As the birding has been so slow lately, I thought I'd try my hand at predicting the next 3 patch ticks for Galley, to give me something to aim at this year...
Prediction 1: alpine swift - I've seen 3 in Ireland; 1 in the north and 2 out of HH's famous five in Cork City, but the nearest I've got to one at Galley turned out to be a peregrine! Obviously early spring is favourite, and I can just imagine one scooting around over Long Strand and the lake - not long till March now....
Prediction 2: rosefinch - perhaps a surprise choice, but I've only seen 1 in Ireland, on Cape in the early 90's. Mizen, Cape and even the Old Head seem to get them pretty regularly, but again, not 1 i've had a sniff of at Galley. After getting my first ones for about 12 years on Shetland last autumn, its definately time for one here, and I reckon either the fields around Shite Lane or the Top Lane in September are the best bet.
Prediction 3: garden warbler - another glaring omision from my Galley list! Had a possible last October that flushed out of a bramble patch but never really got on it so would be good to nail one properly! Perhaps not the most exciting find I could go for, but I think I've only seen a couple on Cape since moving here - desperate times!
Wonder how it will all pan out?
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