End of Feb at Ballyquintin

I wasn't able to get out to Ballyquintin in the middle of the month, but have caught up with a couple of visits this week. 

Tuesday 19th Feb I had a chance for a quick walk around. The green-winged teal was still in Barr Hall Bay, and as I headed on past the bay a raven came over, calling (joined later by 2-3 others). One of the fields on the east side of the headland now has some grazing ponies in it, with a sign asking people to keep out, so I followed a circuitous route along the shore, and between the shore and the field, until I had reached the farm, which effectively stops progress northwards, and turned back to go round the field on the inland side. Coming past one of the stony ridges, I was startled by a sudden flapping, and half-turned to see a short-eared owl launching itself into the air - I must have been within 2m of it! They always do seem to sit very tight, but this was one of my closest encounters. Once airborne, it flapped softly away, no doubt to its second-best sleeping place. Continuing inland, I went over the headland and started down the tracks back to Barr Hall Bay. The linnet flock was still present, and sitting well enough in the hedge for a good look, and I found one twite amongst them. Further down, a fine male reed bunting sat up nicely in one of the hedges.

Today, 23rd Feb, I drove past Barr Hall Bay, spotting a flock of greenfinch in a tree by the road at the farm, then up to the National Trust car park, where I started walking. It was calm but steely cold in a light and very chill breeze. The shelduck were going about the business, but very little happening off shore. The tide was out in Barr Hall Bay, and it was busy with waders, mostly dunlin, with ringed, grey and golden plover, one bar-tailed godwit, and four knot. The green-winged teal showed really well, feeding at the water edge in the outer bay. It has broad, pure white vertical stripes at the breast sides, and stands out a mile (as long as it is not behind a rock). All was quiet the rest of the walk back up to the car. I drove slowly north checking the fields towards Templecowey but picked up only a fast-moving sparrowhawk near the entrance. 

So, continuing progress with what should be commoner species, and a couple of less common on the list. I'm ready for some spring migrants now!

81 species, 103 points.

Damn, it's cold

Even lazy birding from the safety of the van has been a bitterly cold experience these last few days. Needles to say my laziness has produced diddly squat. No improvement on the score, but did have a merganser on the mud today, along with all the usual suspects. I did a short study on Red-breasted mergansers in Mayo a while back - definitely one of my favorites. Must try toughen up though - won't win any prizes in the van. Here's some badly phone-scoped pics from today.  

The odd couple. Merganser and shelduck

This merganser was as lazy as I was - didn't bother to move as the tide dropped away

Spring ( sort of )

Paid an early morning visit to Kilmore this morning , nice and mild but overcast , decided to leave the camera at home as i get too distraced at times.
Had a quick look around the quay first , quite enough but did spot a couple of Med gulls on the strand
Took a strool up around the coastal fields and among the highlights were a lovely male Brambling and a pair of Tree sparrows.
Headed on down to Patricks bridge next where among the usual Great-northern and Red-throated divers i spotted a lone Black-throated diver , usually get a few annually late winter/early spring.
Among the many Gulls passing i picked out a lone juvie Little gull and up to 6 Bar-tailed godwits in the surf.
On the journey back to the pier had a Kestrel and a flyover Peregrine so all in all not a bad mornings birding , current standings 80 spp and 96 pts or 47.07%.
Tom.

A Crane in the Ass

Weds evening was spent debating whether I'd go birding on patch on Thurs or stay in and do some work. I opted for work...a poor decision!

It all started with a tweet from @ECoastBirdNews on Thurs morning reporting that 5 Cranes had been seen flying North over the North Slob at 10:15. The Tacumshin birds on the move? Then word came through that the staff at BirdWatch Ireland had intercepted them from the Kilcoole office at around 15:30 as they continued North! So I dashed up to Killiney Hill which isn't far from home in the hopes of seeing them coming over Bray Head (previous records of Osprey & White-tailed Eagle at Kilcoole have been successfully twitched from the hill in this manner before, see here). Spent 45mins on the hill with Noel Keogh & Brian Porter but no sign...

Anyway, it transpires that the Cranes were first seen flying North over Blackditch ECNR by a member of the public who phoned it in to the office. The guys in the office then picked up the birds circling over the coast heading North before turning back South and seemingly dropping down somewhere between Kilcoole & ECNR at 15:50 possibly to roost for the evening. 

No news on them this morning so it would appear they continued on their journey unseen? I was tied up for most of the morning but made it down to Newcastle/ECNR this eve for a look around in the hopes they might still be there but alas it was not meant to be. That makes 4 times I've dipped Crane on the patch now...ouch!

Did see a Merlin over Newcastle Airfield however which was a nice patch year tick (only got one by the skin of my teeth there last year on 30th Dec). Silver linings and all that jazz.

Onwards & upwards! (I hope)

Four of the five Cranes in question. I found these birds back on 29th Oct '12 as they flew in off the sea & over Tacumshin Lake where they then spent the next three & half months...I'd much rather see them on the patch though!

It's a beautiful day

Finally we have a lovely day here on the east coast. My last few days patching were very unproductive so I went out to make the most of the good day to look for some of the species I have not yet seen.
With the calm conditions I felt it may be worthwhile looking through the huge Scoter flocks in the hope of getting a Velvet Scoter. Alas, it was not to be, again, but while scanning I noticed a smallish bird flying somewhat like a Tern that immediately caught my attention. As I watched it come closer I realized that it was a Little Gull, a species I have not seen before in the area. While watching that a Black Guillemot flew past. I was now feeling lucky so decided to have a good look for Yellowhammer which has so far eluded me. Time spent looking at stubble fields eventually paid off as one bird came up out of the field and landed close by on a hedgerow.
Amazingly, I still have not seen a Little Egret. Where do they go during winter I wonder?

87 species. 101 points.
Eamonn

Quiet and the Other Place

It has been a month since my last confession. 

A bad auld dose of (man)flu and catching up with work has kept me away the patch, or indeed any birding for that matter. That said, I did pop down to Killarney for a bit of dirty twitching last weekend. Sinner! 

A half hour here and there is all I've managed to get around the bay but I have picked off a few things in the process. I found a merlin near Annagh island (just about on the patch), two red-breasted mergansers and a great-northern diver on high tide at Blennerville last weekend and some shelduck and knot way out on the mud flats at low water. I spent a couple of hours scouring the place for a jack snipe before the rugby but no joy. Some great-crested grebe were close in at Blennerville on Sunday which was nice - didn't even have to roll down the window in the van.  

The “Other Place” is Mount Brandon Nature Reserve near Cloghane in west Kerry and I will be up there a lot over the next couple of years. It comprises of 450 hectares of upland habitat, from blanket bog to vegetated sea cliffs and all sorts in between. It will be interesting to see what turns up. So far not much: kestrel, merlin, wren (up at 400 m, the hardy little beggers), raven, great black-backed gull, blackbird, fieldfare, stonechat, chough and fulmar. I found a good sea-watching spot yesterday and I am looking forward to spending some time doing “field work” in that area during the year  J

Más an Tiompáin, Mount Brandon NR

Must do some field work here! West of Sauce Creek, Mt Brandon NR. 

current patch stats: 51 species, 60 points and 48.8%.

Catching up

Made it back to dry land after two weeks onboard the R.V. Celtic Explorer so I’ve been birding the patch four out of the past five days trying to make up for lost time. Thursday & Friday were spent scouting for the Wicklow Bird Race which was held on Saturday and today, myself and a few others from BirdWatch Ireland conducted the monthly I-WeBS count along the North Wicklow coast. Managed six patch year ticks in the process: Pochard, Oystercatcher, Fieldfare, Redwing, Brambling & Yellowhammer. Saying that, I missed out on Pintail, Little Gull & Carrion Crow whilst at sea.

Brambling have been reported in the area since last Monday when 15+ were seen by Paul Smith near the entrance to ECNR. A mixed flock of finches & buntings have settled in a nearby stubble field since then and on the days I was about this flock contained 4+ Brambling, 3+ Yellowhammer, 20+ Reed Bunting & plenty of Chaffinches.

Bramblin'

The stubble field directly West of ECNR (O’Connor’s field) has been alive with Lapwing, Woodpigeons, Starlings & Black-headed Gulls for a few weeks now. Careful scoping of it from the main hide on Thursday revealed some Golden Plover mooching about in there too plus a mixed flock of thrushes in the Ash trees along the border. Scoring Redwing & Fieldfare there was a major bonus to the year list challenge as I have (rather amazingly) failed to see either species on patch for the past two years. Had visions of standing around Six Mile Point some night in October hoping to hear them calling overhead in order to get them on the year list!

Oystercatchers are surprisingly scarce in Wicklow during the winter so three in The Breaches over the past few days are presumably the first returning birds of the Spring (several pairs breed around here & many more pass through in May). A male Pochard in Stringer’s channels today was most welcome. Generally only see them once or twice a year on the patch which isn’t great for diving duck all round.

Other highlights in recent days include 43 Whooper Swans, 207+ Icelandic Greylag Geese, 5 Gadwall, Great Northern Diver, a 2^nd-winter male & a ringtail Hen Harrier, Buzzard, Peregrine, 1050+ Lapwing, c.230 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, Grey Wagtail etc.

Went stomping about a small area of wet rush & iris along Newcastle Sea Road for Jack Snipe but to no avail.

So now up to 88 species, 102 points & 52.17%