hammer time

Bird of the day was a yellowhammer belting around this morning - there's only 1 or 2 a year at Galley (114). MIg numbers had dropped a bit, with a few chiffchaffs, 2 wheatears and a female/imm blackcap. An adult yellow-legged gull was at Red Strand this morning.

grape lover

A grey plover over Long Strand first thing this morning was a patch tick and welcome addition for the year (113).  On the mig front, there was a bit more action, with c.10 chiffchaffs, 2 wheatears and a male blackcap.

see ya bye house martins

Not many more migs in this morning, with 4 chiffchaffs at Shite Lane, a redpoll over and a wheatear knocking about, while a flock of 22 house martins were watched heading south for the winter.  The two arctic terns were still at Kilkeran Lake, with a dunlin and 3 greenshank also there.

flat calm morning

Nice and calm this morning and a few things booting around.  At least 10 siskins were new for the year (112), with 14 golden plovers over, a collared dove by Shite Lane, a singing chiffchaff and 3 wheatears.  Two of yesterday's 3 arctic terns were still over Kilkeran Lake this morning.

sunday seawatch

A seawatch from 9 till 2 produced 2 great shearwaters, 1 sooty shearwater, 1 sabine's gull, 1 grey phalarope and 1 pomarine skua. The lesser yellowlegs was at the red benches in Clonakilty this morning. I gave up on migs at Galley this afternoon and hit Mizen for a barred warbler instead, which was nice.

no biggies

Despite some decent migs at Mizen Head today, there seemed to be little doing at Galley this evening, with just 1 chiffchaff and an autumnal collared dove around Shite Lane.

brent

An exciting start (well, relatively) to the morning seawatch when 5 brent geese headed east. Little else doing though, despite a reasonable wind, with only 3 common scoter and 1 puffin west, plus slightly better numbers of manx shearwaters.

sooty on the starboard bow (thats just the one)

A tedious seawatch this evening produced 1 sooty shearwater and c. 50 manx shearwaters in 30 minutes (thats not even 1 manx every 30 seconds!) Long Strand had 27 sanderling this morning.

vis mig again

Pretty quiet on the mig front today with only 1 willow warbler, a singing chiffchaff and a redpoll over at Shite Lane (111).

away day

Headed to Ballycotton this afternoon and got great views of the juvenile spotted sandpiper (eventually!), which was nice. Even nicer was that it puts me irish list 1 ahead of our japanese reader, (and 4 ahead in cork terms!) Happy days!

year tick!

A kingfisher at Long Strand this evening was a welcome patch year tick, and only my third at Galley (110).