Heritage Week event @ Bridges of Ross 19th August 2012

Time: 06:30-12:00 & 15:00-18:00

Weather: F1-2 S-SE, dry, bright & warm (am). F2-3 SW-S, sunny, warm & hazy (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Keith Langdon, Mikey Hoit, Dave Farrow, Reg Land, Simon Woodhouse, Dave Andrews, Dan Brown and the BirdWatch Ireland Clare & Limerick Branches.

Balearic Shearwater: 2

Sooty Shearwater: 30

Manx Shearwater: 395+ (06:30-09:55)

Fulmar: 190+ (06:30-09:55)

Storm Petrel: 142

Gannet: 450+ incl. 4 juvs (06:30-09:55)

Kittiwake: 96 incl. 34 juvs (06:30-10:30)

Common Scoter: 7 (6 males + 1 female)

Great Skua (Bonxie): 4

Pomarine Skua: 1 pale phase

Arctic Skua: 12

Black Tern: 1 juv.

Arctic Tern: 12

Razorbill: 38

Guillemot: 4

Puffin: 2

Black Guillemot: 1

Black-headed Gull: 1

Whimbrel: 9

Black-tailed Godwit: 11

Spotted Redshank: 1 flew North at 10:20

Chough: 2

Willow Warbler: a tired migrant juvenile landed on a seawatchers chair!

Bottlenose Dolphin: 8-10 in the morning.

Common Dolphin: 30+ in the morning.

Leatherback Turtle: Two sightings of (different?) individuals showing well, resting at the surface for c.1 minute at 07:33 & 09:50.

About 40 people showed up this morning at 10am for the Heritage Week seawatching event hosted by the BirdWatch Ireland Clare & Limerick Branches but unfortunately by that stage most of the morning passage had died off and any Manxies that did go by were very distant. Saying that, nice views of Gannets & Fulmars along with a few Common Scoter and a surprise flyover Spotted Redshank provided plenty of interest as did some very obliging Bottlenose Dolphins which passed by close inshore on two occasions. 

Some of us skived off up to Loop Head this afternoon for the IWDG Whale Watch event, also part of Heritage Week. Sightings from here included 1 Balearic Shearwater, 1 Sooty Shearwater,  1 Great Skua (Bonxie), 5 Whimbrel, 12-14 Bottlenose Dolphins, 1 Minke Whale, a distant blow from a large whale sp. & an Ocean Sunfish.

So all in all a similar days seawatching to yesterday with the majority of the passage noted in the first few hours followed up by a very dull afternoon. A surprising day total of Storm Petrel but most were mid-distant however.

‘Bird of the Day’ goes to the Leatherback Turtle! 

Bridges of Ross Heritage Week event © Niall Keogh

Leatherback Turtle, Bridges of Ross, 29th August 2010  © Mike Flanagan