May2009

Date	Species	Photo	Number	Site	Observer	Remarks

31 May 2009	Kingfisher		1	Lough Arrow	Séamus Feeney
31 May 2009	Common Sandpiper		3-4	Lough Arrow	Séamus Feeney
31 May 2009	Cuckoo		1	Lough Arrow	Séamus Feeney
31 May 2009	Painted Lady (Butterfly)		Large numbers	Co. Sligo	Don Cotton, Séamus Feeney, Declan Skehan	Large numbers of this colourful migrant are being reported from several sites around the county.
30 May 2009	Corncrake		2	Oyster Island, Sligo Harbour	Trevor an Patricia Hunter Terry and Kate Harte & families; Eamon Lynch & Niamh Lynch via www.irishbirding.com	Calling males.
29 May 2009	Hobby		1	Lough Arrow	Anon. via Don Cotton	A report was received today that the Hobby was seen again at Lough arrow during the week, it was seen around an island in the middle of the lake, catching mayflies in flight.
25 May 2009	Whooper Swan		1	Bunduff, Mullaghmore	Mícheál Casey	An apparent family group consisting of a Mute Swan, the long-staying, non-flying Whooper Swan and five small cygnets were on the smallest lakes. A case of hybridisation or fostering?
25 May 2009	Common Swift		4	Rathscanlan, Tobercurry	Mícheál Casey	Prospecting for nest sites at purpose-built nest box on an old farm building
24 May 2009	Cuckoo		1	Hazelwood, Lough Gill	Beatrice MacDonald	Heard at Hazelwood
22 May 2009	Mute Swan		6	Annagh Bay, Lough Gill	Beatrice MacDonald	Two adults and four tiny cygnets, obviously recently hatched.Further round the Hazelwood shore was a female Mallard with 11 ducklings.
22 May 2009	Iceland Gull		1	Sligo Harbour	Declan Skehan
19 May 2009	Whinchat		1	near Ballinagare, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon	Michael Bell	Male singing on top of small tree
19 May 2009	Great Northern Diver		c10	Off Raghly Point, Drumcliff Bay	Séamus Feeney	There was one immature, the rest were adults in summer plumage. Immature Red-throated Diver and one Common Scoter also seen
19 May 2009	Arctic Skua		1	Off Raghly Point, Drumcliff Bay	Séamus Feeney	Dark phase bird, was harassing Sandwich Terns, and in turn being harassed by the terns when it settled on the water. Left Drumcliffe Bay flying over Raghly causeway.
19 May 2009	Tree Sparrow		1	Causeway wall, Raghly	Séamus Feeney	Female Wheatear also present on breakwater
19 May 2009	Sandwich Tern		c. 20	Off Raghly Point, Drumcliff Bay	Séamus Feeney	Reduced numbers since Saturday last
19 May 2009	Common Buzzard		2	North Co. Sligo	Séamus Feeney	Pair seen soaring on thermals over wooded area
19 May 2009	Hobby		1	Lough Arrow	Anon. via Eric Dempsey	Seen at the north-western corner of the lake.
18 May 2009	Minke Whale		1	Rosskeeragh Point, Mullaghmore Head	Fiona Farrell, Mike Trewby, Don Cotton, Jean Dunleavy	Dead stranding. Female 6.4m long. Fairly fresh.
17 May 2009	Golden Eagle		1	Rossmore, Drumkeeran, Co. Leitrim	Frances Farrell	Location was at Rossmore, between Dowra and Drumkeerin, on the northern shore of Lough Allen, Co. Leitrim. The bird flew off eventually eastwards towards Dowra (possibly to Playbank mountain?) about 4.00pm.
17 May 2009	Siskin		1	Lissadell	Robin Burnhams
16 May 2009	Sandwich Tern		c. 50	Off Raghly Point, Drumcliff Bay	Séamus Feeney	Feeding intensely in a concentrated flock
15 May 2009	Long-tailed Skua		1	Ballinafad Bay, Lough Arrow	Dr David Gunn and John Gault, reported via Don Cotton	Hawking after Mayflies during an intense hatch on the lake. Long-tailed Skuas have been reported from this site in May in the past.
14 May 2009	Dipper		2	Glendarragh, Ballaghnatrillick (Ballintrillick	Mícheál Casey	Two pairs observed feeding young in nests 500m apart.
14 May 2009	Mallard		12	Bunduff Strand, Mullaghmore	John McEvoy	Female and 11 very young ducklings
14 May 2009	Great Crested Grebe		2	Doorly Park	John McEvoy
13 May 2009	Common Buzzard		1	near Coolaney	Conor McElhinney	Whitethroat seen performing an aerial display in same area
12 May 2009	Corncrake		1	Oyster Island, Sligo Harbour	Martin Enright	One male heard calling, from mainland
10 May 2009	Gannet		1	Off Bunduff Strand, Mullaghmore	Mícheál Casey	Plunge-diving in the surf - 30-40 Kittiwakes also feeding close offshore
10 May 2009	Whooper Swan		1	Bunduff Lakes, Mullaghmore	Mícheál Casey	One at smallest lake, presumably usual long-staying, non-flying individual.
10 May 2009	Unidentified Whale		1	Mullaghmore Head, Mullaghmore	Joe Kavanagh	Seen 'blowing' off the headland. It is tempting to speculate that this was associated with the beaching of the Pilot Whale calf at Bunduff.
9-10 May 2009	Pilot Whale		1	Bunduff Strand, Mullaghmore	Don Cotton,Jean Dunleavy, Declan Skehan, Ulrike, Edward & Kelly Vaughan, Mícheál Casey	A small juvenile Pilot Whale (c 2.5 m long) live stranded on the 8th, was successfully re-floated but beached again at the stream on the Mermaid's Cove end of the strand. Put to sleep on humane grounds on the morning of the 10th.
9 May 2009	Arctic Skua		1	Streedagh	Paul Keogh	Dark phase bird
9 May 2009	Dunlin		40	Streedagh	Paul Keogh
9 May 2009	Ringed Plover		20	Streedagh	Paul Keogh
9 May 2009	Gannet		>100	Streedagh	Paul Keogh
9 May 2009	Arctic Skua		1	Bunduff Strand, Mullaghmore	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	On the beach near the stream (Mermaid's Cove end).
7 May 2009	Gannet		2	Streedagh	Kevin Murray	Plunge-diving in the surf
7 May 2009	Whimbrel		48	Ballyconnell	Mícheál Casey	Alternating between the strand and the fields behind it.
7 May 2009	Common Swift		2	Over Circular Road, Tubbercurry	Mícheál Casey
7 May 2009	Great Crested Grebe		2	Half-Moon Bay, Hazelwood (Lough Gill)	Michael D. Casey
7 May 2009	Bullfinch		17-20	Cloghermore, Clogherevagh, Calry	Michael D. Casey	Grazing on my dandelion- and daisy-infested lawn!
5 May 2009	Iceland Gull		1	Sligo Town	Declan Skehan	Long-staying second-winter/third-summer bird present above Barton Smith's shop at Hyde Bridge
5 May 2009	Whimbrel		1	over Ballymote	Michael Bell	Flew over, calling
4 May 2009	Whimbrel		c. 40	Northern shores, Ballysadare Bay	Declan Skehan	Parties of 3/4 Whimbrel were seen every couple of hundred yards along the back road from Strandhill to Kellystown; perhaps 40 in total.
4 May 2009	Whimbrel		c. 20	Raghly Peninsula	Declan Skehan	Made up of small scattered groups feeding in sea-weed covered shoreline
4 May 2009	Whimbrel		87+	Lough Melvin, Co. Leitrim	Michael Stinson	Separate flocks of 35+, 36 and 16 respectively
1 May 2009	Light-Bellied Brent Goose		6	Coney Island Causeway, Cummeen Strand	Conor McElhinney
3 May 2009	Cuckoo		2	Carrowmore, Carrane Hill, near Geevagh	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	Chasing each other, assumed to be a pair
3 May 2009	Cuckoo		1	Carrownadargny, Tap, near Geevagh	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	Heard
3 May 2009	Cuckoo		1	Sligo shore, Lough Skean	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	One flew over, chased by a Meadow Pipit
3 May 2009	Whimbrel		72+	Lough Melvin, Co. Leitrim	Michael Stinson	In groups of 8, 7 and 2 respectively, with one much large flock of 55+
3 May 2009	Dipper		2	Beside Hyde Bridge	Declan Skehan	Adult feeding fledged young beside the Glasshouse Hotel
2 May 2009	Moorhen		3	Toberscanavan Lough Lower, Collooney	Conor McElhinney	Adult Moorhen with two chicks was swimming in reeds. 22 species were seen in an hour at Cloonamahon: Pheasant, Kestrel, Moorhen, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Wren, Robin, Stonechat, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Hooded Crow, Starling, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting
2 May 2009	Common Buzzard		1	Gortnadrung, below Ben Whiskin	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy
2 May 2009	Grasshopper Warbler		1	Gortnadrung, below Ben Whiskin	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	Singing
2 May 2009	Grasshopper Warbler		1	Drimina, Tobercurry	Mícheál Casey
2 May 2009	Stock Dove		4	Cloonagh, Sooey	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	Flew over at speed, mainly rear views. ID not 100% certain.
2 May 2009	Common Whitethroat		1	Cloonagh, Sooey	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	Singing
2 May 2009	Cuckoo		1	Tunnagh Lough, near Sooey	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	One bird was watched as it perched on reedmace
2 May 2009	Grasshopper Warbler		1	Tunnagh Lough, near Sooey	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy	Singing
2 May 2009	Common Swift		2+	Over New Street, Sligo Town	Declan Skehan	Sligo's first Common Swifts of 2009
1 May 2009	Raven		1	Knocknarea	Conor McElhinney	Flew past Rathcarrick car park
1 May 2009	Whimbrel		1	Streedagh Point	Don Cotton & Jean Dunleavy

May 2009 Sightings