First Grey Phals @ Bridges of Ross 6th Sept 2012

Time: 07:00-16:50

Weather: F3-4 SW, clear, bright, dry & cool (am). F4-5 SW, sunny, dry, hazy & warm (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, John ‘Brick’ Dempsey, ‘er’ Neill Hunt, Barry ‘Bazzo’ McCarthy & Paul ‘Tropical’ Thomason.

Balearic Shearwater: 2

Sooty Shearwater: 82

Manx Shearwater: c.400

Fulmar: c.500

Storm Petrel: 2

Common Scoter: 7 males

Red-breasted Merganser: 4

Light-bellied Brent Goose: 10

Red-throated Diver: 2 summer plumage

Grey Phalarope: 4

Great Skua (Bonxie): 12

Pomarine Skua: 2 pale adults

Arctic Skua: 8

Sabine’s Gull: 2 adults & 1 juv.

Kittiwake: 53 incl. 28 juvs.

Common Gull: 4 juv./1st-w

Black Tern: 2

Arctic Tern: 35

Sandwich Tern: 9

Puffin: 1

Whimbrel: 14

Dunlin: 4

Sanderling: 14

Greenshank: 1

Chough: 2

Merlin: 1

Kestrel: 1

Common Dolphin: 2+ in the morning.

Bottlenose Dolphin: 7 in the afternoon.

Slow passage but a nice variety of scarce species today (Pom, Balearic, Sab's, Black Tern etc). The Grey Phalaropes were the long awaited first of the season (first sightings in 2011 were as early as 24th August).

Grey Phalarope © Jerry Cassidy

Bridges of Ross 5th Sept 2012

Time: 07:00-10:00
Weather: F2-3 N-NE, sunny, dry, spray (am)

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh

Great Shearwater: 1 @ 07:18 (a nice surprise given the weather!)

Sooty Shearwater: 56

Manx Shearwater: 118

Fulmar: 144

Common Scoter: 2 males

Great Skua (Bonxie): 5

Arctic Skua: 3

Kittiwake: 13 incl. 3 juvs.

Chough: 38 flew West towards Loop Head (high site count)

Buff-breasted Sandpiper: 1 juvenile still present, near the pool.

Clare birder, John Murphy, who should otherwise be seawatching from The Bridges has been at Kilcummin Head, Co. Mayo & reports the following there this eve (17:30-18:30 F3 W-NW): 10 Sooty Shears, 150 Manxies, 5 Bonxies, 7 Arctic Skuas, 1 Red-throated Diver, 26 Sandwich Terns, 3 Arctic Terns, 200 Gannets & 5 Turnstones.

Dawn at The Bridges of Ross © Niall Keogh

Juv. Buff-breasted Sandpiper, showing well today © Niall Keogh

Bridges of Ross pool, where the Buff-B is hanging out. Mega piece of vagrant habitat! © Niall Keogh 

Sooty Shear passage @ Bridges of Ross 4th Sept 2012

Time: 07:20-12:20 & 15:50-19:20

Weather: F3-4 (gusting 5) NW, overcast, dull & dry (am). F3-4 NW, sunny, warm, dry, hazy & spray (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh

Great Shearwater: 2

Balearic Shearwater: 1

Sooty Shearwater: c.2,300

Manx Shearwater: 2,250+

Fulmar: 660+

Storm Petrel: 1

Gannet: 1,500+ (am)

Common Scoter: 10 (9 males + 1 female)

Great Skua (Bonxie): 7

Pomarine Skua: 5 pale phase subadults

Arctic Skua: 4

Skua sp: 1 pale phase immature (probably Arctic)

Kittiwake: 70 incl. 40 juvs.

Arctic Tern: 9

Common Tern: 1

Sandwich Tern: 7

Puffin: 6

Razorbill/Guillemot: 500+ (am)

Chough: 3

Buff-breasted Sandpiper: 1 juvenile still present in the horse field behind the watchpoint.

Common Dolphin: 10+ heading West in the morning.

Minke Whale: 1 seen surfacing twice at 11:45am.

Nearly 3 weeks of seawatching almost took its toll this morning as it was a struggle to get out of bed! But I’m glad I did. The forecast for the week puts a dreaded high pressure over the west coast tomorrow followed by unsuitable South Westerlies for the next few days, most likely quelling any chance of decent passage but the light-moderate North Westerlies which were predicted for today at least gave hope of some worthwhile seawatching before the lull sets in.

Arriving on site about half an hour later than normal, it was instantly apparent that the first big Sooty passage of the Autumn was taking place. Close to 900 birds were clicked in the first hour alone and for much of the morning they outnumbered Manx, streaming past in loose flocks of up to 10 birds at times. A fantastic sight! Hourly rates decreased as the morning progressed and by noon my stomach had got the better of me. Returning in the afternoon, a couple hundred more we logged before fizzling out towards the evening. I'm sure this passage continued throughout the afternoon & in the first half hour of light when I wasn't around so the overall day tally may well have been around 3,000 birds.

The majority of today’s shearwaters were passing at mid or far range so my scope was fixated there for most of the day. As such, it is likely that I missed out on many close skuas, petrels, Kittiwakes & Fulmars but the chance of picking out some large shears or a sneaky Pterodroma amongst the Sooties & Manx was too strong to resist!

Sooty & Manx Shearwaters, Bridges of Ross, Sept 2011 © Kris de Rouck

Buff-breasted Sandpiper @ The Bridges of Ross 3rd Sept 2012

Time: 06:50-10:30 & 11:30-12:00

Weather: F1 SE at first, later F2-3 S-SW. Overcast, clear & cool (am).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, John Cooper, Dave Cooper, Chris Jones, Rob Innes  et al.

Balearic Shearwater:  1

Sooty Shearwater: 211

Manx Shearwater: 320

Fulmar: 198

Storm Petrel: 5

Common Scoter: 5 (4 males + 1 female)

Great Northern Diver: 1 ‘winter’ plumage

Great Skua (Bonxie): 5

Arctic Skua: 4

Kittiwake: 20 incl. 10 juvs.

Arctic Tern: 1

Common Tern: 1

Sandwich Tern: 33

Black-headed Gull: 1 adult & 2 1st-winters

Whimbrel: 2

Knot: 1

Buff-breasted Sandpiper: 1 juvenile

Golden Plover: 2

Wheatear: 3

Common Dolphin: 10+

Sooty Shearwaters were tipping by (albeit distantly) from the get go this morning, obviously still part of the decent sized movement which began on Saturday. Not much else of note and only small numbers of common species passing however.

Seawatching was ‘rudely’ interrupted this morning by a calling Golden Plover in the field behind the watchpoint. A quick check to see if it had any friends tagging along proved most fruitful as a lovely fresh juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper was found busily feeding around some wet flashes not too far away! The Bridges has a great track record with this particular species of North American vagrant wader and today’s sighting certainly suggested some new migrants may have dropped onto the headland (the Buff-B influx of 2011 springing to mind!). Seawatching was abandoned in favour of checking fields & gardens but a single Willow Warbler was the only reward. Back to what I know best tomorrow morning methinks...

Buff-breasted Sandpiper & Golden Plover © Niall Keogh

Bridges of Ross 2nd Sept 2012

Time: 06:45-11:45 & 14:00-20:20

Weather: F3 NW, some mist at sea (am). F1 W, overcast, good visibility & dry (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, John Cooper, Dave Cooper, Chris Jones, Rob Innes, Luc Barbaro et al.

Balearic Shearwater:  3

Sooty Shearwater: 627

Leach’s Petrel: 1

Storm Petrel: 30

Great Skua (Bonxie): 18

Pomarine Skua: 1 dark subadult

Arctic Skua: 7

Arctic Tern: 7

Sandwich Tern: 109

Puffin: 7

I took the morning & afternoon off today but missed the best Sooty & Sandwich Tern passage of the season so far as a result! Made it out in the evening to catch up with 55 Sooties, the Pom & the Leach’s Petrel which was a pleasant surprise. Rob & Chris kept tabs on the Sooty passage this morning, 300 of which went by in the first 2 hours alone.

Here's a few dodgy digiscope shots of a Bonxie & some Sooties...

Bonxie & Sooties  © Niall Keogh

Seatrack @ Bridges of Ross 1st Sept 2012

Time: 06:55-11:00 (Seatrack survey) & 12:30-19:00

Weather: F3-4 SW, clear, dry & mild (am). F5-6 SW, dry, sunny & hazy to start, deteriorating to misty with poor vis (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Alan Clewes, Neal Warnock, Andy Clifton, Malcolm Goodman, Geoff Clewes, John Cooper, Dave Cooper, Chris Jones, Rob Innes, John N. Murphy, Luc Barbaro et al.

Sooty Shearwater: 113

Manx Shearwater: 1,056 (am)

Fulmar: 300 (am)

Gannet: 430 incl. 7 juvs. (am)

Storm Petrel: 26
Common Scoter: 2 males
Great Skua (Bonxie): 6
Pomarine Skua: 1 pale subadult
Arctic Skua: 1
Sabine’s Gull: 3 juvs.
Kittiwake: 19 incl. 13 juvs.
Arctic Tern: 12
Sandwich Tern: 12 
Puffin: 7
Razorbill: 41 (am)
Guillemot: 22 (am)
Auk sp: 67 (am)
Mallard: 2

Chough: 12
Lapland Bunting: 1 at the watchpoint

A nice Seatrack survey session this morning with steady passage & plenty of variety at first but quiet after 08:30am. 3 Sab's, 1 Pom & 48 Sooties provided interest during the count period. Heavy mist descended in the afternoon making viewing difficult but the Sooty passage tipped on by, reaching 113, the peak count of the season so far. There must have been a small flock offshore somewhere I think.

Seatrack surveying © Niall Keogh

Nice views of the Chough behind the watchpoint lately © Niall Keogh

Bridges of Ross 31st August 2012

Time: 06:50-11:15 & 14:00-19:00

Weather: F3-4 SW, overcast, dry & mild throughout the day. Vis at a distance poor in the afternoon.

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Alan Clewes, Neal Warnock, Andy Clifton, Malcolm Goodman, Geoff Clewes, John Cooper, Dave Cooper, Chris Jones, Rob Innes, Des Higgins et al.

Sooty Shearwater: 35

Manx Shearwater: c.1,000

Fulmar: 700+

Storm Petrel: 10

Great Skua (Bonxie): 23

Pomarine Skua: 4 adults

Arctic Skua: 5

Sabine’s Gull: 1 adult & 2 juvs.

Kittiwake: 16 incl. 4  juvs.

Arctic Tern: 9

Puffin: 5

Black Guillemot: 1 adult

Light-bellied Brent Goose: 41 

Whimbrel: 3

Bar-tailed Godwit: 3

Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1 adult

Chough: 12

Peregrine: 1

Common Dolphin: c.8

Bottlenose Dolphin: 5+

Very little passage as such but nice quality. The 3 Sab's snook through distantly in the gloom early this morning whilst the Pom Skuas really stole the show. Awesome adults with full spoons! (makes a change from the subadults with half length spoons we've been seeing of late).

A colour ringed Bonxie flew right over our heads this evening. It'll be interesting to see where it originated from. Stay tuned for details!

Bonxie from The Bridges last week © Jände Nordblad