January 27, 2022

Water Pipit at Clahane

  My old friend Geoff Pearson called me yesterday to say that he had an unusuallly light coloured Pipit on the Seaweed at Clahane , I arrived and the Pip was on the seaweed in the corner standing out, as I got out of the car the bird vanished as an oncoming westerly wind  churned up and I failed to see it again.

This morning was a lot clearer and the Water Pipit was again on the seaweed, but moving around to the field often being chased by the Rock Pipits and the handful Meadow Pipits in the rock field. I noticed it had damage to one of the tail-slide feathers which helps ID the bird in the crowds . Also as other Pipits, Wagtails, Redshanks, Starlings etc all go up together when startled, on a few occasion's this bird stayed very still on the seaweed .






January 16, 2022

Slavonian Grebe - Poulnasherry

 I went down to Poulnasherry bay to try and catch up with a few birds that had been seen during the week. I was at the east side of the mouth of the bay at low tide, I was searching the edges of the shores in my scope where an Otter was running along a mudbank, Wigeon, Brent Geese, Great crested Grebe and a few Great northern  Divers were into the bay, a search out on the water outside the mouth produced the Slavonian Grebe but it was far out past the depth Bouys.....I waited , but the Grebe remained deep.

I left to go round to the west side of the mouth of Poulnasherry bay at Moughna where the light was better.... again I waited...and a pushing tide brought the Slavonian Grebe in toward the mouth of the bay where it and I spent the afternoon in the sun, Offshore in calm conditions the male Velvet Scoter made an appearance, an impressive duck that.












January 5, 2022

Velvet Scoter

   It was low tide and I walked down along the beach at Kilmacreedy side of Lahinch beach to get a bit closer to two Eider that I found in the scope from the harbour at Liscannor, the birds were down light but close to shore as they moved toward 3 Scoter that were also close in, but 100 yards away toward the inagh river entry. 

This female Velvet Scoter was with two Common Scoter and all 5 birds were together at one point, so the walk was worth while