Bridges of Ross 7th Sept 2012

Time: 07:30-10:30 & 12:00-19:00

Weather: F2-3 W-SW later F3 W, sea mist at first then clear, bright & dry (am). F2-3 W, sunny, dry & good vis (pm).

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

Balearic Shearwater: 1

Sooty Shearwater: 114

Manx Shearwater: 322 (am)

Fulmar: 97 (am)

Storm Petrel: 1

Leach’s Petrel: 2

Common Scoter: 2 (male & female)

Light-bellied Brent Goose: 26

Red-throated Diver: 4 summer plumage

Great Skua (Bonxie): 16

Pomarine Skua: 1 dark subadult

Arctic Skua: 4

Sabine’s Gull: 1 juv.

Kittiwake: 55 incl. 32 juvs.

Arctic Tern: 7

Sandwich Tern: 74

Puffin: 1

Knot: 1

Chough: 2

Merlin: 1

Common Dolphin: up to 25 in the morning.
Bottlenose Dolphin: 5+ in the afternoon.

A nice spread of species today but painfully slow passage wise this afternoon. Good rush of Sooties in the first hour and a few bits of interest (close juv Sab’s in particular) in the eve.

Bonxie © Niall Keogh

Comfort is a high priority on the headland! © Niall Keogh

Cutting edge birding as ever from John  © Niall Keogh

Seatrack volunteer, Andrew Malcolm was down at his local watch site at Ram Head in Co. Waterford this afternoon. Very little seabird or cetacean action but he did have a nice Osprey fly over!

Osprey  © Andrew Malcolm