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2007 Highlights

Recent Sightings 

Note:  
All sightings listed below are as received and are unconfirmed. Birds highlighted in red & bold are of particular interest for County Sligo.
For consistency, and to follow long-established convention, where place-names have more than one spelling (e.g. Tobercurry/Tubbercurry, Ballisodare/Ballysadare, Enniscrone/Inishcrone), the form used in the Ordnance Survey maps, underlined in these examples, is the one used here.

Please report any interesting Sligo bird sightings (including early or late migrants, rare or scarce birds, unusual numbers or behaviour etc.) by e-mailing us or by clicking the button below.

Digital photos taken of birds in Co. Sligo are particularly welcome for inclusion in our sightings pages and gallery, please e-mail them to the same address, sightings@sligobirding.com in any size or format.
Next
Local
Event

25th August 2008

Birdwatch Sligo River Walk, Sligo Town

BirdWatch Sligo will run a guided river walk along the Garvoge River in Sligo town.  

Meet at the bronze sculpture in Quay St Car Park at 7 pm.

This is a Heritage Week outing.  Heritage Week runs from 24th to 31st August 2008




Your Photos Wanted!!!!
Leitrim Sightings Donegal Sightings
Sligo Sightings
June 2008


(for previous months, see the
Archived Sightings page)
Note:
This page will not be updated until 31st July 2008.

In the meantime, please submit sightings as usual by email.  Any sightings received during July will be posted in the temporary BirdWatch Sligo Sightings File

New June 2008 Gallery Page
Update:

Some visitors with slower internet connections have been experiencing difficulty because of the increasing (and very welcome) number of high resolution photographs received each month, with the Sligo Recent Sightings page taking a very long time to load as a result.  To address this problem, most of the photos have been moved to a new
Gallery Page
for the month.  This change is on a trial basis, and feedback would be very welcome.  This change may become permanent, may be reversed or may be modified, depending on how it is received by users of the site.

Please continue to submit photos and video clips, in any common format, by clicking on the "Report a Sighting" button above.  

The new June 2008 Gallery is here

27th June 2008
Sligo harbour
The young Iceland Gull and a Black-tailed Godwit were at Cartron Marsh, on the edge of Sligo Harbour today (M. Casey).
Photos are on the June 2008 Gallery page


27th June 2008
Bunduff Lakes,
Mullaghmore
The Whooper Swan at Mullaghmore was seen in close proximity to a Whooper Swan and brood of cygnets today.  These species have been known to hybridise in the past, so it will be interesting to monitor these cygnets as they grow (M. Bell).  See Noah Lipham's photo on our June 2008 Gallery page.
25th/26th June 2008
Oyster Island,
Sligo Harbour
As of half-past midnight, there is still one love-lorn Corncrake calling vigorously on Oyster Island tonight! He's in or around the walled field at the eastern end of the island. Currently it's quite breezy and wet but that doesn't seem to be deterring him (C. Davis, taking dedication to new lengths!).
Blast from the past!
1985.....
Click here to see photos of Ireland's first recorded Great White Egret, which was found at Streedagh in 1985, and was subsequently photographed at Moneygold, Grange by our regular contributor Declan Skehan, who was then on a visit to Sligo, the county that would become his home some twenty years later.

Declan kindly scanned this photo from the prints he has in his collection from the days before digital.  Any other photos of Sligo rarities from the past would be very welcome for inclusion on the site.  Please contact the website if you need to have them scanned first.
25th June 2008
Mullaghmore
A two-hour sea-watch from 11am to 1 pm at Mullaghmore head in poor conditions (overcast, frequent showers) produced lots of Manx Shearwaters (64 seen) good number sof Gannets, both adult and young birds (juvenile and first-summer Gannets were seen), a single Storm-Petrel was seen to follow a fishing boat, and there were also a few Guillemots, Kittiwakes and Fulmars about (S. Feeney).
25th June 2008
Easkey
The Iceland Gull is still at Cartron.  Good numbers of gulls in the harbour (maybe sixty altogether, mainly immature Common, Black-headed, Lesser Black Backed and Great Black-backed, but no 2008 birds seen yet (M. Casey)
24th June 2008
Easkey
Tree Sparrows still coming regularly to peanut feeders in an Easkey garden (R. Burnhams, M. Casey).  
Photos are on the June 2008 Gallery page
24th June 2008
Lough Easkey,
Ox Mountains
Two recently fledged Common Sandpiper chicks were seen with their parents on the east shore of Lough Easkey, along the roadside.  A Merlin flew across the road near the lake (M. Casey).
Photos are on the June 2008 Gallery page
23rd June 2008
Tobercurry
A Spotted Flycatcher was seen in a rural garden (M. Casey).
23rd June 2008
Cartron Marsh,
Sligo Harbour
The Iceland Gull was still present this morning and a Kingfisher was seen perched under the bridge leading into the marsh (M. Bell).
21st June 2008
Ballygawley
A Peregrine Falcon was seen catching a Jackdaw, which put up a heroic struggle, escaped and flew off only to be caught again and killed.  The Peregrine first struck over the village of Ballygawley, and finally subdued its prey in a nearby field (S. Feeney).
20th June 2008
Easky
I have had several Tree Sparrows in my garden in Easky for several months now. Numbers have been up to 8 but I have at least 3 or 4 every day on the peanuts (R. Burnhams).
17th June 2008
Scardan,
Strandhill Road,
Sligo
A Spotted Flycatcher was seen along the narrow lane that joins the Coney Island causeway to the Strandhill Road (D. Skehan).
Cuckoos, Meadow Pipits
Grasshopper Warbler
Images ©  Declan Skehan 2008 
15th June 2008:  Two Cuckoos attract the attentions of a couple of very anxious Meadow Pipits (upper image), and an elusive Grasshopper Warbler briefly emerges from deep cover (lower image).  Both photos taken near Sooey, in south Co. Sligo
Click on image above to see larger version.



15th June 2008
Glencar Valley,
Co. Leitrim
A pair of Chough were seen today on the cliff face just above the large forested area at Glencar in Co. Leitrim.  They flew into a crevice in the high cliffs, presumably visiting a nest site (M. Bell), while a second pair were also showimg interest in a possible nest site further along the mountain (N. Lipham, J. Vangeldt).
 
Photos are on the June 2008 Gallery page
14th June 2008
Yellow Strand,
Ballyconnell
A Great Northern Diver was seen in Brown's Bay, just off Yellow Strand today (D. Cotton, J. Dunleavy).
14th June 2008
Strandhill
A dead Basking Shark was washed ashore on the rocks at the western end of the runway of Sligo Airport at Strandhill.  The carcass, which was quite decomposed, and whose head was missing, measured 6.5 m long (so the fish would have been 7.5-8 m long originally).  Exceptional numbers of sightings of Basking Sharks have been recorded on the south and west coasts of Ireland this year (D. Cotton).
13th June 2008
Cartron Marsh
Iceland Gull still at Cartron Marsh  (M. Casey).
11th June 2008
Cartron Marsh
A 2nd calendar-year Iceland Gull was seen just off the shore by the new promenade (M. Casey).
Photos are on the June 2008 Gallery page
ROSCOMMON SIGHTINGS PAGE A few Roscommon sightings submitted to the site over the weekend have been posted to a new Roscommon sightings page - click on new button above to access the new page.  This joins the Leitrim and Donegal pages on the BirdWatch Sligo website, where sightings from counties adjoining Sligo are posted on the Sligo site for the benefit of birders visiting the region.  This does not represent a "land grab" by Sligo branch, but is a temporary measure until such time as these counties develop their own websites, when these records will be made available to them and these temporary pages on the BirdWatch Sligo site will be closed.
9th June 2008
Aughris  (Old Village)
Tree Sparrows still present at Aughris, still carrying food (M. Casey).
8th June 2008
Geevagh area
A male Merlin was seen at a wind farm near Geevagh (D. Skehan).
8th June 2008
Sligo-Dublin Road (N4)
between Ballysadare and Collooney
A pair of Common Buzzards were seen just off the road on the N4 between Ballysadare and Collooney (D. Skehan).
8th June 2008
Aughris (Old Village)
A pair of Tree Sparrows were seen carrying food to young in a derelict farm building near the site of last year's breeding record at Aughris.  These birds were seen during BirdWatch Sligo's branch outing to Aughris Head (M. Bell).  This is the first reported sighting of a Tree Sparrow in County Sligo for nearly a year (since a juvenile Tree Sparrow was seen at this site on 10th July 2007).
Photos are on the June 2008 Gallery page
7th June 2008
Mullaghmore
Two Choughs were seen and heard calling as they flew by the headland.  One Whooper Swan (presumably the long-staying non-flying individual that has been present for at least threee years) is still on the lakes at Bunduff (M. Bell).
7th June 2008
Knocknarea
A single Chough flew off a cliff face on Knocknarea today (M. Bell).
3rd June 2008
Corncrakes at Oyster Island, Coney Island
, Rosses Point, Raghly and Templeboy
One Corncrake was calling steadily from Oyster Island - opposite Hackett's - and another from up near the lighthouse.  There may have been up to four Corncrakes on Oyster Island this season (C. Davis). Corncrake has also been seen on the road on Coney Island (J. McGowan via C. Davis). Ciaran Davis recorded one of the Corncrakes as it called on Tommy's Island in the early dawn, just off Rosses Point.  This was recorded on a mobile phone and contains a very pleasant seasonal mix of dawn chorus and Corncrake.  The audio clip is available as an mp3 here (make sure you have your speakers turned up).

On the subject of Corncrakes, BirdWatch Ireland's Corncrake Fieldworker for Connacht, Tim Gordon, adds:

"I've had a report of one Corncrake heard at Raghly Point, unconfirmed, and there's one been confirmed near Templeboy, in the townland of Ardogelly. As the previous highest Sligo total (in the last 15 years at least) is 5 calling birds, its looks its going to be good year for them.
3rd June 2008
Mullaghmore
A Great Skua was seen among a flock of gulls feeding on a shoal of small fish about 1 km off Mullaghmore Head - the fish could be seen breaking the surface.  Three unidentified whales were reported in the area yesterday (D. Cotton).  Also, several Basking Sharks have been seen off south Donegal in recent days (Irish Times).