Helsinki Birder
Stealth Birder
Nice one Niall.
Keep it coming.
Owen
Keep it coming.
Owen
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Seawatching 2011 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Helsinki Birder
- Start date
black kite 1964
Well-known member
There is a very interesting north Atlantic weather system developing over the next week. If correct could produce something rather outstanding in the south west for the second half of next week.
Dermot Breen
Well-known member
Illaunamid, Slyne Head, Co. Galway, 27th August 0700-2000hrs.
1 Great Shearwater
8000 Sooty Shearwater
2 Storm Petrel
1 Common Scoter (only bird seen flying South or East)
1 Long-tailed Skua
7 Arctic Skua
1 Pomarine Skua
5 Great Skua
2 Puffin
All birds flying to the North West. Large numbers of sprat off the Galway coast at the moment so looks like the Sooties are hanging about for a while to stock up before heading South. 43 and 17 Sooties seen from Kilummin and BOR on the same day. Would love to see the place on a day with genuine passage. This is the first time in 25 years that someone's done a seawatch out at the tip of Illaunamid which lies 3km off the mainland. Would also like to see what turns up in October out there as we had a Lesser Whitethroat trying its best to hide in docks out there. The earliest Galway record by about 5 weeks.
Dermot
1 Great Shearwater
8000 Sooty Shearwater
2 Storm Petrel
1 Common Scoter (only bird seen flying South or East)
1 Long-tailed Skua
7 Arctic Skua
1 Pomarine Skua
5 Great Skua
2 Puffin
All birds flying to the North West. Large numbers of sprat off the Galway coast at the moment so looks like the Sooties are hanging about for a while to stock up before heading South. 43 and 17 Sooties seen from Kilummin and BOR on the same day. Would love to see the place on a day with genuine passage. This is the first time in 25 years that someone's done a seawatch out at the tip of Illaunamid which lies 3km off the mainland. Would also like to see what turns up in October out there as we had a Lesser Whitethroat trying its best to hide in docks out there. The earliest Galway record by about 5 weeks.
Dermot
nialltkeogh
Well-known member
I wish they'd hurry up with their stocking up and make their way past BoR already! Just 2 Sooties this morning. No sign of any decent shearwater feeding flocks from here so far.
Niall
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Slightly better further north this afternoon. Annagh Head 1400-1900 in NW 3-4: 36 Sooty Shear, 15 Arctic Skua, 34 Pom Skua (including two groups of 5 and one of 7), 1ad Lt Skua, 23 Bonxie, 1 juv Sabines Gull, and a fine sum plum Great-northern Diver. All heading towards BoR!
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Still nothing in the Eastern Irish sea. Good to hear from you again Chris!
François Doyen
Well-known member
-today good migration at the Cape Gris-Nez (France) today despite the lack of wind (0 to 3bft so few shearwater), 6:50 - 19:30 :
1 red-necked grebe
1 sooty, 3 manx and 7 balearic shearwater
1293 bar-tailed godwit
121 whimbrel
8 poms, 204 arctic and 2 long-tailed skua
419 bonxie
1080 sandwich, 2423 common, 132 black tern
total : 6497 birds, 33 species
more here : http://trektellen.nl/trektelling.asp?telpost=148&land=3&site=0&datum=20110830&taal=3
-Yesterday in Calais and Dunkerque (Clipon), 6:45-11:15 & 17:45-20:15 :
6 sooty, 17 manx, 2 balearic shearwater
63 arctic skua
53 bonxie
1 Sabine's gull
still waiting for a real first NW this year...
FD
1 red-necked grebe
1 sooty, 3 manx and 7 balearic shearwater
1293 bar-tailed godwit
121 whimbrel
8 poms, 204 arctic and 2 long-tailed skua
419 bonxie
1080 sandwich, 2423 common, 132 black tern
total : 6497 birds, 33 species
more here : http://trektellen.nl/trektelling.asp?telpost=148&land=3&site=0&datum=20110830&taal=3
-Yesterday in Calais and Dunkerque (Clipon), 6:45-11:15 & 17:45-20:15 :
6 sooty, 17 manx, 2 balearic shearwater
63 arctic skua
53 bonxie
1 Sabine's gull
still waiting for a real first NW this year...
FD
nialltkeogh
Well-known member
There won't be enough unless passage picks up sometime soon!
Feck all at BoR yesterday evening & this morning.
http://seabirdwatchireland.blogspot.com/2011/08/bridges-of-ross-30th-31st-august-2011.html
Niall
Annagh Head 1400 - 1700 in variable E 2-3:
4 Poms, 15 Bonxies, 16 Sooties, 1 Great Shearwater, 1 Balearic, and 2 juv Sabines Gulls. Only about 300 Manx in 5 hours and just 1 identified Arctic Skua. Quite a few skuas too far out to call.
Southerlies coming, hope they swing round enough for us all!
Chris
4 Poms, 15 Bonxies, 16 Sooties, 1 Great Shearwater, 1 Balearic, and 2 juv Sabines Gulls. Only about 300 Manx in 5 hours and just 1 identified Arctic Skua. Quite a few skuas too far out to call.
Southerlies coming, hope they swing round enough for us all!
Chris
Annagh Head 0630 - 1700 in SW 5-6 with persistent rain from mid-morning
100 Great Shearwater, 2 Cory's Shearwater, 161 Sooty Shearwater, 2 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Pom Skuas, 9 Arctic Skuas and 1 Black Tern
Many of the large shears passing at gloriously close range. Hope the results are as good further south...
Chris
100 Great Shearwater, 2 Cory's Shearwater, 161 Sooty Shearwater, 2 Balearic Shearwater, 2 Pom Skuas, 9 Arctic Skuas and 1 Black Tern
Many of the large shears passing at gloriously close range. Hope the results are as good further south...
Chris
Jane Turner
Well-known member
I managed one Arctic Skua!
Annagh Head 06.30 - 18.45 in WSW 5 with showers
1740 Sooty Shearwater, 226 Great Shearwater, 1 Cory's, 2 Balearic, 12 Poms, 33 Bonxies, and 24 Arctic Skuas.
The Sooties were steady through the day, the Great's total boosted by a superb flock of 90+ flying in tight wader-like formation. Low point of the watch was a Sooty chased and drowned by a Bonxie.
A great cheer of congratulation went up just after 3pm for our friends further south....
Chris
1740 Sooty Shearwater, 226 Great Shearwater, 1 Cory's, 2 Balearic, 12 Poms, 33 Bonxies, and 24 Arctic Skuas.
The Sooties were steady through the day, the Great's total boosted by a superb flock of 90+ flying in tight wader-like formation. Low point of the watch was a Sooty chased and drowned by a Bonxie.
A great cheer of congratulation went up just after 3pm for our friends further south....
Chris
dbradnum
Well-known member
Would appear that there's been an excellent passage of Great Shear off Porthgwarra this afternoon: after next to nothing all morning (few Sooties, no big shears), the pagers then report 750+ Great Shear between 1530 and 1930. Absolutely nothing else remarkable (in terms of numbers or species) in the same time, either - 6 Balearics, 25 Sooties, a few skuas.
Assuming it's correct, and there's not been some mix-up, just goes to show how incredibly enigmatic these birds can be.
I know the forecast was looking interesting in the SW about a week back, when the tail of Irene was expected to come straight acros our way, but it looked less and less good as the week went on. I guess with a hurricane tail in the mix, anything is possible.... but did anyone see this coming?
Assuming it's correct, and there's not been some mix-up, just goes to show how incredibly enigmatic these birds can be.
I know the forecast was looking interesting in the SW about a week back, when the tail of Irene was expected to come straight acros our way, but it looked less and less good as the week went on. I guess with a hurricane tail in the mix, anything is possible.... but did anyone see this coming?
black kite 1964
Well-known member
I suspect the cornwall great shears have come from biscay. Perhaps they are moving ahead of bad weather. No surprise if there is a feas In the morning. Just wished I owned a vauxhall tardis!
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James Bean
Well-known member
Sea watching at Scarborough: an entertaining experience.
This week I was on holiday in Scarborough at the Grand Hotel, overlooking the South Beach/Bay. One morning I awoke at 4.30am, made a cup of tea, looked out the window to assess the weather, and was amazed to see hundreds, even maybe thousands, of white dots on the shore, half way between the sea wall and the incoming tide, right across the bay. My binoculars identified the white dots as Gulls, but it was still too dark to see much, other than they were just sitting there, presumably resting? As the dawn came up and the tide came in, the Gulls gradually flew off until there were only half a dozen left. These few seemed interested in one particular spot on the beach, from where water was trickling out, down to the incoming tide... I focussed carefully on the spot and saw that water was bubbling out of the sand; the Gulls seemed to be scooping it with their bills, so I presumed it was fresh water.
After breakfast, I walked down to the beach and examined more closely the site of this 'spring'. Water was still bubbling out of the sand, but the tide was flowing inexorably towards the source and would soon overwhelm it. Watching from a distance, I saw the Gulls come back to drink (apparently) and they did so until the sea washed over it; yet, as the wave receded, the trickle appeared again and the Gulls had one more gulp (Gullp?) before the next wave came. I still don't know what this water source was, and can only guess it was a surface water outfall via a pipe buried in the sand.
Can anyone explain what all those Gulls were doing, spread out in a long band across miles of sand? Is this how/where they rest/sleep at night?
And that small spring of fresh water? Would it be natural, or more likely a pipe laid under the sand to drain rain/surface water from land adjoining the beach?
I'd appreciate any information which might satisfy my curiosity!
This week I was on holiday in Scarborough at the Grand Hotel, overlooking the South Beach/Bay. One morning I awoke at 4.30am, made a cup of tea, looked out the window to assess the weather, and was amazed to see hundreds, even maybe thousands, of white dots on the shore, half way between the sea wall and the incoming tide, right across the bay. My binoculars identified the white dots as Gulls, but it was still too dark to see much, other than they were just sitting there, presumably resting? As the dawn came up and the tide came in, the Gulls gradually flew off until there were only half a dozen left. These few seemed interested in one particular spot on the beach, from where water was trickling out, down to the incoming tide... I focussed carefully on the spot and saw that water was bubbling out of the sand; the Gulls seemed to be scooping it with their bills, so I presumed it was fresh water.
After breakfast, I walked down to the beach and examined more closely the site of this 'spring'. Water was still bubbling out of the sand, but the tide was flowing inexorably towards the source and would soon overwhelm it. Watching from a distance, I saw the Gulls come back to drink (apparently) and they did so until the sea washed over it; yet, as the wave receded, the trickle appeared again and the Gulls had one more gulp (Gullp?) before the next wave came. I still don't know what this water source was, and can only guess it was a surface water outfall via a pipe buried in the sand.
Can anyone explain what all those Gulls were doing, spread out in a long band across miles of sand? Is this how/where they rest/sleep at night?
And that small spring of fresh water? Would it be natural, or more likely a pipe laid under the sand to drain rain/surface water from land adjoining the beach?
I'd appreciate any information which might satisfy my curiosity!
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Still bog all off here - just two Black Terns to show for 2 hours sating at the sea. Hope Harry was responsible for the Fea's off the Mizen. That's one of my favourite seawatching places.
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