dolphin at sunset

A pair of tufted duck were on the lake this morning, with a black-tailed godwit and a greenshank also there.  This evening 4 bottlenose dolphins were feeding and jumping around off Long Strand, showing well.

ooo migrants

A wee fall of willow warblers at Galley this morning, with at least 15 in Dirk Bay and another half dozen around Shite Lane.

a bit ruff

A ruff was feeding on the edge of Kilkeran Lake this morning, and it was viewable from the patch (109).

northerlies

An evening seawatch produced 2 balearic shearwaters, milling around with several hundred feeding manx shearwaters, 1 arctic skua, 1 bonxie, 1 minke whale and 4 common dolphins. A swift was at Long Strand this evening, and 2 turnstones and a dunlin were on the beach.

duck-tastic!

A tufted duck was hidden in amongst 125 mallard on Kilkeran Lake this morning, which makes it 108 for the patch year list.

sw again

An evening seawatch produced 1 cory's shearwater, 6 sooty shearwaters, 12 storm petrels, 4 puffins and a turnstone.

a wader day

Kilkeran Lake was unusually alive with waders today with 1 turnstone, 3 dunlin, 3 common sandpipers, 2 greenshank, 1 knot (107) and 1 green sandpiper, while 15 black-tailed godwits and a ruff flew over later (sadly I was outside the patch for the ruff and green sand - ouch!)

another cory's

South-westerlies arrived this afternoon but not that much to show for them. A 3 hour watch off Galley  this evening produced 1 cory's shearwater, 2 balearic shearwaters, 11 sooty shearwaters, 1 bonxie, 22 puffins, 6 storm petrels and 20 golden plover.  Four black-tailed godwits were still at Kilkeran Lake this morning.

the year ticks keep coming

Quiet on the seawatching front this morning, although 1 balearic shearwater, 7 bottlenose dolphins and fin whales were seen.  A sub-adult yellow-legged gull was at Red Strand this morning and 6 black-tailed godwits were feeding at Kilkeran Lake, a vital addition to the patch year list (106) (cheers, H!)

cory's for the year

A quiet seawatch this morning was livened up by a cory's shearwater for the year (105). Also seen were 4 sooty shearwaters, 3 storm petrels, 1 arctic skua, 3 puffins, 20 common scoters and 2 fin whales c. 3 miles south of Galley, which was nice.

dugbirds a-go-go

A two hour seawatch this morning produced 7 sooty shearwaters, 1 bonxie, 10 common terns, 2 arctic terns, 18 puffins, 1 black guillemot and 11 common scoter.

 

A one hour seawatch this afternoon resulted in 6 more sooty shearwaters, 1 balearic shearwater, 2 storm petrels and 6 puffins, while a two hour watch this evening yielded 1 pomarine skua, 1 bonxie, 6 sooty shearwaters, 12 storm petrels and 27 puffins.

 

An adult mediterranean gull was at Long Strand this afternoon.

arctics

A feeding flock of c.500 manx shearwaters was off Galley this evening, with plenty of terns too, including at least 10 arctic terns, which were new for the year (104). 1 common tern was in with c.45 sandwich terns at Long Strand this evening.

one that got away

A large raptor seen 1 mile south of Galley heading west this morning was possibly an osprey but was too distant to nail.  This evening 1 sanderling, 1 dunlin and 4 ringed plover were on Long Strand (103).

a year tick at last!

Finally connected with a balearic shearwater off Galley this afternoon (101), with good numbers of manx shearwaters, 1 storm petrel and a black guillemot also seen, and 1 sooty shearwater there this morning.  Two common sandpipers were at Long Strand this evening.

satday sightings

One great shearwater, 2 balearic shearwaters, 3 pomarine skuas and 10 sooty shearwaters reported past Galley today.

a few bits

Several observers were seawatching off Galley today, however totals were limited; 2 pomarine skuas, 4 sooty shearwaters, 4 balearic shearwaters, 5 bonxies, 14 arctic terns and 1 common scoter.