Fifth Carlingford Birding Weekend - 28 - 30th May 2010

For the Fifth Carlingford Birding Weekend we decided to try something a bit different, focusing on the birds of the mountains rather than the shore. In the summer months the Irish shores are largely bereft of birds who spend our summer breeding further north in Iceland, Greenland, Canada, Scandinavia and further east. However we have several breeding species in the mountains that are of interest and these were our targets. The weekend started Friday evening with an illustrated talk by Eric Dempsey of Mooney Goes Wild at the Four Seasons Hotel. Then we were up at 7am on Saturday morning to look for grasshopper warbler and cuckoo but were beaten back to the coast by unseasonable driving rain, and so spent the morning observing the black guillemots, dunlin, sanderling and others at giles quay, then other seabirds at balaggan point (shearwaters, gannets, terns). That night we returned to the Cooley mountains for woodcock and grasshopper warbler which duly performed. On the Sunday morning we went up to the mast on Annaverna and carefully made out way down where we found breeding wheatears and a jay, as well as all the other usual mountain birds (buzzard, kestrel, ravens etc).

Waiting for the roding woodcock to show in the Cooley mountains - they did show at 10:13pm, and the grasshopper warbler chimed in just after they left.

Over 60 species were seen over the weekend included the following:

1. Sand Martin


2. Whitethroat


3. Swallow


4. Blackbird


5. Song Thrush


6. Dunnock


7. House martin


8. Shelduck


9. Ringed Plover


10. Little Egret


11. Oystercatcher


12. Redshank


13. Curlew


14. Wren


15. Chiffchaff (Singing)


16. Woodpigeon


17. Feral Pigeon


18. Black Guillemot


19. Rock Pipit


20. Sanderling


21. Dunlin


22. Hooded Crow


23. Gannet


24. Common Gull


25. Sandwich Tern


26. Cormorant


27. Manx Shearwater


28. Meadow Pipit


29. Fulmar


30. Greenfinch


31. House Sparrow


32. Mallard


33. Great Black Backed Gull


34. Herring Gull


35. Black-headed Gull


36. Swift


37. Blue tit


38. Goldfinch


39. Jackdaw


40. Rook


41. Magpie


42. Robin


43. Starling


44. Bullfinch


45. Pheasant


46. Great Tit


47. Kestrel


48. Chaffinch


49. Long-tail tit (Calling)


50. Woodcock


51. Grasshopper Warbler


52. Linnet


53. Willow warbler


54. Skylark


55. Wheatear


56. Raven


57. Grey Herron


58. Jay


59. Pied Wagtail


60. Buzzard

New Bird Panel at Soldier's Point

A new bird panel by renowned wildlife artist Micheal O'Cleary has been erected at Soldier's Point at the end of the Navvy Bank in Dundalk. This entirely original design and artwork was sponsored by Dundalk Town Council with contributions from local Birdwatch Ireland and Louth Heritage. The panel shows the main species of bird that can be seen from the Navvy Bank along with the different prey items that they feed on, emphasising how the shape and size of the birds bill is adapted to the kind of prey item on which they depend.

This now panel joins a previously erected panel and a telescope at the site. In further work to enhance the biodiversity interest of the area, several bird tables have been erected, and a LINNET plot is planned to provide feeding for overwintering birds.

Dawn Chorus - Thanks

Thanks to Derek Watters, Branch Treasurer, for covering our radio spot on Dundalk FM radio on the 15th May and to Peter Phillips for facilitating the event at 4am on Sunday 16th at Rathesker Woodland. Thanks also to everyone for showing up despite the weather.The predicted rain did not materialise but it was cold, which meant that when folks arrived there was complete silence, until a lone blackbird struck up starting the gradual buildup to the full chorus. A special thanks also to Brendan Sheils for help with identifying calls.

National Dawn Chorus Louth 2010

Our next event is the national dawn chorus which, for Louth, will take place at Rathesker Woodland Walk. Details of and directions to this woodland and pond area can be found here: http://www.irelandtoireland.com/Rathescar.html. Ratheskar is near Dunleer on just the other (west) side of the M1 and is accessible from all over County Louth. Meet at the carpark at 4am. All are welcome!

Louth Insects

On Monday 5th of March 2010, local entomologist Don Hodgers, will give an illustrated talk on Louth's insects. This is a follow-up to several previous popular talks covering dameslflies, dragonflies, butterflies, moths and others. On this occasion Don will focus on moths, as one birding wag put it: "the true masters of the air"!

All are welcome to this talk which will take place in the Spirit Store, Dundalk Docks, Dundalk at 8pm.

Navvy Bank Walk March 2010

As I was unavailable to do the Navy Bank walk on Sunday 7th March, Gerry and Derek stood in. About 12 attended and the following species were observed along the shore / on the water:
mute swan, brent geese, shelduck, wigeon, teal, GC Grebe, cormorant, buzzard, oystercatcher, golden plover, grey plover, lapwing, snipe, black-tailed godwit, curlew, redshank, turnstone, bh gull, common gull, herring gull, and rock pipit (and maybe a few more). Surprisingly no herons or egrets in the area - maybe the cold weatehr did for some of the local little egrets As I understand it several went on to observe the waxwing at Greenacres, the only one seen in County Louth this year.

Thanks to Gerry and Derek and to all who attended!

Cavan Branch Outing to Carlingford and environs

Sunday 28th February turned out to be a beautiful day on Carlingford Lough with cold clear light and a very high tide. After meeting at Templetown Beach where there were dozens of cormorants and shags in breeding plumage, and a single distant red-throated diver (thin on the ground this year, perhaps because of the colder than usual water temperature), we moved to the Carlingford shore where the rocky islands created by the high tide hosted dozens of birds of several species packed together making viewing and identification easy. Grey heron, curlew, bar-tailed godwit, oystercatcher, lapwing, turnstone, dunlin and ringed plover on the rocks along with mallard, wigeon and light bellied brent geese were all on view, along with black headed, common, herring and great black-backed gulls. Later we swung around the Balaggan shore ending up back at Templetown beach where a single great northern diver obliged.