• 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.

West Donegal (2 Viewers)

Tory island

Richard,not a bad day when you see corncrake.btw artic & great skua was also reported off tory on saturday
 
Tory Island 17th May

Bird count

At Bunbeg
Whitethroat Goldfinch Collared Dove, Hooded Crow, Cuckoo, Jackdaw, Grey Heron, Rook, Black-Headed Gull.

At Sea
Great Northern Diver, Guillemot, Lesser BB Gull, Kittiwake, Gannet, Razorbill, Greater BB Gull, Chough, Fulmar, Cormorant, Common Tern, Black Guillemot, Shag, Manx Shearwater.

On Tory
Dunlin, Mallard, Corncrake, Redshank, Arctic Tern, Tufted Duck, Puffin, Wren, Ringed Plover, Herring Gull, Tree Sparrow, Curlew, Wigeon, Rock Dove, Rock Pipit, Sedge Warbler, Turnstone, Common Gull, House Sparrow, Oystercatcher, Wood Pigeon, Greylag Goose, Meadow Pipit, Starling, Swallow, Snipe, Pheasant, Little Tern, Mute Swan, Pied Wagtail, Skylark, Wheatear.

58 Species for the day.

Richard
 
Last edited:
Linnet

Saw a male Linnet at Maghergallon yesterday. Lots of Skylark, Meadow Pippit and Wheatear about too.

Several Starling with young.

Red tailed Bumble Bee and Brown/Green flying beetles about. I must look up the beetle, I'm not familiar with the species.
 
Maghergallon Today

Not a big variety of birdlife about. Lots of Wheatear, Meadow Pippit, Skylark. Flocks of 15 -20 Starling noisily looking for food in the grass.

Noticed House Martins starting to build a nest at the apex of our house. That will be interesting.

Hoping to get out to Tory again in a couple of weeks, before the grass gets too long to see the Corncrake.

Richard
 
Just returned from a week based at Kilcar and visited Tory Island, Malin Beg (and surrounding areas), Killibegs and Donegal during our stay. I will put my notes on here when I can.

Up to 3 Grasshopper Warblers, Lesser Redpoll, Spotted Flycatcher and Cuckoo in our cottage's garden during the week, as well as many Willow Warblers singing.
 
"East Donegal"

Hi all

Though not technically in "West Donegal" Robert Vaughan and myself had an Osprey over Inch Lough briefly on Saturday. Didn't hang about unfortunately and headed East towards the Foyle. It was seen a few minutes before over Blanket Nook heading our way (per Anthony Robb).
Also on Saturday at Blanket Nook earlier in the day we had an adult summer Little Stint, first-summer Little Gull and a drake Ring-necked Duck (presume its the same individual that summered here last Summer).
A.Robb also had a Red-necked Phalarope at Nook last Thurs evening.

Dermot
 
Thats great to see an Osprey locally. Also the Phalarope. I must take a run down to Inch on Saturday if I can.

I'm going to Scotland and the Farne Islands the weekend after, so looking forward to that. The bird phototography has been non existant for me recently. Lugged a camera and big lens round Tory last month but only got a couple of distant blurrs of Corncrake. Hoping to get over there again at the end of the month.

Richard
 
I am pretty new to this game but happened upon this site a few weeks ago and thought that maybe a couple of comments from the far west of Donegal may be of interest. Occassionally I am out and about around Tramore/Dawros/Sheskinmore area and while not specifically watching I do take bins with me from time to time.
So my latest notes would involve a number of meadow pipits and skylarks in the nature reserve area with wagtails and other small birds including stonechats around the general area.
On the beach there are still a few ringed plover about though not as many as in April together with a few sanderling, common gulls and 4 dunlin last weekend.
The ravens nesting at the end of the beach are now gone.
Perhaps the best sight was 4 choughs. I had heard that these were in the area but had never seen them before. They came to rest about 20 metres from where I was sitting so had a good view.
I didn't get over to the nearby lake so I am sure there are more birds around. I will try to take the observation more seriously from now on.
For those posting on this site please keep up the good work as I am sure there are a number of us out there who continue to find the reports interesting.
David
 
Thanks for your report David, keep up the good work. Donegal is a brilliant but very under reported area. If we can encourage more people to contribute regularly it will be great.

Richard
 
Owls

I'm particularly interested in seeing if any owls are about in West Donegal this summer. I would be grateful if anyone knows of any.

If you want to contact me directly, my email is [email protected]

Thanks,

Richard
 
I am pretty new to this game but happened upon this site a few weeks ago and thought that maybe a couple of comments from the far west of Donegal may be of interest. Occassionally I am out and about around Tramore/Dawros/Sheskinmore area and while not specifically watching I do take bins with me from time to time.
So my latest notes would involve a number of meadow pipits and skylarks in the nature reserve area with wagtails and other small birds including stonechats around the general area.
On the beach there are still a few ringed plover about though not as many as in April together with a few sanderling, common gulls and 4 dunlin last weekend.
The ravens nesting at the end of the beach are now gone.
Perhaps the best sight was 4 choughs. I had heard that these were in the area but had never seen them before. They came to rest about 20 metres from where I was sitting so had a good view.
I didn't get over to the nearby lake so I am sure there are more birds around. I will try to take the observation more seriously from now on.
For those posting on this site please keep up the good work as I am sure there are a number of us out there who continue to find the reports interesting.
David

yes,i agree,i get to ardara a couple of times a year and visit sheskinmore.
So keep on posting.!!
 
It will be interesting to see what turns up in th Ardara/Sheskinmore area. If you get a chance Malinmore & Malinbeg is supposed to be very good for migratory birds in the autumn. I don't tend to get that far down as we are based in the Gweedore area.

Sea watching is starting to get good. I was over in Northumbria and Southern Scotland birding last weekend. The ferry crossing was really good. Great Skua, Arctic Skua, large numbers of Manx Shearwater, Harbour Porpoise and a whale.

Try Bloody Foreland, Aranmore Island, Horn Head and Melmore Head

Richard
 
Had not been in Gweedore for a couple of weeks. Returned today to find a complete House Martins nest at the apex of the gable wall. No sign of the inhabitants, but it was really stormy. Not a lot of birdlife to see, a few Wheatears and Meadow Pipits and a flock of Oystercatchers on the beach. No sign of any Terns today, but with a force 6-7 gale blowing hard, conditions were far from ideal.

Hopefully it improves next weekend.

Richard
 
Hare Today

Not a lot in the way of birds at the moment. Wheatear, Meadow Pipit, Lapwing, Arctic Tern, House Martins, Swallows. The House Martins have completed their nest and are flying in and out of the nest all day. The highlight of the weekend was a hare feeding on the long grass. I've included a couple of pictures. Bit far away but ok.

Richard
 

Attachments

  • Hare1.jpg
    Hare1.jpg
    152.8 KB · Views: 134
  • Hare2.jpg
    Hare2.jpg
    99.6 KB · Views: 139
Went out looking for Grouse not far from Glenveagh. Got out of car and had a Grasshopper Warbler singing in bush but couldnt see it. Walked for about four miles and saw no grouse but came on tiny hill loch with two young Red Throated Divers.
 
The RTDiver breeding record is great! They're just about hanging in.

Make sure you get that record off to the NPWS staff with a grid ref. for the loch if you have it.

Regards,
Niall
 
Well done with the Red Throated Divers. I knew they bred up in the Derryveigh hills, but have never managed to see them.

There are supposed to be Ring Ouzels in the Glenveigh Park but I've never seen one yet.

Richard
 
Rough Ride to Tory

Went to Tory on Tuesday 15th. Very windy with rough seas. Waves 15-20ft high. Saw Storm Petrels, Puffin, Razorbill, Manx Shearwater and a dark morph Arctic Skua between views of vomiting humans on the ferry.

Nothing much of note on the island, Corncrakes silent.

At Magheragallon, Ringed Plover, Chough, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Arctic Tern.

Poor weather for sea watching latter half of the week.

Richard
 
Warning! This thread is more than 9 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.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top