November 2008 Sightings
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| October 2008 <<< | Back to Archive | >>> December 2008 |
| 30th
November 2008 iWEBs Count, Sligo Harbour |
Volunteers who turned out for the iWEBs bird count in Sligo Harbour this morning saw good numbers of a wide variety of birds. Birds not commonly seen in Sligo Harbour included a Mediterranean Gull, an Iceland Gull, a Little Egret, a Gadwall, 6 Scaup and 5 Black Guillemots, Highlights in numerical terms included: 945 Dunlin, 654 Golden Plover, 543 Pale-bellied Brent, 502 Oystercatchers, 482 Redshank, 370 Common Gulls, 356 Black-headed Gulls, 301 Mallard, 259 Lapwing, 200 Knot. These counts are provisional pending final checks (D. Cotton on behalf of the Sligo iWEBs Counters) | |||||||||
| 29th
November 2008 Lough Skean |
One Long-tailed Duck was on Lough Skean today, about 35 km inland (S. Feeney). An unusual inland record of this species. | |||||||||
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| 28th
November 2008 Galway Harbour |
A third-winter Herring Gull bearing BTO ring no GH 78424 , was photographed in Galway City today, and its ring read with the aid of a telescope (M. Davis). This bird was ringed on the east end of Inishmurray Island in Sligo on the 1st July 2006 by Declan Manley, and it was seen in Galway by Michael Davis on the 20th April 2007, it was re-sighted in Sligo Harbour on 3rd December 2007, and is now confirmed back in Galway today. | |||||||||
| 26th
November 2008 Undisclosed Location, Co. Sligo |
"I received a
report of two Great
Spotted Woodpeckers
(last week) at a garden feeder in County Sligo. Description seems to be
accurate and reliable. Birders in County Sligo might keep an
eye
on their feeders" (T. Cooney via IBN-L). Interesting report seen on the IBN-L mailing list today. Needless to say any woodpecker sightings in Co. Sligo would be welcomed! |
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| Waxwings sightings are on the rise.... ...........except in Sligo | Waxwing
numbers are building up in a very promising fashion in Northern
Ireland, with flocks of 80+ in Coleraine Co. Derry and in Lisburn, Co.
Antrim in recent days. None have been reported from Sligo
since
two were seen briefly in Sligo town on 1st November. It
certainly
seems possible that the harsh weather and northerly winds may push some
of these birds in our direction in the coming days/weeks. Click here for a summary of Waxwing sightings in November extracted from www.Irishbirding.com. |
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| 24th
November 2008 Lenadoon Point, Enniscrone |
There was a single Snow Bunting and 11 Purple Sandpipers on the beach at Lenadoon today (S. Feeney). | |||||||||
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| 23rd
November 2008 Bundoran, Co. Donegal |
A Grey Phalarope was at Bundoran this afternoon, on the water directly behind the "American House" shop. Also 3 Purple Sandpipers were on the rocks. Additionally 21 Redshank, 23 Turnstone, 6 Ringed Plover, 7 Oystercatchers, 41 Dunlin and only 1 Brent, were seen in the area of the River Bradoge estuary (M. Stinson). | |||||||||
| 23rd November 2008 Streedagh |
3 Twite were seen in the saltmarsh between the dunes and the estuary at Streedagh (D. Cotton & J. Dunleavy). | |||||||||
| 22nd November 2008 Lower Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh |
The White-tailed Sea Eagle was seen again, near Castle Archdale on Lower Lough Erne (P. Taylor, B. Robson, via M. Breen). | |||||||||
| 22nd November 2008 Quay St Car Park, Sligo Harbour |
Iceland Gull and Ring-billed Gull present (D. Skehan). | |||||||||
| 22nd November 2008 Lislarry, Maugherow |
Two Snow Bunting along the coast road at Lislarry, Maugherow today (D. Feeney). | |||||||||
| 22nd November 2008 Ballinfull, Maugherow |
Up to 9 Tree Sparrows are visiting a rural garden at Ballinfull - they have now started feeding from peanut feeders (D. Feeney). | |||||||||
| 22nd November 2008 Dorrins Strand, Sligo Harbour |
A Dark-bellied Brent was with 334 Light-bellied Brent at Dorrins Strand (D. Cotton & J. Dunleavy). | |||||||||
| 22nd November 2008 Culleenamore Strand, Ballysadare Bay |
An adult Black Brant was with 218 Light-bellied Brent at Culleenamore Strand (D. Cotton & J. Dunleavy). | |||||||||
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| 20th November 2008 Sligo Harbour |
An Iceland Gull and a Ring-Billed Gull were at Quay Street car park today (J. McEvoy). | |||||||||
| 19th November 2008 Trawee Strand, Aughris |
1 Snow Bunting was at Trawee Strand, west of Aughris, seen in the carpark (S. Feeney). | |||||||||
| 19th November 2008 Cooanmore Point, Easkey |
1 Manx Shearwater and two Eider flew past, while 2 Long-tailed Ducks were feeding in the surf (S. Feeney) | |||||||||
| 19th November 2008 Templeboy, Co. Sligo |
A Merlinwas resting under a jeep that was parked along the main Ballina-Sligo Road at Templeboy, where it allowed very close approach before moving to the road verge and eventually flying off (S. Feeney). Recovering road accident victim? Tired migrant? Interesting to record a second bird behaving somewhat like the one photographed at Strandhill by Ruth Cahir on the 16th October last. | |||||||||
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| 18th
November 2008 Montgomery Rocks, Lower Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh |
A Golden Eagle reported at Montgomery Rocks, Lower Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh was re-identified as a wing-tagged White-tailed Sea Eagle (P. Taylor via M. Breen). | |||||||||
| 18th November 2008 Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo |
At Mullaghmore, there were 25 Brent Geese, 100 Eider, a pair of Ringed Plovers, a
pair of Common Scoters,
2 Long-tailed Ducks,
4 Great Northern Divers,
lots of Fulmars
and a Purple Sandpiper
(M.
Breen, F. Carroll & D. Hagen). See Fulmar photo on the home page. |
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| 18th November 2008 Dromahair, Co. Leitrim |
One Brambling was with about 70 Redwings just outside Dromahaire today (P. Keogh). | |||||||||
| 18th November 2008 Sligo Harbour |
A second winter Iceland Gull was roosting on a warehouse roof at Ballast Quay (M. Casey). | |||||||||
| 16th November 2008 Bundoran, Co. Donegal |
At Bundoran today 60 Brent Geese were seen, one of which was ringed with two Darvic rings (on right leg a white ring with an A, on left leg a blue ring with a K) - ringing details and sightings history awaited (M. Breen, F. Carroll & D. Hagen). | |||||||||
| 16th November 2008 Ballygilgan Nature Reserve, Lissadell |
Circa 800 Barnacle Geese were in the Goose Field, of which 2 were markedly darker than the others- they are a pair and are always together and are distinctly darker than all of the other Barnacle Geese. The Pink-footed Goose was there as usual - first seen with the Barnacles on 5th October at Knocklane (D. Cotton, J. Dunleavy). | |||||||||
| 16th November 2008 Bunduff Lakes, Mullaghmore |
One adult Whooper Swan had a yellow Darvic on the right leg (not read) (D. Cotton, J. Dunleavy). | |||||||||
| 16th November 2008 Sligo Harbour |
A second winter Iceland Gull was roosting on a warehouse roof at Ballast Quay (M.Casey). | |||||||||
| 16th November 2008 Streedagh Estuary |
Seven Little Grebes were seen together at Milkhaven (Mount Temple) (D. Cotton, J. Dunleavy). | |||||||||
| 16th November 2008 Raghly |
Two Velvet Scoters (male type and female/juvenile type), at least eight Long-tailed Ducks, and two Greater Scaup were with the Common Scoter flock (approx 50-60 birds) off Raghly (S. Geraty). | |||||||||
| 16th November 2008 Drumcliff Bay |
Seven Long-tailed Ducks present (D. Cotton, J. Dunleavy). | |||||||||
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| 16th November 2008 Raghly |
A Black Brant
was seen from the causeway at Raghly (M.
Bell, M. Enright, M. Keane, BirdWatch Sligo outing). Upwards
of 50 Great Northern
Divers and about 15 Red-throated
Divers
still present. Also saw 10 Long-tailed
Ducks with the Common
Scoter flock.
There was a probable Slavonian Grebe with the Scoter flock (but it was
just too far away to rule out Black-necked Grebe) (P. Keogh). The Black Brant or Pacific Brent Goose, Branta bernicla nigricans, is a sub-species of the Brent Goose that breeds mainly in Alaska and winters in Baja California......which, confusingly, is in Mexico! Black Brants occur as fairly regular winter vagrants in Ireland, presumably joining up with flocks of our Pale-Bellied Brent where the two populations breed close to each other in the Canadian arctic. |
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| 16th November 2008 Ballygilgan Nature Reserve, Lissadell |
The Pink-footed Goose was again present with the Barnacle Geese in the Goose Field (M. Bell, M. Enright, M. Keane, BirdWatch Sligo outing). A Common Buzzard was seen nearby on Saturday (J. Dunleavy). | |||||||||
| 15th November 2008 Raghly |
A pair of Scaup was seen off Raghly (M. Enright, E. Dempsey). | |||||||||
| 15th November 2008 Ballintemple |
Approx 2,000 Barnacle Geese were at Ballintemple (M. Enright, E. Dempsey). | |||||||||
| 15th November 2008 Sligo Harbour |
A Gadwall was in the Harbour at Cartron where the Rathbraughan river meets the main channel (S. Feeney). | |||||||||
| 15th November 2008 Ballygilgan Nature Reserve, Lissadell |
The Pink-footed Goose was with approx 200 Barnacle Geese in the Goose Field (M. Enright, E. Dempsey). | |||||||||
| 14th November 2008 Drumcliff Estuary |
One Little Egret and one Kingfisher seen below the bridge (M. Bell). | |||||||||
| 14th November 2008 Cloghermore, Clogherevagh |
A male Sparrowhawk rested on the rail of our decking, beside a bird feeder and within 12 feet of me, for almost a minute, before flying off into the nearby native woodland (M. D. Casey). | |||||||||
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| 12th November 2008 Lough Gara |
At Lough Gara this morning there were at least 35 Greenland White-fronted Geese
and 11 Greylag Geese
feeding in a field viewable from the car park on the south side of the
lake. There may have been more geese over the hill out of
view. Nearby there was a group of 7 Whooper Swans, two of
which
had yellow Darvic rings on the left leg (M. Bell).
Postscript 14th November 2008 - ringing details received: One of these Whoopers read by Michael Bell was ringed at Vatnshlid, Vatnsskard, Iceland on the 6th August 2006, re-trapped at the same ringing site the following August, and was seen at Lough Gara last winter. This is the first sighting of this bird at a wintering site. The other Whooper Swan was ringed at Skagafjordur, Iceland on the 1st August 1997, was seen at Rahasane Turlough, Craughwell, Co. Galway the following February and has been seen regularly at Lough Gara each winter since 2002. Please report any sightings of colour-ringed Whooper Swans you see in Ireland this winter. Any ring read on any species can be reported to www.ring.ac, which is the submission portal for EURING, the governing body for European ringing. The "payback" is a detailed history of the bird's movements as seen above, and the knowledge that you have added to the body of information on the wintering habits of this unique population of birds. |
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| 12th November 2008 Ballyconnell |
150 Barnacle Geese were roosting on a field at Ballyconnell, before they were flushed by the rescue helicopter near dusk (J. McEvoy). | |||||||||
| 9th November 2008 Kilcummin Head, Killala, Co. Mayo |
Seawatching summary at Kilcummin today: A cold but enjoyable day; Total counts 0900-1530 hrs - 12 Great Northern Divers, 6 Red-throated Divers, 6 Little Auks, 262 Grey Phalaropes, (lots of groups in double figures, very few singles) 1 Sooty Shearwater, 2 Manx Shearwater, 1 juvenile Little Gull, 6 Great Skua, 1 Arctic Skua, 1000 Kittiwakes, 30 Fulmars, 2 Storm Petrels, 1 Purple Sandpiper, 10 Twite, 2 Snow Buntings flew in off the sea. Good numbers of Gannets, very small numbers of Guillemots and Razorbills (S. Feeney). | |||||||||
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| 11th November 2008 Ballyconnell |
Another Snow Bunting seen (K. Murray). | |||||||||
| 11th November 2008 Ballyconnell |
A Snow Bunting was at Ballyconnell Strand (K. Murray). | |||||||||
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Watch out for Waxwings! With numerous reports of flocks arriving on the east coast of the UK and a flock of almost 1,000 Waxwings reported from Allenvale Cemetery, Aberdeen, at the weekend, this could be a bumper winter for these charismatic birds. Declan Skehan's sighting in Sligo on 1st November (see below) could be the first of many. To hear the Waxwing's characteristic fluid trilling call, click here. From Birdforum, 12th November 2008: "Grampian Ringing group have now ringed 76 birds (27 today) in Aberdeen. These birds are colour ringed with a colour and metal on one leg and either a single colour or two colours on the other leg. With 200 in Dundee today can birders please check all Waxwings thoroughly for rings as the information gleaned from this is most valuable in tracking the movements of these amazing birds." |
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| 9th November
2008 Dromahair, Co. Leitrim |
Two Bramblings were in a garden at Dromahair today (P. Keogh). | |||||||||
| 9th November
2008 Knockmuldowney Park, Ballysadare |
Seen in Ballysadare Estuary, viewing from Knockmuldowney Park, on the south-eastern edge of the estuary today: 90 Teal 40 Lapwings, 70 Ringed Plovers, 35 Redshanks (M. Breen). | |||||||||
| 9th November
2008 Raghly |
200 Eider seen from Raghly (M. Breen). | |||||||||
| 9th November
2008 Ballast Quay, Sligo Harbour |
At least 200 Mallard, 1 Great Northern Diver, and a Kingfisher were seen in the harbour, viewing from Ballast Quay (first pier downstream of Hughes Bridge) (M. Breen). | |||||||||
| 9th November
2008 Mermaid's Cove, Mullaghmore |
At least 150 Eider were in a fairly compact flock, quite close inshore (M. Breen). | |||||||||
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| 7th
November 2008 Lislarry, Maugherow |
A Short-eared Owl was seen flying over the fields at Lislarry, Maugherow at lunch-time. It was mobbed by Hooded Crows (P. Keogh). | |||||||||
| 7th
November 2008 Ballinfull, Maugherow |
Up to 6 Tree Sparrows have been seen with a flock of mixed finches, which has been visiting feeders and a patch of seed-bearing plants in a rural garden in Ballinfull (D. Feeney) | |||||||||
| 6th
November 2008 Ballygilgan Nature Reserve, Lissadell |
1,700 Barnacle Geese were in the Goose field at Lissadell today (M. Crowley) (M. Bell). One Pink-footed Goose was with them (M. Bell). | |||||||||
| 6th
November 2008 Ballinfull, Maugherow |
The Common Buzzard was seen again in the same area of Ballinfull (D. Feeney). | |||||||||
| 6th
November 2008 Gibraltar Point, Cummeen Strand |
Two Little Egrets were fishing in the tidal channels along the sea-wall, both flew out over Cummeen Strand (M. D. Casey) (M. Bell) (M. Crowley) and a Peregrine Falcon flew over (M. Crowley). | |||||||||
| 4th November
2008 Ballygilgan Nature Reserve, Lissadell |
The Pink-footed Goose was with the Barnacle Goose flock also 7 Shovelers present on the pond and a Peregrine Falcon flew over. Just off the shore, in Drumcliff Bay, there were 5 Red-throated Divers (P. Keogh). | |||||||||
| 4th November 2008 Cummeen, Strandhill |
Shooters recovered a Polish ring from a Jack Snipe shot at Cummeen, near the Coney Island Road on Monday 27th October last and passed it on to a local branch member. The ring has been submitted to the Polish ringing scheme at Gdansk, details of where and when it was ringed are awaited (D. Cotton). | |||||||||
| 4th
November 2008 Fawcett's Bridge, Doonally |
A flock of 31 Woodpigeons flew over from the north-west, ie from the direction of Lissadell where a flock of 52 was noted last week (M. Casey). | |||||||||
| 2nd November
2008 Cloonagh, Ballyconnell |
A female Hen Harrier was seen again in the reed beds (J. Dunleavy, D. Cotton). | |||||||||
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| 2nd November
2008 Ballinfull, Maugherow |
A Common Buzzard was seen moving over fields at Ballinfull, possibly the same bird that was seen here during the week (D. Feeney). | |||||||||
| 2nd November
2008 Gibraltar Point, Cummeen Strand |
A Little Egret was fishing in the channel, good numbers of Shelduck present (G. Scott). | |||||||||
| 2nd November
2008 Doonierin, Drumcliff Bay |
120 Brent present including two that were ringed at Enniscrone Golf Club last February (G. Scott). | |||||||||
| 1st November 2008 Carrowkeel, Castlebaldwin |
One Hen Harrier (Male) at Carrowkeel (G749 122) seen flying west (Philip Sheridan via Siobhán Ryan). | |||||||||
| 1st November
2008 Dromore West |
One Dipper seen (M.Bell). | |||||||||
| 1st November
2008 Cooanmore Point, Easkey |
At least three Purple Sandpipers were at Cooanmore Point, and two Dippers were seen in the river in Easkey village (M. Bell). | |||||||||
| 1st November
2008 Raghly Point |
35 Great Northern Divers, 56 Common Scoter, 6 Long-tailed Ducks and one female Scaup seen (S. Feeney). | |||||||||
| 1st November
2008 Ballygilgan Nature Reserve, Lissadell |
The Pink-footed Goose was still present with the Barnacle Goose flock, which was flushed by a helicopter, but settled down again. No sign of the Phalaropes on the pond (S. Feeney). | |||||||||
| 1st November
2008 Drumcliff River, Drumcliff |
A Little Egret was again seen downstream from the bridge (S. Feeney). These sightings confirm a minimum of three Little Egrets are in Sligo Bay this winter. | |||||||||
| 1st November
2008 Gibraltar Point, Cummeen Strand, Sligo Bay |
A Little Egret was seen at Gibraltar Point (S. Feeney). | |||||||||
| 1st November
2008 Ballysadare Estuary |
One Little Egret was seen, just below the Silver Falls car park. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was also present (S. Feeney). | |||||||||
| 1st November
2008 Sligo Town |
Two Waxwings were seen briefly in an urban garden beside St Mary's Park (D. Skehan). | |||||||||
| For previous sightings, go to the Archived Sightings page | ||||||||||
