Clahane next morning

Today at Clahane everything was a lot calmer, the strong swell of last evening had settled and the high tide line was less dramatic.Plenty of Redshank were back on the shore, a Great northern Diver was catching plenty of small fish, The Gulls hade moved out to deeper water

Two Willow Warblers were a suprise and my first this spring, also 5 Wheatear were present.

Clahane evening -Hightide and flies

The Flies

Redshank covered in flies

 Billions of flies were pushed up onto the sea walls at Clahane ,producing food for a variety of birds on land and in the sea, there must have been an abundance of feeding  fish as well to attract a Bottlenose Dolphin.

Bottlenose Dolphin

A large flock of Herring Gull and Kittiwake had come into the cove for the feeding and  50 Pied Wagtail were along side the road.

Kittiwake

50 Pied Wagtails

 The wading bird and the birds that roost on the shoreline here had lost there place due to the hightide, pushing them up close the road , they searched for roosting areas late into the evening,

Oystercatchers

View to Hags head from Clahane

Theres nothing like an evening at your local patch.

Northern Wheatears at Clahane

A fine spring morning .Three Wheatears were at Clahane feeding along the walls and in the scrubby field.

Kingfisher in the town

A Kingfisher was on show ,dashing among the Willows and trees on the other side of the river fergus in Ennis.

Ennis Riverside

Plenty of birds on show along the banks of the River Fergus in Ennis town ,The 5 Canada Geese have made it home ,a Kingfisher was around the larger Willows and trees, Feral Pidgeons courting,loads of hungry Black-headed Gulls,a Song Thrush was on the path with a Little Grebe close to the Post Office and much more to see.
Now back to the shopping I came to do.

Rock Pipit type

These photos are of a Rock Pipit taken at Clahane ,County Clare.
Pipit showing a strong supercillium,paler ,more whitish on throat,breast streaking paler.They certainly seem different to the Rock Pipits(petrosus) that reside and winter here.
They may be `moulting`Petrosus or could be Littoralis type that are passing through the west coast due to a few weeks steady easterly airflow .
Ill keep an eye on the Pipits over the next few weeks.......

Horse Questions

What purpose does this horse have?
Alone in a small patch on a cliff edge with no shelter, open to the elements of the Atlantic ocean weather.
Its been here all winter....why?
Is it ever ridden ,walked,loved by an owner?
There are so many of these type of horses in fields and roadsides  right through Ireland..
What is the obsession with these creatures ?
Horse Meat???

Stonechats

Stonechats are one of the few insectivorous birds to tough it out through the Irish winters.This leaves them highly susceptible to cold weather,so they often keep to coastal areas.This time last year there was one Stonechat at Clahane ,today there were six, feeding on flies in the washed up seaweed.

Redshank

Redshanks can be seen all over our coastal shorelines, There seems to a Redshank every few metres in winter

Island Power

The wave at Crab island  is 1/2 km out of Doolin harbour , the wind is a light NE and the swell is pumping and there is nobody out. A Bottle-nosed Dolphin joined me for the paddle. A silent partner.