The first weekend of April added another six migrant species to the year-list. On the Saturday afternoon (6th), after finally connecting with a Willow Warbler (74), a brief seawatch produced a nice adult Little Gull (75) feeding close inshore – only my fourth ever record here. The Firecrest from 30th March was still feeding along the main lane (two others elsewhere in Co Waterford the same day included one at far side of Tramore Bay – a potential pair I wonder?). Otherwise, a young male Merlin and a couple of Chiffs and Wheatears rounded off the day. Next morning (7th), conditions were too blowy for a planned mist-netting session, so I headed for a seawatch. The first hour produced a couple of Puffins (76), in a cold SSE wind, the next hour (desperate for some further year-ticks!) a nice dark-phase Arctic Skua (77) and 3 Bonxies (78), all heading east, with a 2-hour tally of 20 Red-throated Divers & 90+ Manxies east. Back on land, conditions stayed a bit grim, but a male Blackcap (79) in the garden was new.
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| Looking east from the "low" seawatch point |
Saturday 13th was quiet, but highlight was a Moorhen (80) walking along the (wet) main lane – the first I’ve seen here, though I heard one last autumn (when locals reported the species on a local cattle-pond). Migrant or wandering local? Proper migrants were scarce, just a Willow Warbler & two Chiffs but, finally, I tracked down 4 Swallows (81) along the sheltered west side of the head.
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"The stream" - site of Little Bittern & Subalpine Warbler in spring 2008
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Anticipation was high the next weekend, after the arrival of a Hoopoe elsewhere in the county during the week. In the event, it wasn’t very exciting - various migrants seemed to arrive straight back at inland breeding sites instead - but a reasonable crop of new species obliged. Tree Sparrow (82) on 19th and Collared Dove (83) on 20th may have been local birds (both usually breed). More obvious migrants included 80 Whimbrel (84), 5+ Arctic Terns (85) & 2 Sand Martins (86) on 20th, also 11 WWs and 10 CCs. The day-total of 56 species on 20th was my best so far this year - and without ‘scoping Tramore Backstrand – but it took close to 12 hours’ coverage, including a quiet mist-netting session from dawn. Coverage was much less on 21st, but a seawatch produced 3 Bonxies and an Arctic Skua, and a ‘proper’ flypast Red-breasted Merganser (scarce here). The land had Siskin (87), and at least 2 hungry Sparrowhawks (88) which freaked out the local pipits, corvids and even Whimbrels. One of the hawks grappled with a live Jackdaw in long grass while plucking feathers (then flesh) from it – all while being dive-bombed by Hoodies and phone-videoed from 3-4 m range:
Score to date 88 species (109 points, 74.66% of target).
see video
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