower slopes near the rocky inlets. The best vantage point is the hill with the metal cross. In late May you should see the Little Terns and the Arctic Terns. For them take the road down to the lighthouse. The cliffs on the far side of the island have breeding puffins, guillemots and razorbills. You can get quite close if you are careful.
Click to expand...
That sounds great. How long should you allow yourself to gain the most from the island's birding, in order to see these species*?

* corncrake, tree sparrow, little tern, arctic tern, chough, puffin, guillemot, great auk, razorbill
 
Last edited:
Birds of Malin Head and North Inishowen

Hi guys, long time lurker first time posting, I grew up Birdwatching in Malin Head, and would be able to provide any info for anybody wishing to do a spell up there. I see a couple of post regarding Corncrakes.

Some of the areas I may mention are local names but if anyone requires any further direction I will be happy to advise.

Anyway, Corncrakes for starters, Carnmalin is often the best place to hear the birds and One was present calling last week. There is a road to Killourt or White strand bay, the fields either side of this are worth a look. The area around the Captains Road often produces birds as well as the fields either side of Port Ronan. Ballyhillin and the backlands (Malin Head proper) is well worth a look as well as the area surrounding the former Bird observatory.

Grass levels as we speak are short for the time of year and I suspect the birds are a little quite. Dont go listening for them if its wet and windy, they usually shut up shop.

Anyway if anyone requires any other info I would gladly help. the biggest problem you have birding in Malin Head is if you do find something good you will often have no body to show it to! If you like to have a headland to yourself this is the place to go, it is a very good very underwatched areas.
 
Birds of Malin Head include Chough, Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Corncrake, Cormorant, Shag, Eider, Ringed Plover, Buzzard, Linnet, Twite, Cuckoo, Tree Sparrow autumn includes lapland Buntings, Snow Buntings Barnacle Geese etc. Hundreds of Thrushes particularly Redwing, Mistle thrush etc.

Rarities have included Semi palmated Sandpiper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Hoopoe, Shore Lark, Long Tailed Skua, Rose coloured Starling, Black browed Albatross, Red footed Falcon, RB Flycatcher, the list goes on.

The Island of Inishtrahull also had had things like Short toed Lark, Barred Warbler, Red backed Shrike, Common Rosefinch and Ortolan Bunting

Last weekend produced my first Grasshopper Warbler of the year isint it amazing you have to travel 330 something miles to your old back garden to get a year tick, anyway supporting cast for a good weekends birding included 4 basking sharks close inshore and One Humpback whale.

At Malin Head Seabird watch when the wind is North of west and look for passerines in any Southerly or Southeast winds.

At the moment the total List for the Birds of the Inishowen peninsula stands at about 267 (last additions included American Black Duck, Red footed Falcon and Cattle Egret)
 
Last edited:
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.

Similar threads

P
Mexico Birding Advice!
Replies
5
Views
495
jurek
jurek
N
Upcoming trip to Egypt, asking for advices....
Replies
12
Views
804
WACCOE
WACCOE
B
vietnam bird id help please
Replies
1
Views
452
Bewick
Bewick
S
Texas/New Mexico Birding
Replies
8
Views
906
01101001
01101001
D
Ushuaia birding help/advice
Replies
2
Views
597
Manolito
Manolito

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top