CLONEA: 4 juvenile Arctic Terns @ Ballinclamper. (MC, MC Sr.)

CLONEA: 3 White Wagtails @ Ballinclamper(MC); also 78 Ringed Plover & a Whimbrel (PMW).

BALLYNACOURTY POINT: 9 Arctic Skuas (DC).

ARDMORE: 1 juvenile Arctic Tern & 3 Mediterranean Gulls (2 adults and 1 juvenile) on the beach. (MC)

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: Single Great Skua, Arctic Skua & Common Scoter W, 905 Manx Shearwaters W (15E), 115 Fulmars W, 65 Sandwich & 14 Commic Terns W (seawatch 07:50-10:20, wind f.4-5 SW) (PMW).

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 2 Balearic Shearwaters with feeding flock of 200+ Manx Shearwaters close inshore (08:30) (PMW).

CLONEA: Arctic Skua offshore & 3 White Wagtails @ Ballinclamper this evening. (MC)

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 650 Manx Shearwaters west in 1 hr (seawatch 18:45-19:45, wind f. 5 WSW-SW), also 80+ Guillemots feeding close inshore including fledglings still being fed by parents (MAD, PMW).

CLONEA STRAND: 5 early Brent Geese (DC).

DUNGARVAN: Ruff and (well inshore) Fulmar at Ballyneety (DC).

DUNGARVAN: Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper @ The Cunnigar. Adult Mediterranean Gull, Green Sandpiper & juvenile Ruff @ Ballyneety. (MC & CF)

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 850 Manx Shearwaters west in half-hour seawatch (13:10-13:40) (MAD, PMW).

BELLE LAKE: 28 Sedge Warblers ringed, 2 Water Rails heard (AA, PMW).

DUNGARVAN: Adult Mediterranean Gull @ Barnawee Bridge. (MC)

DUNGARVAN TOWN: A Mink seen walking down main street around lunchtime (JAP).

HELVICK HEAD: A seawatch 06:50-08:20 noted westward passage of an adult SABINES GULL, 3 Sooty Shearwaters, an unidentified petrel species, 2 Arctic Skuas, juvenile Pomarine Skua , 2 Great Skuas, juv Little Gull, 2 Puffins, Common Scoter, 9000+ Manx Shearwaters (plus c500 on sea), c450 Gannets, c900 Fulmars, c1500 Sandwich Terns & c700 'Commic' Terns. A further Arctic Skua & 2 Great Skuas later in morning.


Tuesday, August 25, 2009

CLONEA STRAND: Adult Pomarine Skua off Ballinclamper tonight (CF, MC, MC Sr).

ARDMORE HARBOUR: 4 Mediterranean Gulls (2 adults, 2 juveniles) - one juv had a green ring, midday today (SH).

MINE HEAD: Estimated 1500 Manx Shearwaters feeding off the head, 7.30 pm (SH).

HELVICK HEAD: 485 Manx Shearwaters W (5 E) in 1 hr (seawatch 18:55-19:55) (PMW).

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: Seawatch totals (3 hrs 08:55-12:55): 3 Sooty Shearwaters W, 6400 Manx Shearwaters W (75 E), 1 Great Skua E, 1 Arctic or Pomarine Skua W, 3 Common Scoters E & 4 W (PMW).

HELVICK HEAD: 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 3 Puffins, 1 Bonxie west (seawatch 09:15-09:45) (MC).

HELVICK: 3 Storm Petrels west (Seawatch 17:55-18:30). (MC) CLONEA: 7 Roseate Terns (1 Adult at roost & group of 6 later flying west), Adult Mediterranean Gull & 2 Storm Petrels offshore. (MC & MC Sr.)

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: Great Skua & 2 Storm Petrels east (seawatch 19:20-20:05, wind 5 S-SSE); also 2 Whimbrel (PMW).

CUNNIGAR: 3 Green Sandpipers & 1 juvenile Curlew Sandpiper. (MC & CF) CLONEA: 40+ Common Terns @ Ballinclamper. (MC & CF) DUNGARVAN: Green Sandpiper @ Ballyneety. (MC & CF)

BELLE LAKE: 2 juv Reed Warblers & 24 Sedge Warblers ringed this
morning, Water Rail calling (PMW).

DUNGARVAN: Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, 90-100 Ringed Plover, 2 Knot, 9 Grey Plover & over 100 Dunlin at the Cunnigar (7 pm on, high tide) (DC).

CLONEA STRAND: 66 Sandwich Terns at Ballinclamper (DC).

HELVICK HEAD: 310 Manx Shearwaters west (65 east) in 1-hr seawatch (18:15-19:15) (PMW).

DUNGARVAN: Adult Mediterranean Gull & 11 Great Crested Grebes off the Cunnigar, 17:50 (PMW).

DUNGARVAN: Wood Sandpiper, juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, juv Mediterranean Gull & 2 juv Arctic Terns at the Cunnigar (MC).

CLONEA: 2 Mediterranean Gulls (Adult & Juvenile) @ Ballinclamper. (MC)

DUNGARVAN: Ruff, 6 Knot, 140 Dunlin, 9 Sanderling, 50 Ringed Plover, 120+ Bar-tailed Godwits, c190 Lesser Black-backed Gulls & 200+ Black-headed Gulls at the Cunnigar, 7.30 pm (DC).

CLONEA STRAND: Mediterranean Gull, 5 Little Egrets & 42 Sandwich Terns at Ballinclamper (DC).

HELVICK: 2 Storm Petrels & 1 Great Skua. (MC)

BELLE LAKE: 3 juvenile Reed Warblers, 14 Sedge Warblers & a Blackcap ringed this morning (PMW).

CLONEA STRAND: 37 Ringed Plover at Ballinclamper including a colour-ringed juvenile (yellow above, red below right 'knee'; white above & below left) (MAD, PMW).

BALLINARD: 2 Wheatears; also an Otter feeding here for the last week (DC).

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND: 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls at Saleen. (MC)

CLONEA: Juvenile Arctic Tern at Ballinclamper. (MC)

COLLIGAN WOOD: Minimum of 13 Purple Hairstreaks (6-8 pm), also 4 Silver-washed Fritillaries on Buddleia (JAP, BS).

DUNGARVAN TOWN: Migrant Hawker (MC).

CLONEA STRAND: Juvenile Mediterranean Gull west at Ballinclamper (MAD, PMW).

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: Single Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff & Willow Warbler (PMW).

BELLE LAKE: Water Rail calling, only 3 Sedge Warblers ringed (PMW).

CLONEA: Adult Mediterranean Gull @ Ballinclamper. (White darvic ring but not read). (MC & CF)

DUNGARVAN: Mediterranean Gull at the Cunnigar, also dozens of Cinnabar Moths & their larvae on ragwort (June Hayes).

BELLE LAKE: Adult Reed Warbler & 12 Sedge Warblers ringed (PMW).

DUNGARVAN: Barn Owl near Dungarvan tonight. (MC)

CLONEA: Adult, juvenile Mediterranean Gulls and 11 Common Sandpipers @ Ballinclamper. (MC)

Nr CLASHMORE: 2 Long-eared Owls (AM).

CLONEA STRAND: Adult Mediterranean Gull at Ballinclamper (MC Sr).

WATERFORD BREEDING BIRD ATLAS update:

Total known coverage during April-July 2006-2009 is mapped below. Of the c540 2-km tetrads in the county, at least 70% have now had 2 or more hours of timed coverage (red dots), the minimum target for each 'full' tetrad. In total, records have been collected / submitted from at least 490 tetrads (91%). Click here for further details.

DUNGARVAN: A Great Skua flew west over the town @ 7.30 pm, seen from Cunnigar tip (MC).

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND: 2 Hen Harriers (Paddy Dwan).

WATERFORD CITY: Comma butterfly (apparently first for Co Waterford) & Hummingbird Hawk-moth at Collins Avenue (Tadhg O'Carroll per Michael O'Meara).

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND: OSPREY at Saleen this morning (Peter Fitzgerald); last confirmed c3 pm, fishing in main channel at low tide.

HELVICK HEAD seawatches: Balearic Shearwater & Sooty Shearwater west (19:45-20:30) (CF, MC). 30+ Storm Petrels, 1 Great Skua, 1 Common Tern & 3 Puffins west (18:15-19:45) (MC). Balearic Shearwater, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 235 Manx Shearwaters, 10+ Storm Petrels, 1 Great Skua, 2 Arctic Skuas, 3 Puffins & 12+ Common Scoters west (17:00-18:00) (MAD, PMW)

DUNGARVAN: Adult Mediterranean Gull @ Killongford. (MC & CF)

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: Great Skua, 2 Arctic Skuas west & 60 Manx Shearwaters
west (25 Manx east) (seawatch 10:05-11:10, wind f.3-5 SW) (PMW).

BELLE LAKE: Juvenile Reed Warbler ringed (PMW); also 1 Blackcap, 4 Sedge Warblers, 2 Willow Warblers, 1 Lesser Redpoll & 2 Wrens ringed.

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 2 Storm Petrels tape-lured & ringed last night (23:15 & 00:30), also a pipistrelle bat species accidentally caught (Adrian Allen, Mary Duggan, PMW).

CLONEA: 1st Summer Mediterranean Gull @ Ballinclamper. (MC)