Epic sea-watches part 2

A slightly last minute decision and plan sprung into action when the weather forecast looked good for seawatching off the bridges of Ross, Co. Clare yesterday. Thanks to Brian Mccloskey for the heads up that this could be another epic Seawatch! He wasn’t wrong! I arranged to pick up Joe Proudfoot at around 2am in Dublin and then make our way across to Clare for dawn or so. We arrived early days, with the light only beginning to break through the dense cloud. On arrival we met a small group of birder already set up and ready for the action. Our good pals Brian Mccloskey and Niall Keogh sat among the group. The group were getting views of quite a number of different Wilson’s storm petrels just as we arrived, excellent timing on our behalf! And we all managed to see several of these beautiful and elegant creatures throughout the morning and then also in the evening. The skua passage then began to heat up, with 29 Pomarine seen throughout the day (I didn’t see them all, but got on quite a good few). Great and Cory’s shearwater began to appear as the morning went on as did bigger numbers of sooty shears. After taking a bit of a breather and having a chat with some of the lads, I looked back in my scope to begin to search again. And to my absolute amazement I had a full frame view of a long darkish under-winged bird banking among the Manx stream. I knew what this was straight away and shouted to the group “I think I have a Fea’s” seconds after, Niall Keogh said Fea’s off the point close in and heading west. 8 of the 9 birders there at the time managed great views of the bird was it drifted west with the manx stream!! A full fat lifer for me and a finds tick of course also! I was shacking with the excitement of just finding this rare bird and managing some quite decent phonescoped video footage. Brian Mccloskey also got some excellent footage as the bird passed. The shape and colourations of the bird are unmistakable, especially at quite close range. One of my favourite moments on a seawatch I’ve had to date. What a day this was following on from seeing, Little shearwater and South Polar Skua on Saturday last!!! See Brian’s excellent write up here on the day: https://www.facebook.com/share/yFvLVsqQDuPVvrqS/?mibextid=WC7FNe

fea's/Desertas type Petrel.. Pale phase Pomarine and dark phase Arctic skuas and some people pics, me, Brian Mccloskey and Joe Proudfoot...Oh yeah and two superb Chough!! .

Later in the morning a couple of Sabine’s gulls filtered through, these are one of my favourite birds and I ended up seeing at least 4 of the 7 birds that passed. Smaller numbers of artic skua passed throughout the day also. And 2 great skua (bonxie). I arrived back from a quick visit to the shop and asked Brian had there been much since I had left, he said we are watching 2 Long-tailed skua’s! They are one of my favourite seabirds so I quickly set up my scope and got onto an adult and immature (2nd calendar year) followed closely by 3 more, an adult, 2nd and 3rd calendar year, amazing to catch these! I then picked up a blue phase fulmar which gave a decent view for the group! Another memorable seawatch that will live long in the memory!!

Epic sea-watches out west

Over the past couple of years due to work commitments etc I couldn’t make it out west for seawatching. But this year I made sure I would get a run at it, again! And I’m very glad I did! Hard to believe this was my first proper west coast seawatch in quite a number of years! On Friday last, myself, Brian Mccloskey and Ger Murray set off for the bridges of Ross in Co, Clare. This is known as Irelands and one of Europes best seawatching sites, and with good reason! The wind conditions had looked promising, hence why we decided to make the journey across. We arrived early evening on the Friday and set off for an evening seawatch. We saw plenty of Cory’s shearwater and a couple of great shearwater (which I finally finds ticked on the Saturday) that evening. But Saturday was the day that looked like we could do well! And this was most certainly the case. A very early start setting the alarm for 5am and leaving the B&B for 5:30 arriving at the ‘hollow’ at the bridges for 5:45 and beginning the day scanning the open waters for seabirds. Not long after we had arrived, Brian Mccloskey called a Wilson’s storm petrel and 1 then became 2. I managed to pick up on both with views of a European storm petrel in the background to show a good comparison of features and size. Wilson’s was a long long awaited lifer for me and a species I have been very keen to get my eye in on for identification purposes! Not long after the first 2, another Wilson’s passed and showed very nicely relatively close in while it fed just off the point. Allowing me great time to take in the key identification features and jizz of the bird while it both fed and flew. Seeing many European storm petrel was highly beneficial on the day also for comparison. A steady flow of Cory’s shearwater again throughout the morning, dying off a times and then beginning to flow again with a total of 1110 Cory’s seen throughout the day (counted with a clicker by Niall Keogh, Brian Mccloskey and myself) There was also a good flow of manx shearwater which is to be expected, but not as many as would be expected which made life a little easier (pardon the pun) when Niall shouted Little shearwater in the mid morning. I just could not pick up on the bird and ran to the bank to view from the point as the bird passed west with manx flocks. Unfortunately this one got away from me! I was a bit gutted to have missed this very rare seabird but didn’t let it ruin or affect my day. Incredibly around 2 hours later, Niall’s father, Noel shouts little shearwater. Deja vu hit, and again I really struggled to pick up this bird and subsequently missed this one also! Gut wrenching as the majority of the group (15 or so of us) had seen it!! I thought that was my last opportunity of the day to get eyes on a little shearwater BUT I was wrong. In the afternoon, Brian Mccloskey picked up an interesting shearwater heading face on towards us and then shouted little shearwater and I have to say I panicked a bit again! Missing the bird as it passed the ‘hollow’ but thankfully after quickly jumping up onto the bank at the point I managed some really nice and fairly prolonged views of the bird. Absolutely no mistaking these small, elegant shearwaters. The flight-style, shape, upper wing, underwing, open white face and watching the bird constantly arching its head skyward left me with no doubts that I was watching a little shearwater! This is now my second Irish little shearwater, both off the bridges!! Throughout the day a small number of skua species passed. Pomarine, Arctic, Long-tailed and Great (with one more very interesting large skua passing which is currently under review regarding identification, stay tuned for this 🤞) Unfortunately I missed the long-tailed early in the morning but saw the others. Lots of Puffin seen throughout as well as Balearic shearwater which is a species in great decline and is becoming difficult to see. Good views of a single bird for me passing the point and another earlier in the day seen by others. A good few sooty shearwater passed throughout the day, 30 plus birds. And a really cool ‘blue’ fulmar which is a colour morph/phase like that of skuas such as Arctic, Pomarine and long-tailed show. An absolutely amazing seawatch, and I have to say I am greatly looking forward to the next! Thanks to Brian Mccloskey for all the driving and brilliant craic with the crew present. Here's when we got confirmation on the Skua!!! Yesterday evening the passage had gone a little quiet and many of us were chatting away when Ger Murray called a great skua type, I managed to get into it very quickly and Ger said it has a pale looking head/nape, this sparked the attention of us all and especially Brian Mccloskey, Brian was very intrigued by the bird and began to video it as it flew west quite distantly. We then ran up onto the point and watched it flying very distantly towards Loop head. After reviewing the footage and screengrabs it was getting very exciting, could this be Ireland’s (land based) first South polar skua?!!! And now after feedback from several very experienced birders and seawatchers we have received nothing but really strong feedback for this bird being a South polar! An absolutely amazing experience to be a park of and see this amazing bird on one of the best Irish seawatches of all time! It was with the 5am roll out of bed and 14 plus hour seawatch stint!!! Footage below and screengrabs are by Brian Mccloskey. Congratulations to Ger and Brian for this amazing performance! And to all present, a team effort 🤝 Brian Mccloskeys message to the rare bird group South Polar Skua - Bridges of Ross. Yesterday evening at 17:23, Gerard Murray picked up a Skua at mid-range. Once getting onto the bird, it was immediately apparent that this was an excellent candidate for South Polar Skua! Although no moult info could be discerned for certain, a combination of structural and other plumage feaures pointed towards South Polar Skua. No features were indicative of Great Skua. Six of us watched the bird for approximately 3 minutes before it disappeared west, over the slabs. My video grabs looked very promising but we needed a second opinion. Thank you to Killian Mullarney, Niall Keogh and Dani Lopez Velasco for their excellent feedback. First land based record for Ireland, if accepted. Six observers include Gerard Murray, Brian McCloskey, Cian Cardiff, Victor Caschera, Jim Dowdall, Ger Walshe. Video grabs from Brian Mccloskey below.

Spring, winter and autumn all rolled into one! Birding in Co. Wexford this Spring

On the 18th of April I decided to spend the day birding at Tacumshin lake, Wexford. A fantastic place to spend your time, and you just never know what you will come across! After crossing the lake I began to scan the small flocks of birds gathering to feed at the east end of the lake. As I walked along the east end I flushed two golden plover, out of the corner of my eye I could see the birds, one appeared very grey and darker lacking as much golden tones and black as the other bird. As the birds flew they called, one sounding like a classic European Golden plover and the other sounding to my ear like that of an American golden! I got the birds in my binoculars and watched them land quite close again, to my great excitement one was indeed an American golden plover!! The other was a European golden. The AGP was a plain and quite bland looking individual leading me to think that it was a first-year (2nd calendar year) plumaged bird. A fantastic start to my days birding at the Mecca that is Tacumshin! I watched the bird for quite a while, obtaining some phonescoped images and footage before they both flew off to the South east end of the lake, the American was calling as it went.

First-summer (2nd calendar year) American golden plover... I then slowly walked towards the sluice area of the lake, and then crossing to the patches. Lots of birds on the patches including a flock of little egret feeding along the reed and grass fringes. One of which feeding among the egrets was the long staying first-year (2nd calendar year) Spoonbill which gave me the opportunity of some excellent views throughout the day. The bird showed quite a grey base to the bill, a good amount of retained immature feathering on the outer wing which was leading me to think that the bird was a first-year rather than a second-year. I also did some research on ageing of spoonbill to be sure I had the ageing correct. I never tire of seeing these magnificent birds as they feed by sweeping their bill from side to side through the water.

First-year (2nd calendar year) Spoonbill... As I walked a little further down towards the forgotten corner I decided to scan through main lake for the diving duck flock. Almost immediately I noticed a smallish diving duck with quite a peaked head, it could be could it! And after around 3 plus hours I nailed the bird in flight, it was in fact a female Lesser scaup!! This was the first record for Tacumshin, amazingly a species that had not been found here before! The bird kept close company with the tufted duck and didn’t interact much with the greater scaup present. A female long-tailed duck also among the mixed flock. Thankfully the lesser scaup hung around for a few days allowing many to connect with the bird. I saw the bird again on the 20th of April.

Two back of the camera images of the female Lesser Scaup in flight. Showing the key feature wing pattern of white across the secondaries with a sharp, transition to grey across the primaries.

Some more images of the female Lesser scaup. These images show the general shape of the bird, including the head and body size and shape among the tufted and greater scaup flock. A bird that I am glad I spent so much time on trying to make sure of its identification! The second lesser scaup I have now found in Co. Wexford after a first-winter male in October 2023, at Cahore marsh!!! Only 3 (possibly 2) county records of this species to date. While watching the lesser scaup I picked up a summer plumaged Long-billed dowitcher flying high overhead with black-tailed godiwt and redshank! Long-billed dowitcher 6th bird in from the left (snipe like shape)...

On the 20th I also connected with the purple heron at Tacumshin, oh and 3 short-eared owl and a stunning breeding plumaged male ruff! A magical few days of birding!!

Patch birding madness, Cahore marsh, October 2023.

October can be a good month for patch birding given autumn migration is in full swing. Though this year I didn’t expect my patch to go on such a good run! On my first visit for some time I picked up a glossy ibis flying in the distance before two more flew close by, leading me to think it was likely that three birds had been present. After a while I saw the three together. I then scanned picking up one then two juvenile curlew sandpipers, a rare bird for the patch and only my second and third ever! Followed by scanning to see a first-winter grey phalarope swimming and picking at the water’s surface at the south end of the now flooded marsh! A patch tick ✔️

Glossy ibis Cahore marsh, Ruff also with the 3 ibis in flight... Another visit a few days later and I had added cattle egret, three greater scaup (another patch tick ✔️) both Cetti’s warbler sang for a few hours also that day. And I then went on to scan a large mixed flock of black-tailed godwit, European golden plover and Eurasian teal to discover a long-billed dowitcher feeding among the mixed flock! Yet another patch tick ✔️ and one of my most desired!! Rev dowitcher proved to be very elusive and not showy when seen over the several days. Often just seen and heard while in flight around various areas of the marsh. And not to forgot the beaded reedlings that are regularly flitting among the reedbeds around the marsh, often catching glimpses or snatches of their characteristic ‘ping ping’ calls.

First-winter Grey phalarope and Juvenile Dunlin and 2 Curew sandpipers... A visit the next day was in order to see what could be found and what may still be present still on site. I scanned the tufted duck flock that has been present recently to find the three greater scaup still present along with a very intriguing individual. Not a greater scaup or tufted it seemed. The head shape had immediately struck me, the peak to the back of the head compared to the rounded head of the greater scaup especially really stud out! I couldn’t be looking at a lesser scaup on my north Wexford patch could I? After a few hours of distant views and phonescoped images I rang my father to let him know what I suspected I had found and then my good friend Brian Mccloskey for his views on my poor record images and for his knowledge on lesser scaup/diving duck identification. After eventually getting good views and better images I sent them onto Killian Mullarney whom was speedy to respond with exactly what I wanted to hear, he suggested that my bird looked good for a first-winter male lesser scaup but it would be good to see the bill pattern better as it appeared to show quick a lot of black away from the nib. I managed to capture some poor flight images of the bird in question and this nailed a perfect wing pattern of pale inner wing bar and greyish outer wing bar! I could also see the grey on the upperparts, mantle beginning to come through and white beginning to emerge along the brownish flanks. The bird often appeared slightly smaller and slighter than the tufted ducks it was present alongside and far smaller and slender than the three accompanying greater scaup.

First-winter male lesser scaup,with tufted duck, a first for Cahore and second for Co, Wexford...Also a female type Greater Scaup in flght image 1... I saw the bird again a couple of days later in fantastic morning light while guiding and could see the bill pattern (black restricted or mostly restricted to the nail, can be more valuable in first-years I believe) was just about spot on for a pure lesser scaup, good flight views also again and I don’t think there can be much doubt about this one! A mega for Co, Wexford and my patch! A selfinds tick ✔️ also to just add to the excitement!! While on this day’s guiding event I picked up a juvenile Goosander flying over the sand dunes and around the marsh, my fifth patch tick ✔️ in the month of October after a spell without any over the summer months (Which is usually to be expected when things can be very quiet on the patch).

Cattle egret and Greater scaup... With thanks to everyone whom gave me feedback on the lesser scaup.

Autumn birding 2023: Inishmore Island, Galway

Storms on the horizon and the chance of American birds hitting Irelands coastline gave myself and Joe Proudfoot an easy decision to make, with Hugh Delaney also heading out onto the island with us. We had to head west, this would give us the best opportunity of connecting with some of these American birds that had been migrating from north to South America and ended up blown across the Atlantic to Ireland. This sounded like a foolproof plan at the time, and in fairness it would make sense to base yourself on an island in the Atlantic after a storm has hit in autumn! Some fantastic birds had shown up before we left and even when we arrived on the island elsewhere in Ireland and the UK, giving us even more hope!

Inishmore... The weather conditions were never exactly easy to look for passerines in. Wind or rain was a feature of most of the 6 days on the island that we spent. Our original plan was 4 night but that soon changed when another storm left us with no option but to stay on the island an extra night. Arriving on Thursday last and leaving just yesterday (Tuesday). This was my first time on the Aran islands, and Inishmore to be exact. A lovely island, but for me a little too big and full of cover for searching for vagrant passerines. A pretty slow start for the most part, though Hugh did pull out a red-eyed vireo on the 21st which happened to be my 25th birthday! And I saw the bird on the 22nd which was a lifer for me, and giving me my 296th bird species that I have seen in Ireland to date! Which isn’t bad going for somewhere that isn’t a big twitcher. Joe stated that he picked up an interesting wigeon on the lake and for me to get on it with my scope. I did just that and after a while and some discussion we found eclipse male American wigeon to be the correct fit! The bird was among Eurasian wigeon which gave a nice comparison and contrast between the two species. Over the next few days we had very little of note seeing the American wigeon a few more times and very little else! An educational bird to pick up and spend some time watching!

A series of images of the eclipse male American wigeon. The grey head with contrasting dark eye mask, bright grey-blue bill, rufous flanks with clean white belly, clean white rather than grey-white (shown on Eurasian) axillaries on the underwing. striking bird even when seen at distance with binoculars. A brighter bird than Eurasian birds present. Always an enjoyable plumage to see in this species! Most likey to be the bird that spent the winter here for the past few years, but is not often found or looked for while in this eclipse plumage.

Red-eyed vireo... A difficult island to work and a bit of a slog at times, though we did book into a B&B that was around a forty to fifty minute walk from the west end of the island the the village! Which made things a little more difficult, the bikes did help but not always easy to cycle around all day! You win some and you lose some! Autumn isn’t over yet!

Leaving the island after 6 days! Pomarine and Arctic skua along with some European strom petrel seen from the ferry also.