DUNGARVAN: 1st winter Mediterranean Gull & 2 Curlew Sandpipers @ Ballyneety. (MC)

HELVICK HEAD:
Seawatch 09:10-11:00 & 12:20-13:05 (CF)
'Blue' Fulmar: 3
Manx Shearwater: 4
Storm Petrel: 1
petrel species: 1 'large'
Red-throated Diver: 5
LONG-TAILED SKUA: 1 juv
Pomarine Skua: 14
Arctic Skua: 27
Great Skua: 30
Little Gull: 4 1st-winter
Sandwich Tern: 2
Fulmar, Gannet, Kittiwake, large auks: strong passage W up to c10:30 (when rain started & wind dropped)
Skua counts underestimates (many distant birds not assigned to species).
On land, 5 Chiffchaffs with good numbers of Blackbirds & Song Thrushes.

DUNGARVAN: 1 adult & 1 1st winter Mediterranean Gull @ the Barnawee. (MC)

CLONEA: Purple Sandpiper @ Ballinard. (")

WATERFORD HARBOUR:  Short-eared Owl at saltmarsh near Cheekpoint (Andrew Harrington).

TRAMORE: Great Skua over Backstrand, 2 1st-winter Mediterranean Gulls at boating lake (DS).

BALLYVOYLE: Merlin & Black Redstart (JAP).

DUNGARVAN; Great Northern Diver off Ballynagaul (PMW).

DUNMORE EAST: Purple Sandpiper outside seawall (").

BROWNSTOWN HEAD:
Seawatch 08:00-10:00 (PMW)
Weather: wind 4 SW, vis moderate to good, dry
Great Northern Diver: 2 W
Red-throated Diver: 1 W
Brent Goose: 34 W (9, 6, 9, 10)
Pomarine Skua: 1 imm W
Arctic Skua: 1 ad pale E
Fulmar: 2 E, 10 W
Gannet: 10 E, 73 W
Kittiwake: 152 E, 355 W
Sandwich Tern: 1 W
Common/Arctic Tern: 1 W
Large auk sp: 286 E, 169 W
Porpoise: 1
Grey Seal: 1
Also a Tree Sparrow, Wheatear & a further 9 Brent NW over the head towards Tramore backstrand.

HELVICK HEAD:
Seawatch 16:40-17:40 (MAD, PMW)
Weather: wind 4-5 SW, vis moderate
Balearic Shearwater: 1 W (medium-pale bird)
Great Skua: 12 (8 W, 4 off-passage)
Arctic Skua: 2 (adult pale W, juv off-passage)
Pomarine Skua: 3 adult or subadult pale W
Little Gull: 1 juvenile W
Fulmar: 1 W
Gannet, Kittiwake, large auks: not counted

CLONEA STRAND: 8+ Bonxies, 4+ Arctic Skuas, 2 Pomarine Skuas & juvenile Little Gull off Ballinclamper (MC).

BUNMAHON: Bonxie & Merlin earlier (").

ARDMORE HEAD: Ring Ouzel still present @ 15:00, also 3 Blackcaps (male & 2 female) & 3 Chiffchaffs; 200 Kittiwakes in Ardmore Bay & a Great Northern Diver circling high (MAD, PMW).

ARDMORE: 1st-winter Ring Ouzel at St Declan's Well, Snow Bunting & 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls at Curragh beach (CF, DW).

HELVICK HEAD: 3 male Blackcaps & 4+ Tree Sparrows (").

BLACKWATER VALLEY:  16 Whooper Swans at Camphire (MF).

ARDMORE:  Snow Bunting at still at Curragh beach but very wary & flighty, seems to prefer end near big house; also 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls there (CF).

WHITING BAY:  1 adult Mediterranean Gull (").

CARRIGNAGOUR (nr Lismore): 10+ Crossbills & large flock of Siskins in garden (AM).

SEAFIELD:  Redwings flying overhead tonight (DW).

TRAMORE: 1 Snow Bunting on track down to sandhills, just after the small sand-dune, also a Wheatear, 4 Swallows at backstrand, and 3 White-fronted Geese flew overhead from Saleen direction towards Lisselan (DS).

ARDMORE: Another Snow Bunting here, at Curragh beach, also 3 Mediterranean Gulls, a Wheatear & a partially leucistic Hooded Crow (AM).

RAM HEAD:
Seawatch 11:05-13:05 (AM)
Arctic Skua: 3 attacking Kittiwakes
Pomarine Skua: 1 also picking on a Kittiwake!
Great Northern Diver: 1 E
Arctic/Common Tern: 1
Fin Whale: 1
Risso's Dolphin: 3
Common Dolphin: 100+
Also Merlin & Clouded Yellow.

CARRIGNAGOUR (nr Lismore): Crossbills still visiting garden (").

TRAMORE:  2 Snow Buntings, at end of main walking track just before the sandhills @ 14:25, also a female Merlin later at the embankments (DS).

DUNGARVAN:  Dark-bellied Brent Goose with 500+ pale-bellied Brent (CF) & 5+ Wheatears (AM) at the Cunnigar.

HELVICK HEAD: Garden Warbler, 2 late Willow Warblers, 5+ Chiffchaffs, 4+ Tree Sparrows & 20+ Bullfinches with many other finches & sparrows (CF).

WATERFORD CITY:  Wheatear on rooftops at WIT (DMcG).

DUNGARVAN:  Snow Bunting at the Cunnigar, maybe 3/4 way down; also 2 a Short-eared Owl mobbed by Hoodies & flew towards Helvick, & 2 Whooper Swans in off sea (DS, Arlo Jacques); Green Sandpiper, 2 Kingfishers, Treecreeper, 20 Long-tailed Tits & 9 Goldcrests at Brickey canal (DC).

TRAMORE:  Mediterranean Gull at boating lake (DS).

HELVICK HEAD:
Seawatch 15:10-16:10 (PMW)
Weather: wind 6-7 SE, vis poor, drizzle/rain.
Fulmar: 195 W
Great Crested Grebe: 1 on sea
Great Skua: 1 W
Arctic Skua: 2 W
Arctic Tern: 1 W
Gannet, Kittiwake, large auks: not counted

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: Tree Sparrow & 6 Long-tailed Tits (PMW).

TRAMORE BOATING LAKE: 1st-winter Mediterranean Gull, 4 Snipe & 60 Mallard (").

HELVICK HEAD:
Black Redstart along road to high car-park (JAP, BS). 
Seawatch 08:30-11:30 (CF, JAP, BS):
Manx Shearwater: 3
Red-throated Diver: 1
Great Crested Grebe: 2
Common Scoter: 1 male W
Great Skua: 5
Pomarine Skua: 3 (1 adult & 2 1st-winters)
Arctic Skua: 10 (5 adults, 1 2nd-cal & 4 1st-winters)
Little Gull: 4 1st-winters
Common Tern: 2 adults
Gannet, Kittiwake, auks: large passage W

DUNGARVAN: party of 6 Great Northern Divers at Ballynagaul (JAP, BS).

Friday, October 21, 2011

BALLINARD:
Seawatch 16:15-17:00 (CF):
Great Skua: 4
Pomarine Skua: 5  
Arctic Skua: 6  
Little Gull:  2 1st-winters
Sandwich Tern: 3
Great Northern Diver: 1 on sea
Red-throated Diver: 2 on sea
Kittiwake: very large passage
Gannet: good numbers

HELVICK HEAD: Quiet - 1 Blackcap, 2 Willow Warblers & 4 Chiffchaffs; also good numbers of Goldfinch, Redpoll, Chaffinch and Siskin (")

ARDMORE:  3 Mediterranean Gulls, Sandwich Tern, Wheatear, = lots of Swallows and Sand Martins at the Curragh (AM).

RAM HEAD:  Whooper Swan flew past, 7+ Fin Whales, 100+ Common Dolphins, Clouded Yellow, Red Admiral & 3 Peacock butterflies (").

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND:  Female Merlin, 6 Swallows & a Common Tern (DS).