August 2007 Sightings
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| July 2007 <<< | Back to Archive | >>> September 2007 |
| August 2007 | ||||||||||
| 29th August 2007 Cartron Marsh |
13 Black-tailed Godwits, 131 Red Knot, 38 Curlew, 44 Redshank (M. Casey) | |||||||||
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| 25th August 2007 Ballisodare Estuary (by Knockmuldowney Park) |
12 Red Knot, 9 Black-tailed Godwit, 24 Mallard and 3 Redshank (M.Casey) | |||||||||
| 24th August 2007 - Raghly - Oyster Island - Coney Island |
Corncrake season summary by Tim Gordon, BirdWatch Ireland As regards breeding crakes in Sligo this year, there is just one report, and to date no other sightings or evidence of breeding success. This isn't too surprising. On Oyster Island, for instance, the chances of seeing any chicks or finding a nest are practically zero. It's generally only when fields are mown that chicks might be seen or remains of nesting found. The Coney Islanders eventually got to mow on August 21st. Miriam Crowley of the National Parks and Wildlife Service was present for part of the mowing, carried out in the Corncrake-friendly way by George Hunter; neither George nor Miriam saw anything, so we must assume the birds bred safely and escaped the mowing, which is as I would expect, as they've had three extra weeks to find their legs, if not their wings, and so should have been at little risk from mowing machines. At Raghly, where a calling bird was heard from mid July, the contractor mowing one meadow in a Corncrake-friendly manner (from the centre outwards) on August 1st reported seeing several juvenile crakes escaping into the adjacent field. Another field, of 10 acres, delayed till August 20th, was reportedly cut on the 21st; no trace of a nest was found in a subsequent field search carried out there by local volunteer David Poole. No other news to date. Elsewhere, there have virtually no sightings of young Corncrakes and very few reports, consistent with most known sites being mown centre-out and the late mowing season due to rain. Young chicks and a female were heard escaping into adjacent meadows at Termoncarragh, on the Mullet peninsula, on August 1st; a predated eggshell was found after mowing at Termoncarragh on the 16th. One juvenile was reported seen crossing a road at a breeding territory near Cleggan, Connemara. Hopefully the lack of records simply suggests that breeding birds have escaped mowing safely and unobtrusively. Report received 24/8/07 |
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| 23rd August 2007 Sligo Cathedral, Temple Street |
A Peregrine Falcon was seen in Sligo town, by the Cathedral (D. Skehan). |
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| 23rd August 2007 Drumcliffe |
A Common Buzzard was seen and photographed at Drumcliffe (D. Skehan). | |||||||||
| 23rd August 2007 Trá Buí (Yellow Strand), Knocklane |
A flock of 20-30 Common Eider were on the sea off Tra Buí (D. Skehan). | |||||||||
| 23rd August 2007 Raghly |
A Peregrine Falcon was at Raghly (D. Skehan). | |||||||||
| 20th August 2007 Mullaghmore |
Seawatching
was quite slow at the headland today despite a northerly wind - 17 Manx
Shearwater and one probable Arctic Skua (very distant) in an hour of
watching - all the birds were far out. Mermaid's Cove had a bit
more activity - about 40 Manx Shearwater in 20 mins (M. Bell). |
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| 18th August 2007 Yellow Strand/Trá Buí, Knocklane, Ballyconnell |
One Whimbrel was seen with the flock of Oystercatchers roosting along the shore at high tide, while a juvenile Scaup was swimming in the sea around the end of the ruined jetty - both at the north-western end of the beach (C. Benson). | |||||||||
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| 13th August 2007 West of Gurteen on the main Tubbercurry-Boyle Road |
A single albino Swallow was seen (M. Bell) | |||||||||
| 12th August 2007 Mullaghmore Head, Mullaghmore, Co Sligo |
In little over an hour and a half, 83 Manx Shearwaters and one Arctic Skua passed the headland today. Just like last time (8/8/07) all the birds were headed west as they entered the Donegal Bay on the Donegal side and left the bay on the Sligo side before continuing south. There was a moderate breeze blowing from the north. (M. Bell) | |||||||||
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| 11th/12th August 2007 Knocklane Head, Ballyconnell, Maugherow |
49 Storm Petrels
were ringed at Knocklane Head in a four-hour mist-netting session
overnight, which was illuminated by a spectacular meteor shower (C. Benson). See http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/11jul_greatperseids.htm |
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| 11th August 2007 Inishmurray |
Over 20 Storm Petrels were seen from the boat between Mullaghmore and Inishmurray (D. Cotton). | |||||||||
| 11th August 2007 Pelagic boat trip, NW of Tory Island, Co. Donegal |
Donegal news: A pelagic trip from Maheraroarty, Co. Donegal this morning in very calm conditions produced sightings of 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 5 Great Skuas, 1 Arctic Skua, several Storm Petrels, 15 Bottlenose Dolphins, 1 Minke Whale, 23 Porpoises, 2 Basking Sharks (B. Robson). |
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| 8th August 2007 Mullaghmore |
An hour's sea-watching produced 29 Manx Shearwater and 3 Storm Petrel off the headland at Mullaghmore despite conditions that were far from ideal - flat calm (M. Bell). | |||||||||
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| 7th August 2007 Cartron Marsh, Sligo Town |
Eclipse-plumaged drake Gadwall again present with a small Mallard flock behind the bus stop at Cartron Marsh (M. Casey) | |||||||||
| 5th August 2007 Mullaghmore |
Four Manx Shearwaters and a single large shearwater (too far out for conclusive identification) were seen during the IWDG "Whalewatch" event (M. Bell). | |||||||||
| 5th August 2007 Quay St Car Park, Sligo Harbour |
A ringed Common Gull, (ring number ET47509) has returned to Sligo harbour for at least its fourth consecutive year (M.Casey). This
bird was ringed as a nestling on the 26th of May 1997 on Loch
Tarff, near Fort Augustus in the Scottish Highlands, by Hugh Insley,
and has been commuting regularly to winter in Sligo each winter since
its ring was first read through a telescope in Sligo in 2003. It
is not known where it has been breeding but it is likely that it has
been returning each summer to breed in a loch in the area of the
Scottish Highlands where it was
hatched ten years ago, some 400km north-east of Sligo. Hugh has
looked for the gull in the harbour when passing through Sligo en route
to visit his cousins in Mayo, but so far a reunion with ET47509 has
eluded him - maybe this winter! |
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| 3rd August 2007 Trá Buí, Ballyconnell |
75 Sandwich Terns on beach, 20 Eider on sea (S. Feeney) | |||||||||
