bonus glauc

Dodged out between deluges of rain to scope the lake for storm-flung vagrants and was quite surprised to see a soggy looking glaucous gull having a bath (75). On closer inspection, it may have been oiled on the breast I think, as it looks dirty on the awesome record shot!

Soggy glauc - bonus!

White-wingers are never guaranteed at Galley - I'd expect to get one or other in a year, but getting both is trickier. Will probably have to wait till later in the winter for an Iceland moving through - fingers crossed!

long tail larging it

Scanning for the green-winged teal from the patio this morning, I was rather surprised to see this!

Yes indeedy, a female long-tailed duck no less, and a full fat patch tick! One that has occurred on patch in days of yore but not very often. Long-tailed ducks used to be reasonably regular at certain sites in east Cork but seem to have become a fair bit scarcer in recent years. This is only my second for the county, and possibly Ireland, as I can't recall seeing any elsewhere, the tart that I am!

Anyway, it was a most welcome addition to the patch list, now standing at 193. Good early bonus for the year too! The male green-winged teal remains on the lake also.

January so far...

January at Galley has been quite good so far! I've been doing the footit challenge, with a target of 70 species based on the last 3 January totals. Wasn't very optimistic I'd get very near it, but as things have turned out, the patio has been most productive, with the vast majority of my 69 species seen from here - indeed probably 60 out of the 69 have been from the patio (or elsewhere in the garden) - pretty good going! Might have to keep a patio list for 2013 if this keeps up!

Most of the 69 species have been fairly typical for January, with the wintering whimbrel in Dirk probably the best of it. However 2 gadwall on the lake on 13th were a good bonus, while the male green-winged teal on 14th and today was better again! Only my second at Galley, with the first showing up late in 2005 and remaining into 2006.

Today the green-winged teal was quite close but I still could only manage this amazeballs bad record shot, despite having 5 cameras out on the table at one point! Know your limits!

Er, its the one on the right! (I think!)