Curlew Sandpipers

Curlew Sandpipers have been frequenting Seafield beach and have been consistant for over a week with numbers as high as 7 birds. Today 4 birds were in the mix with good numbers of Sanderling, Dunlin, &Ringed Plover 

 

Pied Flycatching with my boy

 I was mouching along the coast on a Sunday afternoon and ended up at Loop Head ,which was extremely busy with the lighthouse car park full as well as the harbour and playground.I parked at the Rural where a Treecreeper came along a branch but was high up and difficult to follow, we walked the road through Kilbaha with my little boy looking for birds, We called into a regular garden where we got mini rolls and the Pied Flycatcher.Some of the lads from Limerick had caught up with Pied Flycatcher from the field at the side where we joined them for nice Pied Fly show also 6 Redpoll came to the garden

Pied Flycatcher - Kilbaha

 Turned out a nice morning and the Robins were singing

A Pied Flycatcher was a nice bird to find , it was frequenting the Rusty Barn near Costellos , next to the barn is an Elderberry Bush that is attracting the juvenile Blackbirds and Song Thrush.

9 Snipe were at the pond 

Arctic Skua off the Rhine , Ballyvaughn

 A really calm evening on the Rhine

Wheatears were in good numbers and as the tide dropped a few small flocks of Dunlin and Ringed Plover came to the shorelines, I heard a call of a few Sandwich Terns offshore and was delighted when an Arctic Skua brought on the entertainment.It made a few visits over an hour around Ballyvaughn bay.

The Bridges

 So it was the 1st weekend of westerly winds and Seawatching season takes off.

I made it down early friday morning at 7:30 ,the visabilty was poor and the wind was still SSE birds were few but a splash and Dorsal Fin of a large Blue fin Tuna was good by 9am the wind shifted to WSW and the Manx Shearwaters and Sooty Shearwaters were coming past in good numbers. Handfuls of Great Shearwaters were in with a couple of Storm Petrels and a Sabines Gull, then of to work

I missed Saturday , but made a brief apperance on Sunday but passage was generaly slow, a few Bonxie were close in as were a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins

Young Hen Harriers in the Sky

 A few weeks back I was viewing a couple of immature Hen Harriers being fed in the air. 

The weather was hot and a young bird was soaring high on a thermal

There wasnt much action that day as it was just to hot, but the few and far between sightings were amazing and the birds only thought was to eat and chase Mum..the battle for food begins for these young ones

Cliffs of Moher Cruise - The Seabirds

Its always good to get out to sea to see birds even in the mist and the1st Puffins of the year to for Myself,

 The Cliffs of Moher cruise gives a great opportunity to see Seabirds close up on the water at the base of the Cliffs.

Guillemots, Razorbills and Puffins are seen close to the boat.

Cliffs of Moher Cruise

I was entering Doolin Harbour to check the surf.

I seen a my old mate Donnie that runs the Ferry service here and went to say Hello as it had been a while. " Got your camera with you?, get on the boat for a Cliff cruise, shes leaving in 5 minutes"

"Ok thanks " ...lets head out to sea in the mist.

There wasnt much swell and the weather was heavy, wet with mist.

 With Covid restrictions on board the Cruise, it was a still a very nice hour with mainly Irish passengers.