HELVICK HEAD:

Seawatch 18:00-20:30 (BS, FO'C, CF, JAP)

Storm Petrel: 2

Common Scoter: 1.

Great Skua: 9.

Puffin: 17.

Manx Shearwater, Fulmar, Gannet: light passage.

Glaucous Gull: in harbour. 

CLONEA: 10 Common Scoter flew west off Ballinclamper. (MC)

HELVICK HEAD:
Seawatch 17:00-18:10 (MC):
GREAT SHEARWATER: 1 W.
Puffin 21.

HELVICK HEAD:
Seawatch 13:45-14:30 (MC):
Balearic Shearwater: 1 W @ 14:00.
Great Skua: 1
Puffin: 6.

FERRY POINT:  3 Common Sandpipers (ADM).


Tuesday, July 30, 2013

GREAT NEWTOWN HEAD:
Seawatch 20:50-21:35 (JF):
Bottlenose Dolphin: 1 just off the Head.
Fulmar: 1 E, 2 W.
Gannet: 3 E, 27 W.
Kittiwake:  1 W.
Sandwich Tern: 2 E, 4 W.
Black Guillemot: 1 W.

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

DUNGARVAN: 2nd summer Mediterranean Gull @ Ballyneety. (MC)

MT CONGREVE:  2 Comma butterflies along railway track, near the lime kilns; also a range of other butterfy species including Common Blue and Small Copper (JJC, JAP, BS).

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND:  10 Greenshank at Pickardstown including a ringed bird (double orange band on left tibia, plus a geolocator?, metal ring right), also 4 Whimbrel (DS).


Thursday, July 25, 2013

MT CONGREVE:  Comma butterfly along railway track (DMcG).

RAM HEAD:  Total of 72 Kittiwake chicks in study plots which held 105 occupied nests on 17 June - a big improvement over 2012 (when only 2 chick on same date from 117 nests in June).

ARDMORE:  3 Mediterranean Gulls at Curragh & another adult-summer at Cliff Hotel (ADM).

BROWNSTOWN HEAD:
Seawatch 0630-0815 (DS):
Arctic Skua: 2 E @ 07;35.
Common Scoter: 2 E.
Manx Shearwater: 89 E, 177 W.
Fulmar: 4 W.
Gannet: 128 E, 21 W.
Curlew: 1 W.
Kittiwake: 9 W.
Sandwich Tern: 24 W.
Razorbill: 6 E, 12 W.
Also 10+ Red Admirals along the lane.

CLONEA: 4 Mediterranean Gulls (3 Adults, 2nd Summer) & 3 Common Sandpipers @ Ballinclamper. (MC)

GREAT NEWTOWN HEAD:
Seawatch 08:30-09:30 (AJ):
Manx Shearwater: 10 E, 7 W.
Fulmar: 36 (6 nests, 4 chicks - 1 dead).
Kittiwake: 3 E.
Black Guillemot: 5.
 

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND:  SPOONBILL again at racecourse lake (AJ).

BALLYVOYLE COVE:  2 adult Mediterranean Gulls (MC snr).

BUNMAHON:  2 Green Sandpipers & a Common Sandpiper (DW).

DUNGARVAN:  Adult Yellow-legged Gull at Ballyneety bridge, adult Mediterranean Gull at the Lookout (MC).

CLONEA STRAND:  6 Mediterranean Gulls (3 adult, 2 2nd-summer & 1 1st-summer) at Ballinclamper, by 19:30 (MC snr).

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND:  c50 Swifts feeding over Lisselan, 17:10 (PMW).

WEST WATERFORD:  Buzzard (ADM).

RAM HEAD: 11 Great Skuas & 57 Common Scoter best on seawatch (ADM).

BROWNSTOWN HEAD:

Seawatch 06:40-9:40 (wind 2 E-ENE, JB, PMW)

Great Skua: 2 W.

Common Scoter: 11 E, 62 W (incl flock 45).

Mediterranean Gull: 4 (juvenile & 2 adults W, adult feeding).

Puffin: 1 E, 7 W.

Manx Shearwater: 460 E, 85 W.

Fulmar: 9 E, 3 W.

Gannet: 295 E, 43 W.

Grey Plover: 3 E.

Kittiwake: 15 E, 8 W.

Sandwich Tern: 1 E, 10 W.

Guillemot: 5 E, 2 W.

Razorbill: 15 E, 2 W.

Large auk sp: 9 E, 8 W.

DUNGARVAN: 9 Common Sandpipers at  Ballyneety (JAP, BS).

BALLYSCANLAN WOOD: 3 Silver-washed Fritillary & 3 Gatekeeper butterflies ("). 

TRAMORE: Adult Spoonbill, adult Mediterranean Gull, Reed Warbler in song, Tufted Duck & 2 Teal @ Lisselan. (MC)

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND:  SPOONBILL still present at Lisselan, 15:45 (JF).

HELVICK:  2nd-summer Glaucous Gull (JAP, BS).

BALLYMACART:  Immature Dipper & flock of 27+ Chough (").

WHITING BAY:  Tree Sparrow & Common Sandpiper at extreme western end of bay (").

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND: SPOONBILL again at Lisselan, 11:20, east bank of northern pond in middle of racecourse (AJ).

GARRARUS: Flock of 67 Choughs, also 100+ Pied Wagtails & 6 Ravens - plus snorkeling showed hundreds of small pollack, ballan wrasse, ling, flats and sand eels, also edible, shore and spider crab, large mullet, 3 lesser weevers and a cuttle fish, depth under 10 feet (").

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND: 2 Common Sandpipers, 3 Whimbrel, 3 Dunlin, Emperor Dragonfly & a Brown Hawker also at Lisselan earlier today (DS).

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND:  SPOONBILL at Lisselan - at racecourse lake with roosting gulls, 13:50, before being flushed by cattle and flying high & north (DS).

DUNGARVAN: Green Sandpiper & 3 Common Sandpipers at Ballyneety (MC snr).

KNOCKBRACK QUARRY (nr Clashmore): 3 Emperor dragonflies (ADM).

RAM HEAD:  20 Common Scoter, good passage of Manx Shearwaters W & 2 Sunfish (ADM).

ARDMORE:  3 Mediterranean Gulls at Curragh (ADM).

BUNMAHON: 2 Reed Warblers singing, Green Sandpiper & 2 Common Sandpipers (DW).

BUNMAHON:  2 singing Reed Warblers in reeds along River Mahon behind the village (1 singing yesterday) (DW).

HELVICK:  2nd-summer Glaucous Gull still present (MC snr).

WEST WATERFORD: Buzzard (FO'C).

ARDMORE:  Cuckoo nestling/fledgling from Dunnock nest (SH).

Nr DUNGARVAN: Long-eared Owl at 22:45 (JAP).

CARRIGAVRANTRY:  Common Sandpiper (DS).

DUNGARVAN: 6 Common Sandpipers and a male Tufted Duck @ Ballyneety. (MC)

ARDMORE: Adult Mediterranean Gull at Curragh (SH).

CARRIGAVRANTRY: HOBBY at c20:00 (AJ).

EAST WATERFORD: Buzzard (DS).

CLONEA: Adult Mediterranean Gull at Ballinclamper (MC snr).

WATERFORD CITY: 2 Common Terns hawking insects over Francis Street with 200+ BH Gulls & 200+ Swifts @ 21:20 this evening (DS).

DUNGARVAN: Adult Mediterranean Gull opposite Fraher field, 6 Common Sandpipers at Ballyneety, 2 Mediterranean Gulls (adult & 2nd-summer) at Barnawee (DW, MC snr).

Nr ARDMORE:  Adult-summer BONAPARTE'S GULL flying east between Whiting Bay & Ardmore, 15:50 (S Cronin per irishbirding.com) - 3rd county record  (previously records Dungarvan 2004 and Ardmore 2007, with an unconfirmed report from Ardmore in 2008).

LISSELAN (Tramore Backstrand):  Mediterranean Gull roosting with Black-headed Gulls & 6 Common Sandpipers (JF).

LISSELAN (Tramore Backstrand):  4 Common Sandpipers & 3 Lapwing this evening (DS).

LISSELAN: Stock Dove (AJ).

WATERFORD CITY: Herring Gull nest with at least one on a rooftop at Ballybricken today (DMcG) - first ever roof-nesting confirmed for the city?

COUMTAY (Comeragh Mountains):  30+ Wheatears (70% juvenile), 6 Mistle Thrushes (4 juv), 4 Reed Buntings, Dipper, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, a Fox & a Sundew colony (AJ).

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 2 Tree Sparrows (JF).

DROMANA FOREST (nr Villierstown): Crossbill, Treecreeper & 3 Jays @ X1094 

(PMW).

TALLOW: Pair of Spotted Flycatchers in village, 3 singing Yellowhammers along road south to Carrigroe (PMW).

IDA Park (nr Waterford city): Adult Treecreeper carrying food (DS).

EAST WATERFORD: Buzzard (LR).

BROWNSTOWN HEAD:  1 Puffin, 290 Manx Shearwaters, 24 Curlew & 20 Sandwich Terns W between 08:00 & 09:00 (DS).

DUNGARVAN: Kingfisher & Common Sandpiper at Ballyneety (MC snr).