patch gold and more gull action

The storm had abated a bit this morning and although there were still some vicious showers around, I decided to play a hunch in the hope of a good patch year tick. Last April I finally managed to get purple sandpiper properly on patch, during a fairly stormy few days - see here. My theory was that in rough weather, the rocks at Owenahincha where purps normally spend the winter are too exposed and waterlogged. Birds are therefore forced to try elsewhere, meaning the rocks at Long Strand. I picked my way through the foam and rocks this morning and sure enough, there were two purple sandpipers.

multiply this by two

Ker-ching! Theory proved! Or maybe just luck, but either way, great to get them on-patch again for 2014.

Had a look at Rosscarbery at lunchtime and dug out 3 glaucous gulls loafing on the sand (1st winter, 2 winter & adult), plus what I'm pretty sure was the Long Strand kumlien's gull from the other day. Sadly it flew off inland while I was wrestling with the scope and tripod to grill it.

A trip to Cork City this pm was enlivened by a quick detour to Ballycotton for a pop at the long-staying first winter laughing gull. A blank at first, with just a first winter glaucous gull and what appeared to be a fairly pale first winter kumlien's gull - see below. The primaries on this bird appeared better marked on one side than the other, which seems strange, but, although quite pale on the primaries, I think it is a kumlien's...

Luckily for me, the main attraction showed up then and after wolfing several large slices of bread (fewer, small pieces may be a better option?) it sat about at close range - cracker!

white-wingers

Noticed a lot more large gulls hanging around at Long Strand this morning so went down for a closer look. Hadn't been there long before a huge adult glaucous gull came in and started throwing its weight about. Didn't get any close shots of it but then encountered what was almost certainly the same bird chewing on a long-dead seal (?) on Owenahincha beach this lunchtime.

Ravenous beast

mmmm Lunch

More exciting was a first winter kumlien's gull which was mixing it with the herring gulls at Long Strand this morning. Sadly, it too didn't come that close but got a couple of snaps on a fly-by.

kumlien's ahoy

Sadly, they'll all be blown away in tomorrow gales!

footit target assimilated

I've been sneakily banging in the odd year tick along the way this last week - nothing amayzing but bits and bobs like water rail and shelduck and the like. All these year ticks also count for my footit challenge too, as I've done no car birding on patch this year. Mainly cos I can't drive it on to the Magic Patio!

Anyway, with the January days fast running out, and being 4 short of the magic 100% figure of 70 species, I decided to try once again for the (fairly) regular whimbrel that hangs out in Dirk Bay each winter - I guess it may not be the same bird every year but it does hang out in the same spot all the time. Except on the 1st of January of course.

I lugged my scope too there, as I was hopeful of maybe picking up a razorbill in the bay or flying past at sea - it was all beginning to get a bit serious! But nothing like as serious as this, I should add! 127 miles of walking? Respect!

As I struggled up Shite Lane hill, marvelling once again at my brilliant scope porter (tm), I saw 4 small waders flying into the gusty wind. "Hmmm, probably snipe" I wagered to myself, as I raised my trusty bins, and sure enough, 4 golden plover flew onto the year list. Ker-ching! (67).

Descending into Dirk, there was the whimbrel sitting on the rocks where it likes to sit (except on the 1st of January). Bingo! (68). But that was me lot. No wintering chiffs or caps frolicking in the sheltered fuschia bushes (well, none that I could find anyway). Tried for a while to string a raz out of the few auks booting past out to sea but they were all pretty distant & the light was pants. There were 2 auks in the bay, but of course one was a guillemot and the other was a tystie (scream for me again, stevie g(antlett)). No raz tho. Booo.

Humped me gear all the way home (only about half an hours walk but its a steep hill!), and scanned the lake to see just the usual dabchicks, and with that, birding appeared to be pretty much over for the day. Luckily tho, I reckoned without the power of the lunch table to pull in the year ticks. Mid-sandwich I noticed a whitish looking gull flying over the lake, which through bins was clearly a white-winger. Rushed out to the garden with the scope to see a smart adult iceland gull (69) being wind-blasted on the lakeshore. Better again, at 50x zoom, I noticed a knot hunched in the rocks behind it, trying to shelter as well. Moob!! (70, or as we say in old money, 100%).

Unfortunately unlike some, I didn't think to take a selfie of the big moment. On the other hand, unlike some, I haven't walked 127 miles for my 100% (I might have covered 7 miles in total, but possibly not even that) so you'll have to make do with a couple of dodgy-scoped shelduck from midweek.

Kwality Kwacks!!

So there you go! Gonna try and nail Raz tomorrow if I can swing the time. Will involve my longest walk of this footit campaign tho - all the way to the light. And back!! Hope I make it!

globbies

Took a while but eventually caught up with the 2 glossy ibis between Owenahincha and Rosscarbery - saw them a couple of times swirling around over the main road on the school run and then found them in the field beside the road on another day.

Globular on-deck action

This is the first attempt of handheld phone-scoping, and so impressed was I with the results that I tried again on the black guillemot that has been hanging about on the lake the last few days. The results speak for themselves...

very tystie

It was miles away, and I couldn't be arsed getting off the patio! Tried really hard to get the globbies on the patch list yesterday morning, but unfortunately there was an inconvenient hill in the way. Did get wigeon, grey heron  and sparrowhawk  on the year list tho (63).

The BFG

One week into the new year, and I feel like I've hardly been out! The weather hasn't really been up to much, and what with the Great Island Bird Race last saturday (we came second - again!!), I've somehow been off-patch whenever the weather has been good.

Did manage to notice this fella through the salt-encrusted windows this morning tho (55).

BFG - big fat glauc