I decided that as I regularly go for walks in the Ninch/Laytown area of East Meath that I may as well treat it as my patch. I do suspect that others occasionally go snipin' on the Laytown/Mosney beach but I have never actually bumped into them.
The area I have chosen stretches from Sonairte in Ninch along the river Nanny and down the beach towards Mosney as far as Ben Head. I have rarely seen anything of note on my many walks but patching makes you look at common birds more which I have enjoyed over the last few days.
The weather has been continuously shocking over the last 4 days (when I started) but I have clocked up a surprising total of 69 species (78 points). The only surprises were a Long-tailed Duck and a Carrion Crow but it was very nice to find a flock of around 100 Stock Doves.
I don't expect much in the way of rarities but I now have another reason to welcome the Spring when it arrives and the migrants that come with it.
Eamonn
Hi Eamonn,
ReplyDeleteThat's a great patch you've got: I had the pleasure of covering the East Meath coast last winter, on the Low Tide Project.. Spotted Sand at the Sonairte HQ and that young Keogh fella had a Baird's down the coast.. if you get bored counting the birds, you can always count the people, dogs, horses, cars and Hovercraft on the beach!
Seriously though, an under recorded and under valued coastline..Go for it, Oran.