Sundown on Lahinch Reefs

 

The swell increased during the day from the turn of the tide.

By evening double overhead sets were consistant along Lahinch reefs

Warbling Kilbaha

 With not many birds throughout the headland and the gardens in Kilbaha not showing much over the past week it takes patience to find results. (Welcome to the Loop).

I met  Mark Gibson who visits every year for a week of migration and we managed to find 2 maybe 3 Yellow browed warblers, a  sculky Blackcap and an elusive Chiffchaff in Tevlins garden Kilbaha.

Merlins Wall

 I pulled up in the Loop Head lighthouse carpark early. Always I check the walls 1st.

Merlin was on the wall watching! and Pied Wagtails and a Mipit  scared to go to air were approaching me for cover... ppff that wouldnt bother a Merlin, im just an obsticle . You dont get a chance to re focus as Merlin just glides past fast.

This has happened many times over the years and you just dont see many passerines when Merlin are hunting.

Red throated Divers-Lahinch bay

 A calm morning with a light offshore wind.

Pop up the scope in a quiet top carpark and view the bay

Over 20 Red throated Divers have made it to Lahinch bay. Adult birds work hard to keep the rafts of juveniles together.

As the day moves in, they drift out to deeper water to avaid the humans that surf and swim in the waves.

All happening at Lough Atedaun

 The water table is low at Lough Atedaun.

Ive made a few visits this week in a variety of weather conditions because the birding has been good.

White tailed Eagles , Peregrine Falcon, Marsh Harrier on the aerial prowl.

 Black tailed Godwits and  Lapwings are in good numbers joined by Redshank, Ruff, Snipe and Little Egrets and a good number of ducks such as juvenile Pintails, Eclipse Shovalars, Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall, Tufted Duck and plenty of Mallard.

 A Common Sandpiper hopped along the slipway. A Kingfisher past in a flash into the reeds .#

Greenfinches - Moher

A flock of Greenfinches were feeding in the Rosa rugosa bushes at Moher showing Trichomonosis on the beaks of all of them

 It has been recorded to affect a number of garden bird species such as the Greenfinch population that was first noted in late summer 2006.the disease came to prominence in summer 2005, when it was first noted in British finches. Epidemics of the disease occurred in 2006 and 2007, with smaller scale mortality events noted in subsequent years. Greenfinches and Chaffinches are the species that have been most frequently affected, but the disease has also been documented in other garden bird species

Osprey - Lahinch day 19

 I was making my way back toward Ennistymon from Liscannor, the Osprey caught my eye again hovering over the water near the castle.

 I stopped for a watch as it moved out over the bridge and out of sight. I turned the car around and headed for Lahinch bridge just round the corner and there it was hunting the river , again I pulled over and got this fly by as she went back over the bridge into the marsh

American Golden Plover at Clahane

 Not a bit of wind this morning , seas were glassy and the tides were high. 

I wanted to see if any birds were on the reef roosts at Clahane.

 A few Curlews, Ringed Plover, Oystercatchers and an American Golden Plover that stood out in the small group of juvenile Golden Plover that were tucked in together on the reef top

As the tide was moving back quickly and  day moving in these birds made their way into the reef  for the day.

Basking Sharks - Loop Head

 So word was out among social wildlife groups and the public that Basking Sharks were breaching off Loop Head.

 Over the few days the reports were amazing as were some of the people photos and coverage of the phenonium , I grabbed a few hours Saturday morning and took down some of the kids on a promise that they`ll see sharks`..

Id seen this spectacle a few years back

.http://www.alifeattheshoreline.com/2020/09/basking-sharks-breaching-off-loop-head.html.

Today was a bit different, Slightly overcast, with a light east wind with no swell, we managed to see  over 30 breaches in the 2 hours that we stayed . It has to be said that getting photos of these 3 tonne beasts is no easy feat. you can never tell where they will come up until BOOM they are in the air and a Heavy splash gone .

There was one individual that was breaching way over near the Fodry point that was feckin Huge.

Sparrowhawk at Seafield

 I was walking along the beach at Seafield watching the shore birds when the noise of a few thousand Starling went up behind me.

I quickly looked round, Id missed the kill that this juvenile Male Sparrowhawk had made. It landed on the grass of a dune to assess the kill and then floated over the dune out of sight

An untidy looking bird and Id say a meal well needed if he gets to keep it.

Curlew Sandpipers arriving

 The Sanderling and Dunlin arrive first at Seafield and as September rolls in I look forward to a few Curlew Sandpiper coming to join them on  the shoreline. 

This bird being my first of autumn and hopefully not the last.

Lahinch Gull fest

 A few days back,  a sudden a flock of a few thousand Gulls came into Lahinch beach . The 2 stand outs were the juvenile Sabines Gulls and a Ring billed Gull that was tricky to ID in the melee of Gulls in the wind .

As I was walking down to the reef  I lost my target Ring billed Gull as an Arctic Skua came off the sea and put up the whole beach up.

It flew back out settling in choppy ocean 150m off the reef.

A great Skua was also seen out in the bay.

Osprey 3rd day on the Marsh

 Its been a good few days for this Osprey on Lahinch Marsh

Its seems highly successful at catching Mullet and Ive seen it on a few occasions over 3 days feeding and carrying fish.