July 2006 Sightings
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| June 2006 <<< | Back to Archive | >>> August 2006 |
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| Images © Mícheál Casey 2006 | |
| July 2006:
Inishmurray is a national treasure, famous for its ancient
monastic remains and its teeming birdlife. Top photos show the
view of Ben Bulben and evening light on the Dartry Mountains taken from
Inishmurray. Below that, photo shows a Black Guillemot. Black Guillemots are common breeding birds on Inishmurray, nesting in cliff crevices and on the boulder-strewn storm beaches. Bottom photo shows another of the Island's breeding species, the Herring Gull. |
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| Images © Mícheál Casey 2006 | ||
| 31st July 2006: Rough roadside verges at Mullaghmore provided a food source for this mixed flock of foraging finches. Photos show Linnet (lower right and a Greenfinch (other three photos) | ||
31.07.06 Mullaghmore - headland
Good passage of Manx Shearwaters, with Fulmars, and small numbers of auks also passing through at the point.
Small flock of finches (Linnet, Greenfinch, Chaffinch) were also seen between the village and the headland, feeding on grass and weed seeds along roadside verges. (M.Casey)
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| Images © Mícheál Casey 2006 | ||
| 31st July 2006: Danish-ringed juvenile Black-headed Gull pictured at Fish Quay, Sligo Harbour. | ||
31.07.06 Sligo Harbour
A juvenile Black-headed Gull (i.e. hatched in 2006) carried a Danish metal ring 6233773 (M.Casey). This sighting has been reported to the Danish ringing scheme. This is thought to be first record of a Danish-ringed Gull in Sligo and represents a very rapid westward movement of a young bird after fledging.
[ 31.07.06 Late Report re 04.04.06 Dunmoran Strand ]
A dead Razorbill bearing a BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) ring was found on the beach, and the BTO informed the finder that this bird was ringed at Sanda, Kintyre, Starthclyde on the 26th of June 1991(S. Ryan, D.Cotton). It was aged as 3 years+ at the time of ringing, so was 18 years + when it died. This is a very valuable record, of a long-lived species - the longevity record for a ringed Razorbill is 30 years + old
NON-BIRD NEWS:
Several records of Hummingbird Hawkmoths around the county mirror the bumper crop of sightings of this spectacular and rare migrant moth countrywide this summer. Sightings were recorded at:
- Derk, Dromard 13.06.06 (W. Woodrow)
- Ballyconnell (D. Cotton)
- Ben Bulben 24.07.06, a probable, not definitively ID'd (D.Cotton)
- Rathscanlon, Tubbercurry (D. Cotton, M.Casey)
19.07.06 Cartron Marsh
An adult Ring-billed gull was present at the gull roost with good numbers of commoner species at high tide: 2 Lesser Black-Backed Gulls, 123 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Common Gull, and 2 Herring Gulls
03.07.06 Raghley
The sighting of a Twite was reported at Raughly, a very early sighting.
03.07.06 Inishmurray
Great Skua observed raiding a Lesser Black-Backed Gull colony on Inishmurray. The bird was driven off by the gulls, and mobbed by them until well out over the sea to the south.