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

County Louth (formerly Dundalk Bay) local patch. (3 Viewers)

4 snow buntings in Baltray at lunchtime today. Didn't have scope with me so attached photo is poor, I wasn't even sure if they were in the photos when I took them.
 

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4 snow buntings in Baltray at lunchtime today. Didn't have scope with me so attached photo is poor, I wasn't even sure if they were in the photos when I took them.

Thanks for that Sandra.

I am glad I am not trying to make a living out of twitching for I would surely die of hunger.

I will give it one last shot tomorrow. And ignore the Skylarks this time.
 
Quick reminder of the talk on Dragonflies and Damselflies in the Spirit Store, Dundalk Docks at 8pm this evening - all are welcome!
 
Yes. I think you can just about make out the 3 dark necks! It was much easier when they were 'heads up'. I took about 20 digiscoped shots and would you believe not a single bird had its head up in any of the shots. They must have been busy getting some food into them, before they went to roost. Its a great place for geese, but from the end of the lane (where I took the shots)they are always very distant, unless they are having a bath/drink in one of the channels.

Are the other geese (apart from the Brent) Greylags or White fronts? Are the Greylags there wild birds?
Looked in the Dempsey/O'Clery book but couldn't see an answer.
Wish I'd known about that place when I worked near Dromiskin a few years ago
 
4 snow buntings in Baltray at lunchtime today.
Nice one Sandra. I spent 3 hours yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) looking for Snow Buntings at Baltray - walked the legs off myself and covered all possible areas, but to no avail. I think they may occassionally fly the 100 yards or so over the Boyne to the Meath side. Unless someone has them in a cage, I'm not going back up to look for them!
Waited till 6.30pm in hope of spotting SEO but no luck there either. Is the Baltray Triangle my Burmuda Triangle as everything just seems to disappear.
PS Well done Don on an excellent presentation.
 
Are the other geese (apart from the Brent) Greylags or White fronts? Are the Greylags there wild birds?
Looked in the Dempsey/O'Clery book but couldn't see an answer.
Wish I'd known about that place when I worked near Dromiskin a few years ago

Most of the geese in the foreground are Greylag but there are some white fronts -back left-you can just see the 'white nose'. There are anywhere from 300-1000 Greylag Geese present most years and up to 50 Greenland White fronted Geese. There are normally a couple of Pink footed Geese also present. I think Pink foot numbers rose to 60 odd last spring. And occassional Barnacle Geese and the odd Canada Goose and I think both Tundra and Taiga Bean Geese as well. We are only missing Snow Goose from the louth list.

Out and about today- No Snow Bunts at Baltray. I like that theory Derek. Thanks anyway Sandra.
Dispite the calm weather no Long tailed Duck(6) or Slavonian Grebe(1) at Salterstown that "the bouys" saw a week and a half ago.

"The bouys" of course and Don and Gerry (not the ice cream makers).
 
Hello Margarat and Peter,
Have a few pictures of goldfinches feeding that I am quite pleased with and couple of blurry ones of little Dunnocks. The little Dunnocks get away so quickly but will try again. Also think I have two pictures of hooded carrion crows (with the white on body). Anyway will show them later.
 
Just wondering are these pictures of a pair of Carrion Crows as not sure. Whatever they are they like sitting on top of this particular roof often enough to notice the size of them.
 

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I am wondering if that is a little Dunnock in last picture. I know its quite difficult to see but hopefully I will get a bit closer another day. I have quite a few but they only feed on dry porridge oats in the birdhouse. I have never noticed them eating peanuts. Some pictures of a couple of goldfinches who are very fond of peanuts. I also saw lovely little male browny twites with such rosey pink breasts on a wildflower grassy place nearby but I have not noticed them in my garden yet.
 
I am not sure where pictures disappeared to the first time I posted.
 

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Just wondering are these pictures of a pair of Carrion Crows as not sure. Whatever they are they like sitting on top of this particular roof often enough to notice the size of them.
Hi Dolce
They are Hooded Crows - same species as Carrion Crows but a different race. In England, Wales & S. Scotland Carrion crows prevail, but in Ireland and N Scotland Hooded crows are more common. Where ranges overlap, Hybrids occurs - see Enda's photo on page 64 of this forum. You will also notice that they strech out their necks and move their heads up and down as they call. Visit any shoreline at this time of year and you will see them picking through seaweed and other coastal debris.
 
Hi Dolce
They are Hooded Crows - same species as Carrion Crows but a different race. In England, Wales & S. Scotland Carrion crows prevail, but in Ireland and N Scotland Hooded crows are more common. Where ranges overlap, Hybrids occurs - see Enda's photo on page 64 of this forum. You will also notice that they strech out their necks and move their heads up and down as they call. Visit any shoreline at this time of year and you will see them picking through seaweed and other coastal debris.

Thanks for clarifying that as so many times my family have asked me what on earth are those huge birds as they can be seen regularly on same roof top here. We have dozens and dozens of Magpies dancing and flirting on roof tops here so you couldnt mistake them. Funny the same house roof that attracts the HOODED CROWS has a high enough wall and pillar where a scary amount of big ROOKS congregate especially summer evenings but the fellow in house does feed them with bread. They seemed to be almost tame around him. I am grateful that I only got the garden birds and not those scary ROOKS.
 
There were 4 Long Tailed Ducks at Salterstown today. Checked Mell Quarry this morning, there were Pochard, Tufted Duck, 1 Ring Necked Duck, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, GC Grebe, Little Grebe and 1 Fulmar.
The pair of Shoveler were still in Beaulieu on Monday, will try and get in to check again tomorrow.
Tommy got the photo of the Goldcrest, it has started foraging for food on the path outside the kitchen window.
 

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Have a few pictures of goldfinches feeding that I am quite pleased with and couple of blurry ones of little Dunnocks. The little Dunnocks get away so quickly but will try again. Also think I have two pictures of hooded carrion crows (with the white on body). Anyway will show them later.
You are certainly doing better than me with the Goldfinches Dolce. Despite going to the bother of buying a 20kg bag of nyger seed(!!), there has not been a singe Goldfinch on our feeders since. At my father's house today, there were 2 on his peanut feeder.
 
Frenzied activity at my bird feeders these times and lots of agro between the birds.
 

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I think you should win a prize for those pictures just AMAZING.

Great shots Margaret. Your just showing off now!

Numbers of Yellowhammer are building up, 15 in the garden yesterday. I am not sure if this relates to increased winter survival or if the birds are finding ot harder to come by wild food and more and more are forced into my garden. (I think there might be a study in there somewhere).

I will leave the Long tailers till next week. I am going to stop chasing the birds and hope they start chasing me! Although it did not work when I was younger, but I can live in hope.
 
At Cruisetown this eveining there were plenty of Scoters very close to the beach, but considering that the tide was full out, they were still far away. Despite all my scrutiny, I could not see anything different there.
Stormy weather forecasted so will be worth keeping a watch particularly around the coast.
 
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