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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

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.



bottlenose dolphin


Thursday, August 23, 2007

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.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

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.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

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.

Friday, August 17, 2007

sw again

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

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

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!)

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

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.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

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!)

Saturday, August 11, 2007

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.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

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.










med gullmed gull

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.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

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).

Sunday, August 5, 2007

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.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

satday sightings

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

Friday, August 3, 2007

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.