FAME Seabird talks on tour

A series of seabird talks featuring the work being undertaken by BirdWatch Ireland & Future of the Atlantic Marine Environment (FAME) will be held over the coming weeks during BirdWatch Ireland local branch indoor meetings.

Each event is free & all are welcome to attend. 

Co. Westmeath

• “Future of the Atlantic Marine Environment – safeguarding Irish seabirds in a rapidly changing ocean” - a talk by Dr. Steve Newton.
• Bloomfield House Hotel, near Mullingar, Thursday 14th November 2013 at 8pm.
• Full details on event page here

Co. Dublin

• "Oceanic Wonders & Migration on the Edge! - seabird migration & the Seatrack project" - a talk by Niall Keogh.
• Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, Tuesday 3rd December 2013 at 8pm.
• Details of South Dublin Branch events can be found here.

Co. Carlow

• "Oceanic Wonders & Migration on the Edge! - seabird migration & the Seatrack project" - a talk by Niall Keogh.
• Lord Bagenal Inn, Leighlinbridge, Thursday 12th December 2013 at 8pm.
• Details of Carlow Branch events can be found here.

Co. Wicklow

• “Future of the Atlantic Marine Environment – safeguarding Irish seabirds in a rapidly changing ocean” - a talk by Dr. Steve Newton.
• Glenview Hotel, near Delgany, Tuesday 21st January 2014 at 8pm.
• Details of Wicklow Branch events can be found here.

Kittiwake © Laura Glenister

“MedFest” – Enjoying Ireland’s wintering seabirds

The Future of the Atlantic Marine Environment (FAME) & BirdWatch Ireland

Free Outdoor Event

Date: Saturday 9^th November 2013

Time: 10:00am – 16:00pm

Location: Newtownsmith promenade, along the seafront between Dun Laoghaire & Sandycove. Look for our marquee on the green-space beside the seafront car park on Windsor Terrace (adjacent to the old baths).

About: Ireland is renowned for its seabirds. Our coastal cliffs & islands are home to significant populations of nesting Puffins, Manx Shearwaters, Storm Petrel & Gannets. On the East coast, rare breeding Roseate & Little Terns seek refuge at wardened sites such as Rockabill, Kilcoole & Baltray

But what do our seabirds do in winter? Where do they go when they leave the breeding colonies?

BirdWatch Ireland’s seabird experts will be on hand to answer all your questions & guide a series of short walks along the seafront promenade to view some of Ireland's wintering seabirds such as Razorbill, Shag & particularly, Mediterranean Gull.

Mediterranean Gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus):
A rough translation of the scientific name would be ‘black-capped gull’ but given that we already have a Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) which actually has a brown head in the summer months then it can all become very confusing! Furthermore, the English name raises questions as to why we also have them in Ireland!

Okay, wind the clock back 20 years and yes, Mediterranean Gulls were generally seen in more southern parts of Europe – most of them breeding in southern France, Italy, Greece and around the Black Sea. In winter they would disperse over the Mediterranean Sea and out into the Iberian Atlantic. Then another ‘sub-population’ commenced breeding in the Low Countries and northern France. Instead of an expected southerly autumn migration, these gulls fly northwest to Ireland & the UK!

We can identify these birds in particular by the colour rings fitted to them as chicks by European ornithologists. The number of Mediterranean Gulls begin to build at staging sites such as Sandycove from July & can be seen there until they leave for their continental nesting sites in April. Their expansion has continued & Mediterranean Gulls now breed in small numbers in Ireland (since 1996), mostly in Wexford!

So if you'd like to see these beautiful gulls in the flesh, learn how to separate them from Black-headed Gull & have a go at reading some colour rings then be sure to head down to the Dun Laoghaire-Sandycove seafront promenade on Saturday 9th November. We'll also take a look at some other seabirds groups such as Cormorant & Shag, Guillemot & Razorbill and Herring Gull & Great Black-backed Gull.

We hope to meet you there,

Steve Newton & Niall Keogh (BirdWatch Ireland Seabird Team)

Adult winter Mediterranean Gull at Sandycove fitted with a white colour ring identifying it as a bird from a breeding colony in Belgium © Niall T. Keogh

Seatrack Update: early November survey

The final Seatrack survey of the year takes place this weekend Sat 2nd/Sun 3rd November with a start time of 08:25am. Priority will be given to the Saturday so as to compliment other seawatching surveys being undertaken by FAME partners from headlands along the West coast of Europe also on that date.

A strong low pressure system moving through over the next few days is likely to create some good seawatching conditions on the West coast on Saturday, dissipating through Sunday.

If you would like to take part in upcoming Seatrack surveys then please get in touch with Niall Keogh at seatrack@birdwatchireland.ie

The series of fast tracking low pressure systems which moved East across the Atlantic last week brought with them a wide array of seabird species which were recorded along the West & South coasts showing that a few surprises can still be in store even at the end of the migration season. 30 Sooty Shearwaters, 19 Pomarine Skuas & 2 Grey Phalaropes were some of the highlights among a heavy passage of Gannets & Kittiwakes at The Bridges of Ross on 27th Oct (Aidan G. Kelly et al.) with the first reported Little Auk of the season & 7 Leach's Petrels nearby on Loop Head the next day (Shane Farrell). A Great Shearwater at sea, South of Ballycotton from the R.V. Celtic Explorer on 24th Oct was another notable record (Stephen McAvoy).

Great Skua, Celtic Sea, 12th Oct 2013 © Niall T. Keogh

Kittiwake, Celtic Sea, 15th Oct 2013 © Niall T. Keogh

Rough weather has caused a number of juvenile Storm Petrels to crash land on boats offshore, like this one which came aboard the R.V. Celtic Explorer (released successfully), Celtic Sea, 11th Oct 2013 © Gary Robinson

Seatrack Update: late October survey

The second last Seatrack survey of the year takes place this weekend Sat 19th/Sun 20th Oct with a start time of 09:00am. Weather looks set to be best along the South coast with moderate to strong Southerly winds on Saturday turning South-west for Sunday.

If you would like to take part in upcoming Seatrack surveys then please get in touch with Niall Keogh at seatrack@birdwatchireland.ie

Reports coming through from the herring fleet & observations from on board the R.V. Celtic Explorer over the past week have identified aggregations of sprat & herring already building along the South coast, between Schull & Cork Harbour and again from Mine Head to Tramore. As such, some impressive feeding activity should hopefully be encountered from South coast watch points  this weekend and likely to involve Gannets, Kittiwakes, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Great Skuas & late shearwaters along with a chance of Minke Whale, Fin Whale, Common Dolphin & perhaps even a Humpback or two...

Sites in the North West should be on the look out for divers, Whooper Swans & Barnacle Geese with widespread sightings of these species noted in the past week as the first wave of migrants arrived for the winter.

Bonxie & Gannets, Celtic Sea, 12th Oct 2013 © Niall T. Keogh

Sooty Shearwaters, south of Mizen Head, Co. Cork, 10th Oct 2013 © Niall T. Keogh

Humpback Whale, Glandore Bay, Co. Cork, 10th Oct 2013 © Niall T. Keogh

Fin Whales, Glandore Bay, Co. Cork, 10th Oct 2013 © Niall T. Keogh

Seatrack Update: early October survey

The sixth Seatrack survey of the year takes place this coming weekend Sat 5th/Sun 6th October with a start time of 08:35am. Priority will be given to the Saturday so as to compliment other seawatching surveys being undertaken by FAME partners from headlands along the West coast of Europe also on that date.

Weather looks set to be best in the South West this weekend, particularly on Saturday with SW bearing winds forecast.

If you would like to take part in upcoming Seatrack surveys then please get in touch with Niall Keogh at seatrack@birdwatchireland.ie

Moderate to strong SE winds with heavy rain over the past few days has created some ideal seawatching conditions along the East coast. Triple figure counts of Manx Shearwaters have been recorded from Dalkey (Dublin), Six Mile Point (Wicklow) & Greenore Point (Wexford) with some local highlights including a Sooty Shearwater off Dalkey (Stephen McAvoy) & 2 Balearic Shearwaters off Greenore Point (Killian Mullarney) both on 1st October and a Sabine's Gull feeding with rafting Kittiwakes off Kilcoole on 2nd October (Niall T. Keogh). Large numbers of auks, particularly Razorbills, have also been noted.

Razorbills in flight © Chris Proctor

Seatrack Update: early Sept 2013 survey sightings

The fourth Seatrack survey of the year took place on Sat 7th/Sun 8th September. Northerly winds throughout the weekend dissipated passage for the most part but some quality species such as Balearic Shearwater, Long-tailed Skua, Little Gull & Black Tern were still recorded along with excellent sightings of marine 'megafauna'.

The next survey weekend takes place this coming Sat 21st/Sun 22nd September with a start time of 08:10am.

If you would like to take part in upcoming Seatrack surveys then please get in touch with Niall Keogh at seatrack@birdwatchireland.ie

Some early September Seatrack sightings reported so far as follows: (E = East, W = West, N = North, S = South & M = Milling)

Saturday 7th September

Black Head, Co. Clare (Paul Troake)
69 W + 8 E + 20 M Manx Shearwater, 1 W + 1 E Great Northern Diver & 5+ M Bottlenose Dolphin.

The Bridges of Ross, Co. Clare (Niall T. Keogh, Noel Keogh, John N. Murphy, Keith Bennett et al.)

Full day totals (all birds heading West): 1 Balearic Shearwater, 30 Sooty Shearwater, 1 Storm Petrel, 3 Common Scoter, 12 Great Skua (Bonxie), 7 Arctic Skua, 2 juvenile Long-tailed Skua, 2 juv/1st-winter Little Gull, 2 Sandwich Tern, 7 Arctic Tern, 10+ Bottlenose Dolphin, 3 Harbour Porpoise & 4 Ocean Sunfish.

Dursey Island, Co. Cork (Derek A. Scott & Joanna E. Scott)
1 N Balearic Shearwater, 5 N + 130 M Sooty Shearwater, 2 N + 20 M Manx Shearwater, 2 N Common Scoter, 3 N Great Skua (Bonxie), 3 N Arctic Skua, 1 N Sandwich Tern, 3 N Common Tern, 42 N Arctic Tern, 91 N 'Commic' Tern, 10 N Common Dolphin & 8 M Harbour Porpoise.

Brownstown Head, Co. Waterford (Jonathan Bulfin, Darragh Sinnott & Paul M. Walsh)
30 E Manx Shearwater, 1 M Skua sp. & 1 E Puffin.

Coliemore Harbour, Co. Dublin (Stephen McAvoy)

2 N Manx Shearwater, 16 N Common Scoter, 1 N + 1 S Red-throated Diver, 7 N + 2 S Mediterranean Gull, 1 N + 2 S Black Guillemot, 1 N Puffin & 2 N Harbour Porpoise.
 
Sunday 8th September

The Bridges of Ross, Co. Clare (Niall T. Keogh, Noel Keogh, Keith Bennett et al.)
Full day totals (all birds heading West):  4 Sooty Shearwater, 1 Great Northern Diver, 15 Great Skua (Bonxie), 1 Pomarine Skua, 16 Arctic Skua, 1 juvenile Long-tailed Skua, 3 Arctic Tern, 20+ Bottlenose Dolphin, 2 Common Dolphin & 1 Common Seal.

Ram Head, Co. Waterford (Andrew Malcolm)

3 Manx Shearwater, 1 Storm Petrel & 1 Common Scoter.

Carnsore Point, Co. Wexford (Kieran Grace)
12 E + 66 W Manx Shearwater, 1 W Great Skua (Bonxie), 1 W Black Tern, 12 W Sandwich Tern & 300 W 'Commic' Tern.

Juvenile Arctic Skua, The Bridges of Ross, Co. Clare, 7th Sept 2013 © John N. Murphy

Final seawatch @ Bridges of Ross 9th Sept 2013

Time: 07:00-11:00 & 12:45-14:15

Weather: F1 NE initially turning F4 N-NW then NW from 9am. F2-3 N in afternoon. Initially clear with excellent visibility & cool, followed by bands of misty rain & reduced visibility. Dry & sunny in afternoon.

Observers: Niall T. Keogh, Noel Keogh & Tom Murtagh.

 

Balearic Shearwater: 1

Sooty Shearwater: 441

Manx Shearwater: c.1,100 

Leach's Petrel: 1

Storm Petrel: 7

Common Scoter: 10 (6 West + 4 East)

Great Skua (Bonxie): 22

Arctic Skua: 18

Little Gull: 1 juv/1st-winter

Sandwich Tern: 17

Arctic Tern: 11

Black Tern: 1 

Puffin: 1

Bar-tailed Godwit:1

Knot: 2

Sanderling: 2

Sparrowhawk: 1

Peregrine: juv hunting at sea (petrels beware!)

Chough: 2

Raven: 2 

 

The morning seawatch started off slow, with a calm, grey sea & excellent visibility allowing the few distant shearwaters which were passing to be checked whilst some skuas drifted through high overhead. From 08:45am onwards a band of misty rain approached from the North West with an increase in Sooties noticed running ahead of it & a welcome appearance by a Black Tern. Come 09:10am, the band of rain hit the headland & with it a F4 N-NW which whipped up as if from nowhere! 20 minutes of squall later & the rain cleared to reveal shearwaters piling by! Over 600 Manx & 300 Sooties were logged in the next hour alone along with the Leach's & an increase in skuas. 

 

The first time in the past 3 weeks where it felt like one of those magic moments at The Bridges where it all starts kicking off! But then after an hour or so the passage dried up rather abruptly, as if someone flicked off the seabird switch. A short afternoon seawatch revealed Sooties still drifting by but we had to eventually make tracks for home... Until the next time!

 

Great pics of two different juvenile Arctic Skuas which passed The Bridges on 7th Sept © John N. Murphy

No better place to be! © Chris Holt

Bridges of Ross 8th Sept 2013

Time: 07:00-10:00 & 16:00-19:15

Weather: F3-4 NW (am) & F1-2 SE (pm), bright, dry & excellent visibility.

Observers: Niall T. Keogh, Noel Keogh, Keith Bennett, Geoff Hunt & Mike Sheehy. 

 

Sooty Shearwater: 4 

Manx Shearwater: 49 in 3 hrs (am) & 18 in 2 hrs (pm) 

Great Northern Diver: 1 (East) 

Great Skua (Bonxie): 15 

Pomarine Skua: 1  

Arctic Skua: 16 

Long-tailed Skua: 1 juvenile (Niall T. Keogh & Noel Keogh)

Arctic Tern: 3

Bar-tailed Godwit: 2

Whimbrel: 2

Knot: 2

Sparrowhawk: 1

Stonechat: 4

Chough: 2

 

Bottlenose Dolphin: 20+

Common Dolphin: 2

Common Seal: 1

The first hour this morning produced 5 Bonxies, 7 Arctic, 1 Pom & the juv Long-tailed Skua. Presumably all were simply moving past after rising from their roost sites in bays further North along the coast. The juv Long-tail came by with an adult dark phase Arctic. The size difference between the two was striking! Just about managed one Sooty during the afternoon/evening session!

Stonechats are particularly evident on the peninsula at the moment & would appear to have had a very good breeding season by the looks of things. Hard to get a definite overall number of birds present but we have recorded peak counts of 4 at The Bridges, 24(!) at Kilbaha & 11 on Loop Head.

Trudging around Loop Head over the past week finally paid off today with a Lapland Bunting at The Fodry.

Bridges of Ross 7th Sept 2013

Time: 07:00-10:30 (Seatrack survey) & 13:00-19:25

Weather: F4-5 N turning NW or N-NW in the afternoon. Cold, good visibility, dry for the most part, some light rain at times.

Observers: Niall T. Keogh, Noel Keogh, John N. Murphy, Keith Bennett, Geoff Hunt, Jeff Pearson et al.

Balearic Shearwater: 1

Sooty Shearwater: 30

Manx Shearwater: 67 in 3.5 hrs (am) & 85 in 2 hrs (pm)

Fulmar: 108 (am)

Storm Petrel: 1

Gannet: 187 (am)

Common Scoter: 3

Great Skua (Bonxie): 12

Arctic Skua: 7

Long-tailed Skua: 2 juveniles (Niall T. Keogh & Noel Keogh) 

Kittiwake: 31 (am)

Little Gull: 2 juv/1st winters

Sandwich Tern: 2

Arctic Tern: 7

Guillemot: 43 (am)

Razorbill: 87 (am)

Auk sp. (Guille/Razor): 57 (am)

Chough: 2

 

Bottlenose Dolphin: 10+

Harbour Porpoise: 3

Ocean Sunfish: 4 

Northerly winds killing off true passage per say as expected but a few quality birds made staring into the wind all worthwhile. The second juv Long-tailed Skua passed by very close to the watchpoint after briefly tussling with an Arctic Tern, showing off its tiny physique. An absolute beaut! Great views of juv Arctic Skuas & some really close Sooties today also. Spent quite a bit of time scrutinising common species (for want of something to do!) and noticed several fresh juvenile Fulmars knocking about.

The 3 Harbour Porpoise were a surprise. In my experience they are rare off The Bridges (in August/September at least), probably due to the presence of a regular group of Bottlenose Dolphins. Today's animals were in a tight-nit group, surfacing actively & at speed as if being chased by something bigger!

Victor Caschera was kind enough to send on a great series of pics which he took from 'The Slab' last week, on 28th August.

 

Juvenile Arctic Skua

Sabine's Gull

Sooty Shearwater

Fulmar

Gannet

Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose Dolphin

Seawatchers

Bridges of Ross 6th Sept 2013

Time: 16:30-18:00

Weather: F4 N, cold, good visibility & sunny.

Observers: Niall T. Keogh & Noel Keogh.

 

Sooty Shearwater: 4

Manx Shearwater: c.500

Teal: 8

Great Skua (Bonxie): 2

Arctic Skua: 2

Sandwich Tern: 2

Arctic Tern: 3 

A 15 minute look from The Bridges in the morning revealed just one Manx! As such the majority of the day was spent stomping around the fields & ditches of Loop Head & checking the gardens in Kilbaha for migrants...again. 2 European Golden Plover & 10 Wheatear the only apparent 'new' birds. A flock of 12 Chough at The Fodry was good to see also. At nearby Rinevella Bay, 2 or 3 juv Curlew Sandpipers were the best amongst a nice flock of waders & gulls.

Bridges of Ross 5th Sept 2013

Time: 07:00-10:30 & 15:20-17:20

Weather: F2-3 NW, cold, good visibility, dry for the most part, some light rain in the morning.

Observers: Niall T. Keogh, Noel Keogh, Joe Adamson, Glyn Sellors, Chris Holt, Jeff Copner, Brian Finnegan et al.

Balearic Shearwater: 2

Sooty Shearwater: 133

Manx Shearwater: 920 in 3.5 hrs (am) & 34 in 2 hrs (pm)

Storm Petrel: 1

Common Scoter: 3

Great Skua (Bonxie): 5

Pomarine Skua: 1 pale phase

Arctic Skua: 9

Sandwich Tern: 67

Arctic Tern: 16

Whimbrel: 12

Chough: 2

 

Very nice views of the Sooty & Balearic Shearwaters this morning in crisp light & the highest tally of Sandwich Terns so far. A passage of 34 Manx & 4 Sooties in 2 hours during the afternoon was just too much to handle! 

We all had a good check of the gardens at Kilbaha & fields around Loop Head producing the following migrants: 1 Robin, 1 Grey Wagtail & 4 Red Admiral!...

Bridges of Ross 4th Sept 2013

Time: 06:40-09:25 & 15:30-18:30

Weather: F2-3 S dry, mild & excellent visibility (am). F3 S dry, sunny & hazy turning F3-4 SW with squalls (pm).

Observers: Niall T. Keogh, Noel Keogh, Joe Adamson, Darach Turley, Glyn Sellors & Chris Holt.

Sooty Shearwater: 117

Manx Shearwater: 265 in 2.5 hrs (am) & 190 in 2.5 hrs (pm)

Storm Petrel: 2

Common Scoter: 9

Great Skua (Bonxie): 8

Pomarine Skua: 3 pale phase

Arctic Skua: 6

Sabine's Gull: 2 adults

Sandwich Tern: 11

Arctic Tern: 9

Whimbrel: 2

Bar-tailed Godwit: 14

Sanderling: 11

Wheatear: 2

Bottlenose Dolphin: 4

Common Dolphin: 15+

Grey Seal: 1

Ocean Sunfish: 2

Weather started to look promising this evening but not much came of it. Hopefully the rain will continue overnight & help the weak NW tomorrow entice some goodies along the coast.

...Wishful thinking!

Bridges of Ross 3rd Sept 2013

Time: 06:40-09:25 & 15:30-18:50

Weather: F2 SW (am) & F3 W-SW (pm), dry, good visibility generally (haze in afternoon) & warm.

Observers: Niall T. Keogh, Noel Keogh, Stewart Ford, Roy Teale, Joe Adamson, Darach Turley et al. 

Sooty Shearwater: 202

Manx Shearwater: 1,000+ in 2.5 hrs (am) & 225 in 1 hr (pm)

Leach's Petrel: 3

Storm Petrel: 3

Common Scoter: 5

Great Skua (Bonxie): 7

Pomarine Skua: 2 pale phase

Arctic Skua: 10

Sabine's Gull: 1 juv

Sandwich Tern: 10

Arctic Tern: 7

Whimbrel: 4

Chough: 2

Kestrel: 1

 

Seawatching accessories haven't been getting any better around here ever since the Swedish umbrellas. Check out Stewart's chair for instance!...

 

Seatrack Update: August 2013 survey sightings

The second & third Seatrack surveys of the year took place across two weekends in August & produced an excellent haul of seabird sightings thanks to conducive weather patterns coinciding with the peak migration season for shearwaters.

Volunteer surveyors out on headlands from Donegal to Dublin were treated to Fea's-type Petrels, Great, Cory's Balearic & Sooty Shearwaters, Pomarine Skuas, Sabine's Gulls, Roseate Terns & Grey Phalaropes.

The next survey weekend takes place on Sat 7th/Sun 8th September, with priority given to the Saturday so as to compliment other seawatching surveys being undertaken by FAME partners from headlands along the West coast of Europe also on that date.

If you would like to take part in upcoming Seatrack surveys then please get in touch with Niall Keogh at seatrack@birdwatchireland.ie

Some early August Seatrack sightings reported so far as follows: (E = East, W = West, N = North, S = South & M = Milling)

Friday 2nd August

Galley Head, Co. Cork (Colin Barton)

2 W Balearic Shearwater, 1 W Great Shearwater, 4 W + 1 E Sooty Shearwater, 195 W + 411 E Manx Shearwater, 4 W Common Scoter, 2 W Great Skua (Bonxie), 2 W Sandwich Tern & 8 W Puffin.

Saturday 3rd August 

Bloody Foreland, Co. Donegal (Ralph Sheppard & Chris Ingram)

4 S Sooty Shearwater, 698 S Manx Shearwater, 19 S Storm Petrel, 3 S Common Scoter, 1 S Great Skua (Bonxie), 18 S Sandwich Tern, 14 S Arctic Tern, 3 S 'Commic' Tern, 234 S Fulmar, & 654 S Gannet.

Annagh Head, Co. Mayo (Dave Suddaby)

2 Balearic Shearwater, 86 Sooty Shearwater & 3,500 Manx Shearwater. 

Black Head, Co. Clare (Paul Troake)

53 W + 20 E Manx Shearwater, 5 M Great Northern Diver, 2 M Arctic Skua, 11 W Sandwich Tern, 1 W + 1 E Black Guillemot & 1 W Puffin.

Ram Head, Co. Waterford (Andrew Malcolm)

1 W Balearic Shearwater, 61 W + 3 E Manx Shearwater, 57 W Common Scoter & 1 W Great Skua (Bonxie).

Brownstown Head. Co. Waterford (Darragh Sinnott, Paul M. Walsh & Mary A. Duggan)

35 W + 14 E Manx Shearwater, 35 W + 1 E Common Scoter, 1 W Great Skua (Bonxie), 25 W + 2 E Sandwich Tern, 1 E Black Guillemot & 1 Harbour Porpoise.

Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow (Niall T. Keogh)
204 N + 2 S + 1 M Manx Shearwater, 4 N Common Scoter, 1 S Red-throated Diver, 7 S Sandwich Tern, 7 N Roseate Tern & 1 S Tufted Duck.

Wicklow Head, Co. Wicklow (Steve Newton)
129 N + 6 S Manx Shearwater, 19 N + 23 S Common Scoter & 9 N + 2 S Sandwich Tern.

Coliemore Harbour, Co. Dublin (Stephen McAvoy)
21 N + 13 S Manx Shearwater, 19 N Common Scoter, 5 N Mediterranean Gull & 5 N + 1 S Black Guillemot.
 
Sunday 4th August

Carnsore Point, Co. Wexford (Noel Keogh, Brian Porter, Kieran Grace & Simon Collins)
1 E Balearic Shearwater, 1 W Sooty Shearwater, 102 W + 195 E + 145 M Manx Shearwater, 15 W + 23 E Common Scoter, 2 W Arctic Skua, 1 E small Skua sp. & 1 W + 6 E Puffin.

Some late August Seatrack sightings reported so far as follows: (E = East, W = West, N = North, S = South & M = Milling)

Saturday 17th August

Annagh Head, Co. Mayo (Dave Suddaby)

119 Great Shearwater, 2 Balearic Shearwater, 415 Sooty Shearwater, 15,000 Manx Shearwater, 1 Grey Phalarope, 16 Great Skua (Bonxie), 1 Pomarine Skua & 12 Arctic Skua.

Bridges of Ross (Keith Langdon, Dave Andrews, Simon Woodhouse, Aidan G. Kelly et al.)

Full days totals (all West unless stated otherwise): 2 Fea's-type Petrel, 6 Cory's Shearwater, 614 Great Shearwater, 84 Sooty Shearwater, 2 Balearic Shearwater, est. 25,000 W + c200 E Manx Shearwater, 63 Storm Petrel, 1 Common Scoter, 4 Pomarine Skua, 14 Great Skua (Bonxie), 2 Arctic Skua, 9 Sabine's Gull, 10 Arctic Tern, 159 Whimbrel, 5 Ocean Sunfish & 40 Common Dolphin.

Galley Head, Co. Cork (Colin Barton et al.)

3 W Great Shearwater, 5 W Sooty Shearwater, 486 W Manx Shearwater, 10 W Storm Petrel, 11 W Common Scoter, 6 W Great Skua (Bonxie) & 3 W Arctic Tern.

Brownstown Head, Co. Waterford (Darragh Sinnott)

1 W Great Shearwater, 526 W + 2 E Manx Shearwater, 1 W Storm Petrel, 2 W Great Skua (Bonxie), 18 W Sandwich Tern & 1 W Arctic Tern.

Carnsore Point, Co. Wexford (Kieran Grace)

161 W + 98 E Manx Shearwater, 1 W Cory's Shearwater, 8 E Common Scoter.

Coliemore Harbour, Dalkey, Co. Dublin (Brian Porter)

168 N + 3 M Manx Shearwater, 8 N + 5 S + 6 M Sandwich Tern & 2 M Harbour Porpoise.

Sunday 18th August

Bloody Foreland, Co. Donegal (Ralph Sheppard & Chris Ingram)
2 S Cory's Shearwater, 269 S Sooty Shearwater, 744 S Manx Shearwater, 4 S Common Scoter, 5 S Great Skua (Bonxie), 4 S Pomarine Skua, 2 S Arctic Skua & 93 S Whimbrel.

Annagh Head, Co. Mayo (Dave Suddaby)

1 Cory's Shearwater, 132 Great Shearwater, 383 Sooty Shearwater, 12,000 Manx Shearwater, 13 Great Skua (Bonxie) & 9 Arctic Skua.

Black Head, Co. Clare (Paul Troake)
330 W + 77 E + 2 M Manx Shearwater, 1 W Storm Petrel, 1 W + 2 M Arctic Skua, 1 W Little Gull & 67 W Sandwich Tern. 

Bridges of Ross, Co. Clare (Keith Langdon, Dave Andrews, Simon Woodhouse, Aidan G. Kelly et al.)

Full days totals (all West unless stated otherwise): 19 Cory's Shearwater, 85 Great Shearwater, 93 Sooty Shearwater, 4 Balearic Shearwater, 2446 W + c500 M Manx Shearwater, 1 'Blue' Fulmar, 7 Storm Petrel, 1 Common Scoter, 2 Grey Phalarope, 20 Great Skua (Bonxie), 2 Pomarine Skua, 30 Arctic Skua, 11 Sabine's Gull, 20 Arctic Tern, 1 Puffin, 50 Whimbrel, 1 Basking Shark & 10 Ocean Sunfish.

Carnsore Point, Co. Wexford (Noel Keogh & Kieran Grace)
1 W Great Shearwater, 1 W Balearic Shearwater, 261 W Manx Shearwater, 3 W Storm Petrel & 1 W Black Guillemot.

Great Shearwater, at sea off Cape Clear, Co. Cork, 22nd August 2013 © Andrew Malcolm

Cory's Shearwater, at sea off Cape Clear, Co. Cork, 22nd August 2013 © Andrew Malcolm

Sooty Shearwater, West Waterford Pelagic, 9th August 2013 © Andrew Malcolm

Storm Petrel, West Waterford Pelagic, 9th August 2013 © Andrew Malcolm