February 2010 Sightings

January 2010 <<<

Back to Archive

>>> March 2010


	Image © Declan Skehan 2010
*February 2010: Lesser Redpoll in a Sligo garden*


	Watch out for Great Spotted Woodpecker in Sligo's woodlands In view of several unconfirmed reports of Great Spotted Woodpeckers in Sligo last spring, and another possible sighting near Ballintrillick in mid-January reported to us this week (courtesy of Lar Thermes), please remember that any reports of this newest Irish breeding species are welcomed at this website. All reported sightings will be followed up. Great Spotted Woodpeckers are now breeding in several Irish counties on the east coast, and will probably spread here eventually. Please try to obtain photos to confirm the identity, but only if you can do so without disturbing the bird, especially if there is any suspicion that the bird is breeding. Please send any reports to sightings @sligobirding.com The photos show a female (left) and male (right) Great Spotted Woodpecker at their nest hole in Co. Wicklow. These photos were taken by Dick Coombes of BirdWatch Ireland under special licence.
Image © Dick Coombes 2009		Image © Dick Coombes 2009
	Ring-reading news The BTO have confirmed that a ringed Herring Gull (GF09646) seen in Sligo Harbour on 14th March 2009 and again on 5th October 2009 was ringed by Chris Reynolds as a nestling at Mointeach Airinis, Isle of Lewis, in the Scottish Western Isles on the 23rd June 2003. This gull was one of a large number attracted into the harbour last March by spillage from the export of a shipment of fishmea from the Deepwater Quayl. Its reappearance in October suggests that it may be yet another regular wintering gull in Sligo from gull colonies in the northern half of the UK. Together with ringing evidence for movements of Storm Petrels and Barnacle Geese, these gull movements show how closely the western coast of Ireland is connected with Scotland's islands in terms of bird movements. Click on photos for full size image
Image © Mícheál Casey 2009		Image © Mícheál Casey 2009


Date	Species	Photo	Number	Site	Observer	Remarks

28 February 2010	Pink-footed Goose		6	Rathscanlon, Tubbercurry	Mícheál Casey	Six seen close to dusk, flying rapidly and low, callling, looked as though they had been flushed close by. Flew south-east over broad-leaved forestry, calling constantly, then four split off and flew south, passing low overhead.
25 February 2010	Purple Sandpiper		14	Easky	Séamus Feeney & Joe Donaldson
25 February 2010	Common Eider		c. 20	Pollaheeney Harbour, Easky	Séamus Feeney & Joe Donaldson
28 February 2010	Glaucous Gull		1	Pollnadivva Harbour, Easky	Séamus Feeney & Joe Donaldson	First winter
28 February 2010	Tree Sparrow		Min. 13	Aughris Village	Séamus Feeney & Joe Donaldson	The highest number of Tree Sparrows seen in Co. Sligo for a very, very, long time......
27 February 2010	Whooper Swan		1	Bunduff Lough, Mullaghmore	Séamus Feeney & Joe Donaldson	Single bird swimming towards observers, possibly the long-staying non-flying bird.
27 February 2010	Long-tailed Duck		2	Mermaid's Cove, Mullaghmore	Séamus Feeney & Joe Donaldson
27 February 2010	Ruddy Shelduck		1	Gibraltar Point, Cummeen Strand	Séamus Feeney & Joe Donaldson	Still present
27 February 2010	Goosander		1	Ballysadare Estuary	Séamus Feeney & Joe Donaldson	Seen from Silver Falls Car Park, still present
25 February 2010	Mediterranean Gull		1	Bunduff Strand, Mullaghmore	Don Cotton & Mícheál Casey	Adult, almost in full summer plumage
25 February 2010	Lesser Black-backed Gull		1	Ballysadare Estuary	Séamus Feeney	First returning Lesser Black-backed Gull of Spring 2010. Seen from Silver Falls Car Park,
24 February 2010	Goosander		1	Silver Falls Car Park, Ballysadare Estuary	Séamus Feeney, Michael Bell	Still present
23 February 2010	Ringed Plover		1	Inishcrone Harbour,	John Foss	Colour-ringed bird, no details on origins yet available. Photo on February Gallery page here. Also see John Foss's amazing collection of images of Leitrim and Sligo wildlife in his online gallery page here.
23 February 2010	Barn Owl		1	Drum, Ballygawley	Kevin, Nicole, and Mark Gallagher, Rachel Hennessy	Flew into a sand paddock where horses were being exercised, dropped into a drain where it may have caught something, and then flew off, giving amazingly close views to the observers.
22 February 2010	Kingfisher		1	Quay St, Sligo	Declan Skehan	Flew up river, calling, at dusk
22 February 2010	Carrion Crow		1	Ballyconnell	Mícheál Casey	Seen briefly in the roadside fields that run down to Yellow Strand
21 February 2010	Lesser Redpoll		30	Templehouse Bog, Ballymote	John Davis	Adult male
21 February 2010	Hen Harrier		1	Near Ballinagare, Co. Roscommon	Michael Bell	Adult male
21 February 2010	Golden Plover		120	Easkey	Robin Burnhams
21 February 2010	Hen Harrier		1	Ballyconnell	Andrew Tweedie via Derek Charles	"Ringtail" i.e. juvenile/female.
21 February 2010	Cackling Goose		1	Ballyconnell	Brad Robson, also Andrew Tweedie via Derek Charles
21 February 2010	Cackling Goose		1	Ballyconnell	Brad Robson, also Andrew Tweedie via Derek Charles
21 February 2010	Twite		3	Raghly	Brad Robson, Mícheál Casey	In usual place at harbour
21 February 2010	Tree Sparrow		1	Raghly	Brad Robson	Heard, in garden near the causeway
20 February 2010	Grey Plover		1	Dunmoran Strand	Robin Burnhams
20 February 2010	Golden Plover		40	Raghly	Denis Weir, Derek Charles, Wilton Farrelly
20 February 2010	Golden Plover		30	Yellow Strand	Denis Weir, Derek Charles, Wilton Farrelly
20 February 2010	Twite		1	Raghly	Michael Bell	In usual place at harbour
20 February 2010	Carrion Crow		1	Ballyconnell Strand	Denis Weir, Derek Charles, Wilton Farrelly, Michael Bell	Possibly the first county record. At the northern (caravan) end of the strand, initially. Seen later at around 3 pm at the Knocklane end of the strand (M. Bell). Ussher reported possible Carrion Crow sighting in Sligo in 1897 (per Don Cotton).
20 February 2010	Canada Goose		1	Ballymuldorry, Ballintemple	Dermot Breen, Denis Weir, Derek Charles, Wilton Farrelly	Parvipes type. Near the road to Raghly
20 February 2010	Cackling Goose		1	Ballymuldorry, Ballintemple	Dermot Breen,Denis Weir, Derek Charles, Wilton Farrelly	Hutchinsii type
20 February 2010	Coal Tit		1	Rahaberna, Sligo Town	Don Cotton	Exceptionally dark bird, resembles darker Continental form- possibly in abberrant plumage (with pale feather tips worn off)
20 February 2010	Smew		1	Lough Erne Golf Resort, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh	Denis Weir, Derek Charles, Wilton Farrelly	Male. Also 2 Long-tailed Duck, 30 Common Scoter, 12 Red-throated Divers and 12 Great Northern Divers at Bundoran
19 February 2010	Iceland Gull		1	Eniskillen Dump, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh	Brad Robson	Adult
18 February 2010	Twite		NS	Raghly Harbour	Eric Dempsey
18 February 2010	Cackling Goose		1	Ballintemple	Eric Dempsey
18 February 2010	Common Buzzard		1	Kilanley, Ballina, Co. Sligo	Mervyn Gawley	Common Buzzard close to Kilanley church. Although the kale has been eaten off and the pigeons less plentiful , large numbers of finches continue to use the site.
16 February 2010	Little Egret		1	Ballyconnell	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	Several recent sightings
16 February 2010	Common Buzzard		1	Near Carney	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	Seen at dusk, being mobbed by Hooded Crows
16 February 2010	Goosander		1	Ballysadare	Mícheál Casey	Female still present.
15 February 2010	Light-bellied Brent		100	Pollaheeeney Harbour, Near Easkey	Martin Enright & Noel Raftery	Included 8 ringed birds, which were read
15 February 2010	Long-eared Owl		1	Castlebaldwin	Siobhán Ryan	In the driveway of a private house
15 February 2010	Barnacle Goose		c. 1,500	Ballintemple	Richard Bonser & John Archer
15 February 2010	Richardson's Cackling Goose		1	Ballintemple	Richard Bonser & John Archer	Showing characteristics of subsp hutchinsii, with c. 1500 Barnacle Geese..
15 February 2010	Whooper Swan		c. 10	Ballintemple	Richard Bonser & John Archer
15 February 2010	Merlin		1	Raghly	Richard Bonser & John Archer	Female flew over
15 February 2010	Little Egret		1	Drumcliff	Declan Feeney	In the river, just downstream from the bridge
15 February 2010	Cackling Goose		1	Raghly	Richard Bonser & John Archer
15 February 2010	Twite		64	Raghly	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	In the morning, on the wires in the harbour area.
15 February 2010	Twite		25	Raghly	Richard Bonser & John Archer	Showing well by the harbour
15 February 2010	Goosander		1	Ballysadare	Mícheál Casey	Female still present, with two female Red-breatsed Mergansers
14 February 2010	Richardson's Cackling Goose		1	Lissadell	Alan and Geoff Clewes, Matt Mulvey
14 February 2010	Canada Goose		1	Ballintemple	Alan and Geoff Clewes, Matt Mulvey
14 February 2010	Richardson's Cackling Goose		1	Ballintemple	Alan and Geoff Clewes, Matt Mulvey
14 February 2010	Common Eider		150+	Cloonagh	Declan Feeney	In two groups
14 February 2010	Whooper Swan		2	Cloonagh	Declan Feeney
14 February 2010	Golden Plover		96	Ballyconnell	Declan Feeney
14 February 2010	Merlin		1	Ballyconnell	Declan Feeney
14 February 2010	Siskin		1	Carrigeens, Ballinfull	Declan Feeney
14 February 2010	Sparrowhawk		1	Between Ballyconnell and Raghly	Declan Feeney
14 February 2010	Kestrel		1	Between Ballyconnell and Raghly	Declan Feeney
14 February 2010	Red-breasted Merganser		3	Doorly Park	Conor McElhinney	Two displaying males vying for the attention of a female - on Valentines Day....Awwwwww Also 1 Little Grebe
14 February 2010	Kingfisher		1	Doorly Park	Conor McElhinney	Also 1 Great Crested Grebe seen nearby on the lake
14 February 2010	Twite		32	Raghly	Michael Bell & BirdWatch Sligo outing	Good views
14 February 2010	Golden Plover		135	Knocklane	Michael Bell & BirdWatch Sligo outing
14 February 2010	Ruddy Shelduck		1	Gibraltar Point, Cummeen Strand	Robin Burnhams	Seen around Gibraltar Point today at 12.45 before heading off towards Sligo Port with 4 Common Shelducks
13 February 2010	Golden Plover		75	Ballyconnell	Gregory Daly
13 February 2010	Starling		NS	Raghly	Gregory Daly	The Raghly Starlings have started to mimic the Twite flock!
13 February 2010	Little Egret		1	Standalone Point, Sligo harbour	Mícheál Casey	Feeding in the channels opposite the Deepwater Quay.
13 February 2010	Goosander		1	Ballysadare	Joe & Sean Geraty, Joe Donaldson, Michael Davis, Mícheál Casey	Viewed from Silver Falls car park. With two female Red-breasted Mergansers, moving upstream to stretch of river just below the falls. 1 Snipe also seen on the mud.
13 February 2010	Ruddy Shelduck		1	Gibraltar Point, Cummeen Strand	Joe Donaldson, Michael Davis, Mícheál Casey	Feeding from Barnashraghy outfall
13 February 2010	Tree Sparrow		2	Ballinfull	Mícheál Casey	In a private garden near Ballinfull Cemetery
13 February 2010	Raven		2	Yellow Strand	Mícheál Casey	Feeding on the carcass of a fox behind the sand dunes.
13 February 2010	Merlin		1	Yellow Strand	Mícheál Casey	Chasing a Rock Pipit which eventually escaped
13 February 2010	Purple Sandpiper		7	Mermaid's Cove, Mullaghmore	Joe Donaldson
13 February 2010	Velvet Scoter		2	Strandhill	Joe Donaldson
13 February 2010	Long-tailed Duck		25	Raghly	Joe Donaldson	Long-tailed Duck counts taken at different times
13 February 2010	Long-tailed Duck		18	Raghly	Joe & Sean Geraty	Long-tailed Duck counts taken at different times
13 February 2010	Twite		55	Raghly	Joe & Sean Geraty, Mícheál Casey, Joe Donaldson, Gregory Daly	Harbour area, on the wires
13 February 2010	Dark-bellied Brent Goose		1	Raghly	Joe & Sean Geraty, Joe Donaldson	Ardtermon Strand side
13 February 2010	Little Egret		1	Ballyconnell	Joe & Sean Geraty, Joe Donaldson, Gregory Daly	Flew from the strand into the marsh behind.
13 February 2010	Canada Goose		1	Ballintemple	Joe & Sean Geraty	Near the red barn
13 February 2010	Cackling Goose		2	Ballintemple	Joe & Sean Geraty	Near the red barn
13 February 2010	Barnacle Goose		> 3,000	Ballintemple	Noel Raftery, Martin Enright	Repeatedly flushed by a small biplane performing aerobatics over the Barnacle flock's grazing area, in contravention of long-standing unofficial 'no-fly zone' established by Sligo Air Traffic Control. The flock flew to Horse Island, returned, and were flushed again twice by same plane.
13 February 2010	Raven		2	Ballintemple	Mícheál Casey	Feeding on the carcass of a fox in the fields behind Yellow Strand, with 8 Hooded Crows.
13 February 2010	Whooper Swan		1	Lough Arrow	Joe & Sean Geraty
12 February 2010	Common Scoter		43	Raghly	Ryan Wilson-Parr
12 February 2010	Red-breasted Merganser		1	Raghly	Ryan Wilson-Parr
12 February 2010	Long-tailed Duck		8	Raghly	Ryan Wilson-Parr
12 February 2010	White-tailed Eagle		1	Yellow Strand	John Mannion, via Ulrike Schwier	Male Star has moved back to the Maugherow peninsula again! Seen in the dunes behind Yellow Strand.
11 February 2010	Canada Goose		1	Raghly	Richard Millington
11 February 2010	Cackling Goose		1	Raghly	Richard Millington
11 February 2010	Ring-billed Gull		2	Sligo Harbour	Richard Millington
10 February 2010	White-tailed Eagle		1	Beltra area	Allan Mee (from satellite tracking data)	Male Star has moved to the south of Ballysadare Bay, after roosting near Ardtermon on the night of the 9th. Sightings welcomed.
9 February 2010	Ring-billed Gull		1	Sligo Harbour	Declan Skehan
8 February 2010	Eastern Rosella		1	near Kilglass, Co. Roscommon	Michael Bell	This escaped parakeet is a native of eastern Australia, and unlikely to survive long in Roscommon in February - please inform anyone who may have lost one in the area recently.
7 February 2010	Common Buzzard		2	Near Carney	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	Circling and mewing in a pair display
7 February 2010	Common Crossbill		11	Doonowney, Lissadell	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy
6 February 2010	Bullfinch		2	Strandhill Road, Sligo	Ray McManus	In a provate garden
6 February 2010	Long-tailed Duck		15	Raghly	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Red-throated Diver		27	Raghly	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Great Northern Diver		48	Raghly	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Turnstone		14	Raghly	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Common Scoter		36	Raghly	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Light-bellied Brent Goose		256	Raghly	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Dark-bellied Brent Goose		1	Raghly	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Twite		12	Raghly	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Raven		4	Raghly	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Whooper Swan		6	Raghly	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Barnacle Goose		3,400	Ballintemple, Ballyconnell	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Canada Goose		1	Ballintemple, Ballyconnell	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker	Cackling and medium sized Canada were together as usual
6 February 2010	Cackling Goose		1	Ballintemple, Ballyconnell	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Kestrel		1	Mullaghmore	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Sparrowhawk		1	Mullaghmore	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
6 February 2010	Great Northern Diver		46	Mullaghmore	Mark Carmody & Rob Baker
5 February 2010	Pintail		4	Ballinturly Turlough, near Athleague, Co. Roscommon	Michael Bell
5 February 2010	Greenland White-fronted Geese		c. 60	Ballinturly Turlough, near Athleague, Co. Roscommon	Michael Bell
5 February 2010	Dipper		1	Garravogue River, Sligo Town	Declan Skehan	Nest-building
4 February 2010	Lesser Redpoll		40	Silver Falls Car Park, Ballysadare Estuary	Michael Bell
4 February 2010	Goosander		1	Silver Falls Car Park, Ballysadare Estuary	Michael Bell
4 February 2010	Hen Harrier		1	Drumnagranshy Turlough, Keash	Michael Bell	Female/juvenile type
3 February 2010	Goldeneye		2	Doorly Park, Sligo Town	Conor McElhinney
3 February 2010	Wigeon		20	Sligo Harbour	Conor McElhinney
3 February 2010	Red-breasted Merganser		1	Sligo Harbour	Conor McElhinney
3 February 2010	White-tailed Eagle		1	Ballymuldorry, Ballyconnell	Mícheál Casey	Rested briefly on the big ringfort at the crossroads, before flying towards Knocklane, then dropped into the sand dunes behind Yellow Strand
3 February 2010	Twite		25	Raghly	Mícheál Casey
2 February 2010	Little Egret		1	Ballyweelin Lagoon, Rosses Point	Ciaran Davis	Fishing in the middle of the lochán until it was flushed to the far end by passers by. Recent sightings suggest there may be up to 6 Little Egrets in Sligo Bay this winter.
2 February 2010	Twite		63	Raghly	Derek McLoughlin, James Hanrahan, Mícheál Casey	Very active and mobile flock.
1 February 2010	White-tailed Eagle		1	Ballintemple	James Hanrahan