Swinhoe's Storm-petrel @ Bridges of Ross 25th August 2014

Time: 0730-1000 & 1430-1900

Weather: F4 SE, dry & sunny (am), intermittent showers (pm) & good visibility.

Observers: Niall T. Keogh, Neal Warnock, Des Higgins, Peter Gluth, Peter Colston, Sharon Hogan, Andy Marshall, Victor Caschera, Jimmy Dowdall, John Power, Lee Gregory, Stephen Hack, Simon Dennis et al.

Balearic Shearwater: 2

Sooty Shearwater: 6

Manx Shearwater: 90 in 1 hr (am) & up to 2000 in 1 hr (pm)

Swinhoe's Storm-petrel: 1 west @ 18:05 (SHack et al.)

Great Skua (Bonxie): 1

Arctic Skua: 3

Sandwich Tern: 1

Arctic Tern: 7

Loop Head (1330-1815):

Sooty Shearwater: 6

Manx Shearwater: up to 3,000 milling/rafting/passage South

Pomarine Skua: 1

Arctic Skua: 6

Arctic Tern: 10

Sabine's Gull: 1 adult

Another not so classic day of seawatching weather but a milling flock of Manxies moving between The Bridges & Loop Head with Sooties & skuas in attendance gave us something to look at.

The magic moment for those present at The Bridges of Ross in the evening came at 18:05 when UK birder Stephen Hack picked up a Swinhoe's Storm-petrel heading West. The bird was on show for about four minutes allowing seven lucky seawatchers to get onto it. This is the second record of Swinhoe's for The Bridges following one seen here on 15th August 1985 by Tom Tarpey. Not the first time a mega seabird has drifted by here in SE winds either (Fea's & Barolo have done the same) just going to show that the rewards are there for those willing to put in the effort. A great find and a great 400th Irish tick for John Power! Congratulations to all who saw it.

Unfortunately the author was seawatching from the tip of Loop Head at the time. That's what you get for abandoning your post! ;)

Rafting Manxies off Loop Head © Niall Keogh

Nice evening light at Loop Head © Niall Keogh

Bridges of Ross 24th August 2014

Time: 0800-1000 & 1330-1800

Weather: F4 SE, intermittent showers (light) & good visibility.

Observers: Niall T. Keogh, Neal Warnock, Des Higgins, Peter Gluth, Peter Colston, Sharon Hogan, Andy Marshall, Victor Caschera, Jimmy Dowdall, John Power, Lee Gregory et al.

Common Scoter: 4

'Blue' Fulmar: 1

Sooty Shearwater: 1

Manx Shearwater: 200 in 15 mins (am) & 25 in 4.5 hrs (pm)

Arctic Skua: 2

Sandwich Tern: 1

Arctic Tern: 6

Sabine's Gull: 1 adult

Ruff: 1 past the watch point

Raven: 3 around the watch point

Humpback Whale: 1 breaching

Minke Whale: 1 breaching

Common Dolphin: 20+ feeding

Bottlenose Dolphin: 4

The weather couldn't have been any worse for seawatching! Relatively calm seas & a breezy offshore wind. Not ideal! But great for cetacean watching, of which there was plenty. Yesterday's splashing/blowing unidentified whale sp. was confirmed first thing this morning as a fantastic breaching Humpback Whale, a rare sighting in this part of the world away from the hub of acivity to be found further South around The Blaskets in Kerry. In fact, it was my first record of this species here in 13 years of effort between mid-August & mid-September. The breaching Minke added to the excitement along with leaping Common Dolphins & cruising Bottlenose.

The cetacean craze continued in the afternoon when some of us joined the IWDG Whale Watch Day event at Loop Head. From here we had nice views of 5 Bottlenose Dolphins and better numbers of seabirds (albeit distant) than from The Bridges. Rafts of 100's of Manxies held an adult Sabine's Gull, a dark morph Arctic Skua & a Sooty Shearwater.

Elsewhere, a flock of 22 Chough were seen at The Fodry, 2 juvenile Ruff were present at Kilcredaun marsh and a Little Egret at Cloghaun Lough which was a good local record.

Bottlenose Dolphin off Loop Head © Niall Keogh

IWDG Whale Watch Day at Loop Head © Niall Keogh