30
March,2009
2 Swallows
at Arklow train station this morning and also 3 Waxwings on the southside of Arklow.ER
5 Swallows, near St. Margarets village.GP
Short-Eared Owl. Eric Dempsey
Sunday
29 March, 2009
4 Buzzards soaring together between the bridges at Strawberry
Beds. A little interaction and small display dives. 2 Sparrowhawks soaring near them as well.CE
6 Red-Throated Divers at Kilmichael Point, south of Arklow today.ER
2 Short eared Owls present in Ashbourne at teatime today.AR One
Redwing in Inchicore . IS
Above and below:Rock Pipit "littoralis". Howth. Bill Quinn
26
March, 2009
2 Waxwings
at Blanchardstown Rd south. SF Iceland and Yellow-legged
Gull at Heuston Station. PK male Peregrine Falcon flew over the
Methodist Church at the Leeson Park/Dartmouth Road junction at lunchtime today.
MC 2 singing Blackcaps in Shankill. KG
Not impressed with the seeds! Nicola Dunphy
25
March, 2009
30 Waxwings
at Brandon Rd Drimnagh. RV ( Rob, I think its a sign! Ed)
24
March, 2009
A Chiffchaff
was singing in the Holfeld estate grounds, Johnstown Road, Cabinteely at 08:25. NTK
2 singing Blackcaps in Shankill this morning. KG
23
March, 2009
Iceland Gull
still at Heuston Station and 40 Waxwings at the Joe Duffy
garrage Finglas. PK Peregrine over the Belgard Road at 9.30 this
morning. RV
Sunday
22 March, 2009
4 Whimbrel
at the outer end of the Rogerstown estuary. The Red- throated
Diver was giving excellent close up views at Swords Estuary yesterday.SK,GFr
A Kestrel, 6 Buzzards, and a Hen Harrier at Togher, Co Louth.NO'R
Red-throated Diver at Swords. Brian Keogh This bird seems
unusally tame/possibly injured?
Barnacle and Bar-headed Goose at Swords. Brian
Keogh ( birds from the Zoo?)
Saturday
21 March, 2009
Red-Throated Diver at Swords today also 1 Barnacle
Goose hanging around with a Bar-Headed Goose 1 Wheatear
on the Bull . 1 Brambling at Rogerstown . SC
Red-throated Diver. Swords. Eric Dempsey
Red-throated Diver.Swords. John Fox
Red-throated Diver . Swords. Shay Connolly
Tolka
Branch Trip report for Saturday 21 March, 2009
Starting at Kilcoole on a lovely sunny morning : a single singing
Willow Warbler, 4 House Martins, 3 Swallows, 2 Sand Martins,
3 Reed Bunting, 5 Skylarks, 6 Meadow Pipits, 2 Stonechats, 3 Sandwich Terns (moving North),125 Greylag, 250+ Brent incl
1 Dark Bellied Brent, 5 Whooper Swan, some Mute Swans, Shellduck, Mallard, Widgeon and Teal incl
1 Green Winged Teal at the Breaches, 10
Turnstone, 3 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Curlew, 10 Ringed Plover, some Redshank and Lapwing,
214 Golden Plovers (many in summer plumage), 2 Little Egrets,1 Grey Heron, 1 Greenshank,
a few Oystercatcher, 2 Snipe a few Cormorants and a single Sparrow Hawk.
Seen out to sea were 2 Red Throated Divers (1 in breeding plumage),
1 Black Guillemot, 6 Shags, 1 Kittiwake, 2 Mute Swans, 1 Gannet, and a Razorbill. Gulls seen included Great
Black-backed, Herring and Common.
At Arklow the group were rewarded with good views of 3 Red Kites (one carrying a stick for a while before dropping it),
1 Merlin and a Peregrine. ( see photos below)
Green-winged
Teal at Kilcoole. Eric Dempsey
Dark-bellied Brent on the
left. Kilcoole. Eric Dempsey
Red Kite. John Fox
Peregrine Falcon. John Fox
20
March, 2009
At Kilcoole this morning the Green-winged Teal, Dark-bellied Brent & a male
Wheatear were in Webb's.NK & NJK. The Black Redstart
and a Sandwich Tern were also seen. BH
. At the Poolbeg this evening a Sandwich Tern was seen on the
Liffey.NK. At the Phoenix Park, from Military Road, a Sparrowhawk soaring high over Liffey valley.
At the Strawberry Beds, between motorway bridge and the old iron frame
bridge, 1 Buzzard gliding over the valley at tree top height. 2 Chiffchaffs
singing, and 2 Sparrowhawks with no noticeable size difference soaring very high, with some
interaction between them.CE One Crossbill flew over Templeogue. RV
Black Redstart. Kilcoole. Shay Connolly
19
March, 2009
2 House Martins at Seagrange Park and 34 Waxwings at Foxfield
Green, Killbarrack.GF JD At Kilcoole this morning a female type
Black Redstart was at the Breaches.NK & NJK. Two Crossbills
flew over Herbert Park this evening.MC
18
March, 2009
A pair of displaying Sparrowhawks over the Burlington Hotel
with high pitched calls.Also, a Chiffchaff giving bursts of song in the Methodist church grounds at Leeson Park/Dartmouth Road.MC
At Kilcoole this morning there was a White-fronted Goose with a large flock of
Greylag, an a Dark-bellied Brent with the Brent flock.
Also there was a Green-winged Teal at the Breaches. No migrants noted but a 1st w
Little Gull flew in off the sea.NK
17
March, 2009
First Swallow
of the season near the 12th lock on the Royal Canal.
FC Chiffchaffs were singing along the Dodder between Templeogue and
Terenure also 2 Kingfishers and a Blackcap.RV On the Bull
Salt Marsh there were 6 Wheatears and a Merlin. SF 2 Buzzards over M1 at Balbriggan.
1 female Merlin & 1 Kestrel on northern side of Rogerstown. 3
Kestrel, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Yellowhammer, 1 Reed Bunting, a female Bullfinch
& small flock of Linnet on southern side of Rogerstown.AR 1
Buzzard was over the M50 at the Blancharstown exit. RK
Having overdone it with the
berries Paddy O' Waxwing decides to go to the parade!
16
March, 2009
At Bremore Point yesterday there was a Chiffchaff
singing away, and 75 Tree Sparrows.OM Singing Chiffchaff on the Burrow Rd, Sutton this morning
.GF 2 Wheatears at Kilcoole - see photo
below. MN Also closer to Dublin there was a male &
female Wheatear on the beach at the base of the
Poollbeg.NK At Rogerstown there was a small mixed flock of Linnet and Chaffinch,
12 Yellowhammer, 1 Brambling, 2 Bullfinches, 2 Tree Sparrow, a pair of Kestrels and a single Buzzard.JF
Wheatears today at Kilcoole. Michael Nolan
Waxwing today at Willow Park
Ave. Eric Dempsey
Blue-tit. Santry. Rachel Mc Cormack
Sunday
15
March, 2009
Dundalk Bay there were 37 waterbird species, totalling 18,915 birds, quite a lot for mid-March.
The top ten birds were Knot (6050), Black-tailed Godwit (3272),
Oystercatcher (2534), Redshank (1766), Bar-tailed Godwit (1022), Brent Goose (636), Black-headed Gull (561), Greylag Goose (511), Teal (500),Curlew (484). There were
4 Ruffs on the Castletown River at Dundalk.OM
5 Snow Buntings at the summit of Lugnaquilla, associating with over 150 Meadow pipits. Above the
valley floor there was; Raven (5), Red Grouse (2), Skylark (14),
Reed Bunting (2), Mistle Thrush (8), Peregrine (1) ,and a pair of
Sparrowhawks displaying. SF Thanks to
Shane for bringing us the latest from the mountain top in Wicklow!
Flock of 6
Yellowhammer, 3 Linnet
and 3 Redpoll seen feeding in
Daristown cemetary, Dublin Airport this morning. MK 3 Buzzards soaring over the Strawberry Beds, not far from the motorway bridge.CE
An Iceland Gull appeared in the city
centre at the Ha'penny Bridge this afternoon with 10 Herring and Black-headed
Gulls while a Cormorant was fishing beneath them. LB The Iceland was
later seen around Heuston Station. RV Later on the Bull there were over
3000 Golden Plover up to 6.15pm when they took off to the north west
as the sun was setting.LB
saturday
14
March, 2009
A Sandmartin has been seen in
Portmarnock. First very welcome Spring arrival. DD 2 Short-Eared Owls and
2 Snipe at Kilmichael Point, south of Arklow this afternoon.ER At
the Bull Island IWebs count this morning there was one Glaucous
Gull, 1 Mediterranean Gull and 226 Grey Plover. 2 Buzzards apparently displaying over wetlands/plantation halfway between Kildare Town and Nurney.SO'B
Glaucous Gull at the Bull Causeway outflow with Common and Black-headed
Gulls to compare. John Fox 
13
March, 2009
I Buzzard, 2 Kestrels, 2 Peregrine Falcons on the Sutton side of Howth
Head today. SF 300 Redwing passed over Portmarnock between 11.30
and midnight tonight.DDThese birds may be returning to Scandinavia to
breed.
12
March, 2009
A male Blackcap in full song and a pair of Bullfinches feeding on emerging buds in Leeson Park. 2 pairs of
Blue Tits were squabbling over territorial rights and a flock of 22 Long-tailed
Tits were moving through the tree tops.MC
11
March, 2009
At Sandymount(Merrion Gates) there were 4 adult Ring-billed Gulls
at 1pm. In the evening at the Shanganagh outflow a 1st w Iceland
Gull, probably the same bird as at Bray Harbour yesterday.NK
Singing male Blackcap in Shankill this morning. KG
Waxwings up to new tricks. Photo Eric Dempsey
Vale of Clara
today: no sign of a GSW but there was 1 Dipper and 2 Grey
Wagtails, on the river. Flocks of Great, Blue, Coal and Longtailed Tits in the woods. Chaffinch, Robin, Wren, Mistle Thrush and Goldcrest also
evident. Jay heard but not seen.JF
Grey Wagtail, Clara, Wicklow. John Fox (
Editor's choice of the week!)
10
March, 2009
On the beach at Bray Harbour this evening a 1st w Iceland Gull
and a Shelduck. NK At Dunlaoighre today, highlights were the adult male
Black Redstart around the baths and a minimum of
9 Mediterranean Gulls (4 ads,1 2nd year, 4 1st years), 4 Rock
Pipits, 3 Meadow Pipits, 2 Grey Wagtailss, a Great Northern Diver and a couple of
Razorbills.RV
Black Redstart East Pier Dunlaoghaire. Michael
Nolan
8
March, 2009
Waxwings are still following Rob Vaughan
around Dublin! They were outside his door on Brandon Road, Drimnagh this
morning.100 more Waxwings were at Willow Park Avenue. BK One of the Temple
Bar Peregrines was at the ususal spot on top of the Central Bank this
afternoon. LB
Waxwing at Finglas today. Brian Keogh
7
March, 2009
At Lorcan Road, Santry there were 24 Waxwings and
80 on Willow Park Avenue, Finglas. ED 3 Peregrine Falcons seen over Islandbridge this morning. Another
individual ( possibly one of the three was hunting Pigeons over Temple
Bar.RV LB 4 Short-eared Owls, 9 Buzzards, 1 Spotted
Redshank, 1 Jack Snipe and a flock of Stock Doves were at
the north side of Rogerstown at lunchtime. The Ring-billed
Gull was again at the outflow north of the Bull causeway at 5pm. RV SF
Ring-Billed Gull on the Bull this evening.
Robert Vaughan
6
March, 2009
First winter Ring-billed Gull at the outflow
on the North Bull. Second winter Mediterranean Gulls also present.
SF
5
March, 2009
93 Waxwings mourning their pals in Finglas today. John Fox(see debate
on IBN -L)
4
March, 2009- its well and truly Springtime!
Female Mallard with 10 duckings the Grand Canal at Charlemont Street
bridge today.ND A male and female Blackbird feeding newly fledged young in Trinity college today.
IS
On the sand bar south of Irishtown(large
Gull roost) a 2nd winter Iceland Gull .
In the evening.at the base of East Pier Dun Laoghaire a male Black Redstart
and a Stonechat (local rarity).NK
3
March 2009
4 Waxwings in Drimnagh at 7.30 am this morning, then approx 20 on Beechpark
Avenue, Castleknock at 8am and then amazingly another group of 13 opposite the
Lidl in Finglas (same spot as last week! - see archives). And later in the morning there
were 9 birds behind the E.P. Mooney garage feeding on the copious amounts of berries in the
Elephant self storage compound Greenhills industrial estate. Photo below. RV
At this stage this bird needs no introduction! Photo Robert Vaughan
2
March, 2009
On the beach at Poolbeg there was a 3rd winter Glaucous Gull in the evening.NK
1
March, 2009
Up to 20 Mediterranean Gulls at Sandycove. Most coming into
summer plumage...another week or two and the adults will be superb.ED 7 Red Kites at
Wicklow today, 20 Whooper Swans at Kilcoole 300+ Brent,
100+ Greylag 80+ Golden
Plover, 8 Snipe and large numbers of Teal and Wigeon. SC
70 Waxwings at the Airport Esso garage.
RV
