September 15, 2022

Wheatears at Quilty

 A few Wheatear were on the hightide line on Quilty beach.

 Beautiful birds that are travelling to Africa for winter and one of our first that we will see arrive back in spring. 

With the Wheatears was a much darker bird, a probably a Female  or Greenland Wheatear type that has joined in the extra miles









Fox on the Pier

 Anyhows the story of the Fox continues, after it crossed the beach and climbed up onto the Seafield Pier it began sniffing and circling a container...I chanced at knowing there could be some photo opportunity as the Fox scaled the harbour wall onto the back Boulders where it eventually disappeared  









Fox on the Shore

  Standing near beach viewing the birds along shoreline through my scope as they all went up, you always come off the scope to look and see what has upped the waders, earlier it had been a Peregrine Falcon, then a dog , those as expected... but a Fox at 5pm jogging past me right out in the open was unexpected.






September 9, 2022

A Stint in the stoney bays of Loop Head

I was enjoying nice morning amung the bays of Loop head. 
Laragen bay and Ross bay are a stand out beautiful area. These bays are surrounded in smooth stones shaped by the ocean.
A Little Stint was among the seaweed with a few Dunlin a Ringed Plover and a Common Sandpiper that was on a small patch of sand and elusive in the stones. Reed Bunting,  Wheatear and White Wagtail were flycatching in the stones.
 A Peaceful Place with calls from Whimbrel

September 6, 2022

Easky.Dawn Patrol

Easky...
Sometimes during summer the west coast dont get much surf.
I spotted a NW pulse of swell early one morning and turned up in Co.Sligo at Easky on Dawn Patrol Strike Mission.

September 4, 2022

Black Tern

Another day on and Ive caught up with the Black Tern at Ballyalia lake.
 The bird was acrobaticly dip feeding as Marsh Terns do, often joining Black headed Gulls fly catching in the air and a small enough bird for Swallows to chase.

Kingfisher at Ballyalia

I was up early and chanced my arm at seeing the Black Tern that was found yesterday. 
I was a bit early for many birds and without time and didnt see the Tern, but a call to my right gave away a showy Kingfisher that buzzed about looking for breakfast

September 2, 2022

Seafield passage migrants arrival

Some beautiful weather and a gathering of fresh in passage migrants.
With the Pectoral Sandpiper being the highlight bird , 2 juvenile Little  Stint and upto 9 or 10 Curlew Sandpiper were among shorebirds such as Sanderling and Dunlin that were here in high numbers

September 1, 2022

Pectoral Sandpiper at Seafield

An adult Pectoral Sandpiper was looking good as it wandered into the view on my scope as I was checking the seaweed dump at Seafield.

Knot at Clonahinchy

While watching the Gulls and waders at Clonahinchy , 4 shorebirds landed on the sand further up beach which upped me for a strole to find Knot .
And so begins another season.