THANKS TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS  and ADVISERS DURING   September 2011...

Mark Carmody, Philip Clancy, David Dillon, Eugene Dolan, Ciaran Dunne, Chris Evans, Ger Franck, John Fox, Tom Gregan, 
Michael Harris, Mir Harris, Chris Honan, Edd Kealy, Niall T. Keogh, Sean Kingston, Siobhan McNamara, Cian Merne, Oscar Merne, 
Francois Mullan, Marguerite Mullan, Marie O'Brien, Oran O'Sullivan, Bi
ll Quinn, Adrian Rooney, Brendan Sheils, Ian Stevenson, Patrick Veale, Pat Watson

The named authors hold the copyright for all photographs published on this website. 
Authors permission must be sought for copying, publishing or reproduction for any purpose other than for personal archives.

 
 





30 September 2011
The Buff-breasted Sandpiper is still present at the Salt Marsh on the Bull Island. Lots of Skylarks, Reed Buntings and Wheatears also.EK

Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Bull Island (Photo by Edd Kealy)

29 September 2011
Old Racecourse in Baldoyle:  Great views of three Buzzards hunting over stubble fields;  4 Stonechats, 2 adults and 2 juveniles; 1 Robin;  2 Dunnock;  8 Reed Buntings; and 50+ Goldfinches.  Also 1 Snipe which I almost trod on. Still plenty of Swallows around as well.EK

Buzzard calling at Baldoyle (Photo by Edd Kealy)


Stonechat and Dunnock at Baldoyle (Photo by Edd Kealy)


  


28 September 2011
Grand Canal Dock:   A Juvenile Scaup in the Grand Canal dock giving great views.IS

North Bull Island:  1 Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 20+ Wheatear, 1 Whimbrel, 3 Sandwich Tern, 7 Brent Geese incl 3 Juvs. Good numbers of Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Grey plover, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Little Egrets and Grey Herons. A few Teal, Pintail, Widgeon and Shoveler also present. All seen towards the Northern end of the island.JF

Buff-breasted Sandpiper at North Bull Island (Photo by John Fox)




26 September 2011
Bull Island:  9 Brent Geese and 1 Wheatear on Bull Island today.CD

Heuston Station:  This morning by Heuston Station there was a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail.IS

Kilcoole:  A juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper (reported since Saturday) was at Kilcoole this morning, showing well on the beach opposite the BirdWatch Ireland reserve. This bird is very confiding when approached slowly & is best looked for amongst maritime vegetation on the upper section of the beach, where it feeds.   Numbers of Wigeon, Teal, Lapwing & Curlew are starting to build up on the marsh with 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 15 Shoveler, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Knot & 1 Mediterranean Gull providing further interest there. At sea, 3 Common Scoter flew north & a total of 11 Red-throated Divers were noted. Plenty of non-waterbirds about today also. A Lapland Bunting, good numbers of Skylarks, 2 Stock Doves, a migrating Grey Wagtail & a juv. male Sparrowhawk were in Webb's field whilst 13 Wheatears, c.300 Goldfinches in Stringer's fields & several Lesser Redpolls along Kilcoole Sea Road were also noteworthy.NTK

Phoenix Park:  3 Mandarin Ducks in the Quarry Pond in Phoenix Park today, two males and a female. The first male has been there for a couple of weeks and was joined by a second last week and there was three today.    Tolka River:   Over the past two months I have seen the following on the Tolka, a Kingfisher, Dipper, Heron and a Grey Wagtail. Each sighting was of a single individual.PF



25 September 2011
Baldoyle Bay: 4 Curlew Sandpipers; 2 Little Stints.      Portmarnock Marsh: 2 Wood Sandpipers; 4 Snipe.DD

North Bull Island:  3 Wheatear, 10 Curlew Sandpiper, juvenile Little Stint and female Blue-winged Teal - all from the causeway.MC

Wexford:   Tacumshin Lake: 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 2 White-rumped Sandpiper,10 Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 2 Little Stint along with several Curlew Sandpiper, Knot, Dunlin and Redshank.      Ladys Island:  1 White-rumped Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper and small flock of White Wagtail, Wheatear.BS

Semipalmated Sandpiper at Tacumshin, Wexford (Photo by Brendan Sheils)


White-rumped Sandpiper at Lady's Island, Wexford (Photo by Brendan Sheils)



24 September 2011

Ringed Birds Report
Howth Harbour:  2 colour ringed juvenile Herring Gulls from the Isle of Man were seen on the roof of the fish market at Howth Harbour. Both gulls had black rings with yellow lettering.   It is interesting to note that the 2 Gulls came from the extreme North and South of the Isle of Man but were seen together in Howth:    T8XP was ringed at the Point of Ayre Sand Quarry on 5th July this year and T5UA was ringed on the Calf of Man on the 27th June this year. Additional details including photographs are available at www.manxringer.blogspot. com/  SK&CH



A Buzzard over rough ground at the bottom of St. Laurence's Road in Chapelizod at 11:30 this morning beside the Liffey. Seen in exact same spot on June 13th also.AR

Dunnock in Rathgar Garden (Photo by Tom Gregan)




23 September 2011
At Sigginstown in Tacumshin: 1 male Marsh Harrier: 1 Peregrine: 1 ringtail Harrier: & numerous Kestrels.
Journey to Tacumshin:  3 Buzzards together just north of Gorey beside N11;  1 Buzzard standing in a field outside Enniscorthy;  1 Buzzard over N25 south of Wexford Town;  and 1 Red Kite over N11 at Beehive pub.AR

Buzzard enjoying Solheim Cup in Co. Meath:  1 Buzzard flying over the first tee at Killeen Castle.BQ




22 September 2011
Connemara:   Juv Dotterel found on the machair at Ballyconneely to day. It had been with a bunch of golden plover. It hung around for ages and seemed to be the tamest creature I have ever encountered.MHs

Dottrel, Juvenile at Ballyconneely, Connemara (Photos by Michael Harris)
       


21 September 2011
A total of 22 Mediterranean Gulls were on the playing fields at Kilbogget Park, Cabinteely at 08:30. 13 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers were also at Rogerstown Estuary (NTK).



20 September 2011
A total of 43 Mediterranean Gulls were on the playing fields at Kilbogget Park, Cabinteely at 07:45. 4 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, a juvenile male Ruff, a Buzzard, c.300 Golden Plover & a Grey Plover still in summer plumage were at the Boyne Estuary (NTK). 

A Black Redstart was at Laytown, Co. Meath.OO'S 

So, have you ever wondered what a bird uses his tongue for?  To taste spiders, of course...

Jackdaw has this spider licked, at Howth (Photo by Bill Quinn)



19 September 2011

Gull 1KP, Juvenile at Howth Harbour (Photo by Bill Quinn)



There were plenty of ducks at Bull Island today, 100+ Teal, 10 Shelduck, 30+ Widgeon, 40 Mallard, 25 Shoveler. Also 1 Great-crested Grebe. At the Alder Marsh 1 juvenile Cuckoo and 2 Peregrine hunting over the Salt Marsh.EK

Kestrel at Bull Island (Photo by Edd Kealy)
 


Kestrel ready to take off at Bull Island (Photo by Edd Kealy)




18 September 2011
South Dublin Bay 18.30-19.45 hrs. 50 Light-bellied Brents feeding on the Zostera bed at Merrion Gates. Total of 905 terns roosting on Sandymount strand at dusk -- all Common except c.10 Roseates. At least 9 Mediterranean Gulls present with c.3,000 Black-headed Gulls.OM



17 September 2011
The Royal Canal, Phibsboro: Early afternoon. 50 Swallows moving east and south in ones and twos over a 30 minute period.CE


Rogerstown:   2 Stock Doves and 1 female Sparrowhawk.EK&GF

Stonechat juvenile at Swords (Photo by Edd Kealy)


Starling depositing a pellet at Swords (Photo by John Fox)



Ruddy Turnstone at Skerries (Photo by Francois Mullan)                                                        Black-tailed Godwit at Swords (Photo by Francois Mullan)
      

Dunlin at Gormanstown (Photo by Francois Mullan)
  

Meadow Pipit at Skerries (Photo by Francois Mullan)                                                        Rock Pipit at Skerries (Photo by Francois Mullan)
    



15 September 2011
Ballsbridge:  Wood Duck on River Dodder.ED

Wood Duck on River Dodder Ballsbridge (Photo by Eugene Dolan)



Bull Island:  I spotted 5 Brent Geese at the Wooden Bridge this evening, inc. 1 juvenile.CM
Sutton:  11 Brent Geese at Sutton, inc 1 colour ringed bird. PW  

Plenty of raptors around the Old Racecourse in Baldoyle today. 4 Buzzards, 1 Peregrine and a Sparrowhawk. Also 2 Common Gulls, 100+ Wood Pigeons and 50+ Goldfinches.ED

Buzzard at Baldoyle (Photo by Edd Kealy)





14 September 2011
Sandymount Strand: 4 Brent Geese this evening Merrion Gates area. A family of 2 adults and 1 juvenile and 1 other Adult.SMcN

Brent Geese - 2 adult 1 juvenile - at Merrion Gates (Photo by Siobhan McNamara)




12 September 2011
At Rogerstown:  5 Curlew Sandpipers among the 200 Dunlin, 2 Green Sandpipers in the small pools. Peregrine, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel all put in an appearance, but no sign of the Red Kites. It seems that they have moved away from the release site, and there have been reports of them from Co. Meath.GF


11 September 2011
Kilcoole:   Kestrel, 1 Stock Dove in stubble field feeding with Woodpigeons, Teal, Wigeon, Razorbill, Guillemot, Housemartins and Swallows.   Newcastle/ ECNR:  1 juvenile Stonechat (very exciting as we saw no adult Stonechats in the morning) and several Wheatear along the Kilcoole/Newcastle beach.SMcN

Wheatear at Kilcoole (Photo by Siobhan McNamara)

Stonechat (juvenile) at Kilcoole (Photo by Siobhan McNamara)





FOLLOW UP BY MARK CARMODY TO RINGED GODWIT REPORT OF 10 SEPTEMBER 2011 BELOW:
I noticed from the website that Siobhan MacNamara had a ringed Black-tailed Godwit on the Bull island on the 10th September. The combination rang a bell with me so I checked my photographs. I was delighted that I did. I took a photograph of the bird just after it was ringed in Siglufjörður in northern Iceland on 11th July 2009!! The photograph is attached. Jim Wilson and I were in Iceland for 6 days taking photographs for the Shorebirds of Ireland book and we were helping Pete Potts and his crew ring some godwits while we were there.MC


Update from Pete Potts:   "
RN YX is a bird we ringed in Siglufjordur on 11th July 2009 as an adult female an was seen on Tiree (a small island in the inner Hebrides) on 1st Aug 09 and then in Dublin 08/10/09 and again there Aug & Sept 2010." PP

Since Pete has no recorded sightings of this Godwit over the winter period it would be marvellous if we could all keep an eye out for it from now until January.  The Icelandic bred Godwits are known to travel as far as western Portugal and Spain for winter - with a stray making it's way to Morocco.RD

 

 



10 September 2011
Glasnevin:  1 Dipper at Tolka Valley Park (rear of Glasnevin cemetry).CD

Sandycove/Kilbogget:   Total of 103 Mediterranean Gulls...   22 Meds at Kilbogget and 81 Meds in the vicinity of Sandycove. All 21 juveniles in the flock were recorded at Sandycove.SK

North Bull - of note - approx 300 Black and Bar-tailed Godwits (mostly black tailed) - including a tagged Black-tailed Godwit - Left leg Red, Black - Right leg Yellow and X on pale yellow.   20ish Knots (some still in their summer season colours), 3 Shoveller, 1 Peregrine Falcon. 5 Wheatear.      Swords Estuary:  several Sandwich Terns.      Portmarnock:   4 Wheatear, 10 Knot, 10 Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Turnstones and JackdawsHooded Crows dropping shells onto the rocks, great to watch.SMcN

Godwits on the Bull, one ringed (Photo by Siobhan McNamara)


Peregrine Falcon at Bull Island (Photo by Siobhan McNamara)



Jackdaw at Portmarnock (Photo by Siobhan McNamara)



9 September 2011
Dundalk Bay (Castletown River Estuary to Dunany Point). Total of 19,117 waterbirds of 35 species counted. Main species were 6288 Oystercatchers, 4708 Black-headed Gulls, 2433 Black-tailed Godwits, 1445 Knot, 1024 Redshanks, 886 Herring Gulls, 508 Mallard and 227 Red-breasted Mergansers. Also the first nine Light-bellied Brents and a total of 31 Little Egrets.OM




8 September 2011
Counted a definite 42 Mistle Thrushes in Phoenix Park tonight (Furze Rd area), with more going uncounted - a phenomenal amount - Autumn is officially here. At least 20 Swallows flying across the 15 acres in Phoenix Park too.SMcN 



7 September 2011
At Howth Harbour there were 8 Great Cormorants, 2 European Shags, 7 Ruddy Turnstones, 3 Northern Wheatears, a single Rock Pipit, and many Pied Wagtails. Seabirds included 3 Northern Gannets, at least four Common Terns. and the various gulls, including a few Common Gulls. FM & MM



6 September 2011
Six Wheatears on the saltmarsh, Bull Island.GF

Wheatear at Bull Island (Photo taken by Ger Franck)




4 September 2011
Three Swifts at Howth Castle.GF


At Tacumshin today there were 2 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 White-rumped Sandpiper, 1 American Golden Plover, 1 Citrine Wagtail, 1 Black Tern, 1 White-winged Black Tern and a Marsh Harrier. Pallid Harrier was also seen by some.PC

Citrine Wagtail at Tacumshin (Photo by Philip Clancy)



Knot at Tacumshin (Photo by Philip Clancy)





3 September 2011
Rogerstown:  5 Curlew Sandpipers present. Also sighted were Grey Plover in full Summer plummage.IS & PV 


2 September 2011
In south Dublin Bay, 19.10-20.10 hrs (sunset/dusk) a total of 10,600 terns were roosting on the sand along a c.2 km stretch of the low tide line directly out from Booterstown DART Station. Almost all (>95%) were Common Terns, but Roseate, Arctic and Sandwich were also present. This total is close to the peaks recorded in the July-September periods of 2006, 2007 and 2010, when post-breeding/pre-migration roosting in south Dublin Bay occurs.OM


1 September 2011 
Tacumshin:  The Pallid Harrier (3rd Irish record, all in this year) is still present at Tacumshin although it can be elusive. Also present were Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, 5 Little Stints, Spotted Redshank, and a good few Curlew Sandpipers and Ruff. Hundreds of White Wagtails are around the lake and raptors seen included 2 Sparrowhawks, 5 Kestrels, 3 Merlin, 1 Peregrine, 1 Buzzard and a second year male Marsh Harrier.PC

Curlew Sandpiper at Tacumshin, Wexford (Photo by Philip Clancy)


Little Stint at Tacumshin, Wexford (Photo by Philip Clancy)

Ruff at Tacumshin, Wexford (Photo by Philip Clancy)




30 August 2011 


Grey Heron at Grand Canal Naas (Photo by Marie O'Brien)

 
 


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