seawatching at last!

Seawatching season normally starts at the beginning of July. Typically, this is when we'd get the first strong south-westerly blow of the "autumn". Only not this year. There's been very little sign of any south-westerlies to date, and when there has been, I've been busy elsewhere!

So, having been avidly refreshing windfinder all week, and trying to juggle somewhere to stash the kids, I eagerly bounced out of bed at 5.30 this am to check that the wind was the promised South-westerly force 5. First impressions was that it was actually South-easterly force 2, but by now I was awake so I headed up to Galley anyway.

2 hours later, and apart from a showy fin whale, I'd only managed 2 arctic skuas, 2 sooty shearwaters and a common scoter. Pants!

Fast forward 5 hours and things were looking better - the wind had picked up, cloud was beginning to build up so I hoofed back up to Galley to give it another lash. After a couple of minutes, a nice close-in cory's shearwater ambled past - excellent! Soon after, a distant great shearwater tried to sneak west without being noticed. For the next hour or so, big shears slowly sailed by every few minutes - not as dramatic as the big push last year, but really good to get to grips with them again after such a slow start to the seawatching season. Finished up after 3 hours, with the following tally:

cory's shearwater - 38
great shearwater - 20
sooty shearwater - 14
storm petrel - 30
bonxie - 2
puffin - 11

Happy days!

Local twitching

With Galley really not being very good lately, despite regular checking for bee-eaters and orioles and the like, its fortunate that some good stuff has been turning up close by.

Out of the blue a couple of nights ago news broke of a fine drake blue-winged teal at the Cul-de-Sac pool, near Clonakilty. Wowzers. An Irish tick no less. And it was too - took me about 10 mins to get there and we had it skulking in the reeds round the back going to roost - Excellent! Nearly got an amazeballs phone-scoped shot of it, but my phone spazzed out at the crucial minute so here's a snap of a coaster that we have in the house that has been goading me for years - on my list at last tho!

OML ya bas!

And I even managed to pick out the male green-winged teal new in at nearby Clogheen Marsh on the way home, before it got totally dark. Marvellous.

And then more twitchy fun in the form of a black-winged stilt at White's Marsh yesterday (still there today). Which was nice...

Hopefully it'll behave like the last one & relocate to Kilkeran Lake, thus securing me a much needed patch breakback on almost everyone!

the dipping

Another quiet few days at Galley, with absolutely nothing except a soaking to show for slogging the patch this morning. News of a marsh harrier over the house this evening was a bit galling, but thems the breaks. Had a scour for it from the top of Shite Lane but no further sign. Good few whimbrel moving through just now - the "Maybirds" are early this year!

Specially for Jono

Been a while

The spring has slowly limped along, but with very little to show for it at Galley. Today was no exception until I looked at the lake. First surprise was a male gadwall, which I think is my 4th record here.

Scorchio!

Imagine my surprise when a male shoveler swam into view from a wee bit to the right of the gadwall - fantastic! My second record I think, after this amayzing encounter!!

Quackers!

So, still no real migs to speak of, but two juicy ducks for the year - bingo!

scouring for hoopoes

I love calm, sunny spring days at Galley! Inevitably, I start fantasising about finding hoopoes. And today was no different, particularly after the news of a hoopoe at Ballycotton this morning. I've found one hoopoe at Galley before and I enjoyed it so much I'd like to find another one!

So, as soon as I got free from work I headed out. But where to start? The only problem with scouring for hoopoes at Galley is that there are literally hundreds of spots where you could find one. So you have to check them all. So I did. Well, a lot of them anyway - as many as I could fit in. But couldn't find any hoopoes today. Maybe tomorrow then. I'll have to scour the place all over again!

Although I failed on the hoopoe front, I cashed in on the wheatear front! A full 5 days earlier than the average date which is 15th March. Win!

ooo migrants

and a bit closer er more zoomed in

Admiring my carrots? Yes, they are rather fine!

So that was that! Not as good as a hoopoe, but always great to score the first ear of the year - 1st one I've heard about this year in the county too - spring is finally here!