Weekends That Were - July 2019

IRELAND (continued)

44 (I10) – Tuesday 2.7.19 

No birding.

Day 45 (I11) – Wednesday 3.7.19. 

Went to Wicklow – saw a Common Buzzard over the M50.

Day 46 (I12) – Thursday 4.7.19 

At Wicklow, walked down to the beach early morning– Blackbirds, Robin, Wren singing, Goldfinches. Drove back to Stillorgan.

Day 47, 48, 49, 50 – Friday 5.7.19 to Monday 8.7.19

I didn’t do much birding. Mainly hanging out helping Mum, doing some gardening, which I detest, and researching stuff for the next adventure in September.

I did go to the Glen of the Downs on 4^th, Friday, night and walked up through the oak and pine forest to the top. I sat through dusk but didn’t see anything of importance. In fact, saw bugger all. Tried Long-eared Owl playback on the way down but got no response. The only LEO I have ever seen was in a pine tree in the Glen. I guess it was too much to expect a repeat performance after 50 years.

Day 51 (I17) – Tuesday 9.7.19

Took a run down to Kilcoole and Newcastle again. Lovely morning, a bit cloudy, but warm, calm (sea like a millpond), quiet.

Walked the beach track down as far as the Breaches, chatted to the warden, Chris, at the Little Tern colony whom I had met last time, back at the car after almost three hours. Nothing of great note, but just nice to catch up with a lot of the commoner Irish birds again and get some photos of local bumblebees. The sea was flat calm, I mean F L A T calm. The only thing out there was a single Northern Gannet gliding low over the surface and a very distant Auk sp I didn’t even try to ID. 15 Black-tailed Godwits and 13 Dunlin all in breeding plumage took me back to Norway for a minute or two and the Shelduck chicks had grown in size and confidence. 

Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

White-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lucorum

Got a coffee at a servo in Newcastle and sat on the rocks at 6 Mile Point to drink it, then stopped off at the East Coast Nature Reserve.

Wandered in there for an hour or so – again, nothing spectacular. Had a nice pair of Spotted Flycatchers feeding a couple of newly fledged youngsters, a perched up Eurasian Sparrowhawk, a fleeting glimpse of a male Eurasian Bullfinch, a couple of tatty looking end-of-their-season butterflies and a Damselfly.

Irish List (this trip) – 64

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Spotted Flycatcher (Imm)

Variable Damselfly  Coenagrion pulchellum

Day 52 (I18) – Wednesday 10.7.19

Dull, rain threatening, rained in afternoon. Took up carpet in preparation for lino to be laid down next week. Didn’t do much else.

Day 53 (I19) – Thursday 11.7.19

Went to Wexford. There had been a White-rumped Sand and 2 Little Ringed Plovers reported from Tacumshin at the weekend. I didn’t really hold out much hope of seeing them as I didn’t know exactly where they were or even if they were still around. Plus it was raining when I left and drizzling and blowing when I arrived on site 100 minutes and 140 kms later at 7.30.

I had also realised an hour into the trip that I had 

1. Not brought my wellies and 

2. Not brought my overpants.

Typically well prepared as always, dickhead.

So walking out into Tacumshin was not happening. I mean if I was certain the birds were there and where they were, I would have got wet. But I didn’t see any point in wandering around in wet boots, socks and pants for nothing so……I headed for Carnsore Pt.

I’ve always had a fondness for Carnsore. 

It doesn’t look like much and it’s never produced the way Cape or the Bridges of Ross have. BUT - It’s easily accessible –you can drive within 50 meters of the seawatch point.

It’s only 2 hours (max) from Dublin.

It’s the perfect height and distance from the water for seawatching and

Non-birders never turn up asking stupid questions.

It’s the bottom right hand corner of the island, therefore, MY theory goes – anything could pass by and everything in the Irish Sea heading west HAS to. 

I also feel a bit of an ownership for Carnsore. 

Mr H and I seawatched it before anyone else did – at least so far as we know. We first went there in about 1970, I guess, and camped in the sand dunes at Lady’s Island Lake, walking the two or so kilometres to the point. There have been a few good records from Carnsore since, but not many. 

I would argue its not actually patronized enough.

However, I like it.

When I got there, there was a medium strength, south southwesterly blowing. It was drizzling again/still and a mist sat about 300 meters off the rocks. 

Perfect!!

There were dozens of Manx Shearwaters, Northern Gannets, Black-legged Kittiwakes and mixed Auk sp heading, mainly, west (right), some east (left). I sat and enjoyed relatively close views of the Manx – my favourite, as witnessed by the tattoo on my chest. I love ‘em.

The Auks were mainly Common Guillemots, but a smaller number of Razorbills and at least 2 Atlantic Puffins hammered past.

I gave it about an hour and a half, broken by a phone call, and also picked up 2 European Storm Petrels which I had hoped for, it having been a long time between sightings, and 1 Common Scoter.

Carnsore Pt
11.7.19 (8.45 - 10.30)
1	Manx Shearwater	300
2	European Storm Petrel	2
3	Northern Gannet	200
4	Great Cormorant	15
5	Grey Heron	1
6	Common Scoter	1
7	Common Redshank	3
8	Black-headed Gull	20
9	Lesser Black-backed Gull	1
10	European Herring Gull	10
11	Great Black-backed Gull	2
12	Common Gull	10
13	Black-legged Kittiwake	40
14	Sandwich Tern	2
15	Common Tern	50
16	Rock Pipit	2
17	Razorbill	40
18	Common Guillemot	150
19	Atlantic Puffin	2
20	Meadow Pipit	10
21	Grey Seal	1

The weather started to clear, the birds moved further offshore and I headed back to Tacumshin.

Stopped off at Lady’s Island Lake to check the Roseate Tern colony of about 80 visible birds – beautiful in their breeding plumage. (I’m not revealing any secrets here – the birds are almost in the center of the village and clearly visible to anyone who can see 100 meters.)

Back at Tacumshin I checked as far as I could see, from two vantage points, along the edges of the wetland, but couldn’t pick up anything that looked like a small wader. In fact there wasn’t a lot going on – as one would expect in July.

So I headed home.
Saw a Red Kite, @ 130 km/hr, over the M50 in the Wicklow area.

(Note: Some other birder reported a Little Ringed Plover 'near the sluice gate' at 13.15 today. But I still don't know where that is, so...........It was the White-rumped Sand I wanted anyway.)

Irish List (this trip) – 79

Day 54 (I20) – Friday 12.7.19to Day 57 (I23) Monday 15.7.19

Didn’t do any birding. Hung around at home, spending time with Mum, going out for lunch, breakfast, grocery shopping, odd jobs, watching Wimbledon…….

Picked Lorraine up from the airport early Monday morning and the three of us went for a late lunch in the afternoon.

Lorraine & Mum

Mum and me

Day 58 (I24) Tuesday 16.7.19

Up at 5, Lorraine picked me up and returned the favour – took me to the airport for my 9.35 flight.

7 hours later landed Abu Dhabi at 20.00 (local).

22.00 Brisbane flight left 20 minutes late, due to land 17.30 Day 58 Wednesday 17.7.19

So another adventure ends. 

Final Tally:

Finland:

144 species                   3 New European ticks          13 Lifers


Spain:

184 species (15 new)   2 New European ticks          11 Lifers


Norway:

112 species                   3 New European ticks            7 Lifers


Ireland:

79 species

Trip Totals:

   265 bird species         31 Lifers        8 New European ticks

19 Mammals    4 Lifers

24 Butterflies   9 Lifers  1 New European tick

1 Moth

3 Bumblebee species       3 Lifers

2 Dragonflies        2 Lifers

1 Damselfly        1 Lifer

1 Snake    1 Lifer

2 Beetle sp        2 Lifers

(Well there's no point in keeping lists and not adding them up)