THANKS TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS  and ADVISERS DURING  October 2012...

Harry Bailey, Grzegorz Burkowski, Mark Carmody, Brian Carruthers, Shay Connolly, Ciaran Dunne, John Fields, John Fox, 
Edd Kealy, Michael Keating, Mick Kelly, Niall T. Keogh, Noel Keogh, Dave MacPherson, Eoin McCumisky, Ita Martin, 
Conor Nolan, Breandán Ó Braoin, Dermot O'Mahony, Paul Robinson, Karol Waszkiewicz 

The named authors hold the copyright for all photographs published on this website. 
Authors permission must be sought for copying, publishing or reproduction for any purpose other than for personal archives.

 
 




HALLOWEEN HORROR
In a Malahide garden...

Malahide: on a daily basis for the past 2 weeks a Sparrowhawk has visited the garden. He is of course picking my Goldfinches from the feeder for his pleasure. As I write this he is circling my little garden again and causing chaos. He did visit earlier this year as I saw the evidence on 2 occasions but missed him. I got this image as he squeezed the life out of another goldfinch (Look close beneath his left claw.) IM

 


Sparrowhawk in Malahide Garden (Photo by Ita Martin)

 

 

 

 

 

 

31 October 2012

Red-throated Diver at the wooden bridge Bull Island this evening  (Photo by Dave MacPherson)




Brambling at breakfast time on Ranelagh balcony (Photo by Mark Carmody)




30 October 2012

Bull Island: 1 Red-throated Diver and 1 Great-crested Grebe off Bull Wall today. Also 1 Little Grebe and 1 Red-breasted Merganser male feeding off Wooden Bridge.CD



27 October 2012

Colour-ringed Sanderling at Bull Island (Photo by Shay Connolly)


Rogerstown & Turvey Hides:  An aerobatic display was laid on by no more then seven BOPs Buzzards galore, Red Kites (2), Merlin, Sparrowhawk, Kestrels, Peregrines, and the Hen harrier spotted by Liam Feeney on the 21st/Oct and then caught on camera by John fields from the Rogerstown North Hide at 10-30am 27th/Oct and by myself from the Turvey South hide around 2pm 27th/Oct, with Liam Feeney and others in attendance.BC

Male Hen Harrier at Rogerstown (Photos by Brian Carruthers)






20 October 2012
Bull Island; North side of Causeway. One juvenile Shelduck.CN

Grey Plover at Rogerstown Estuary & Turvey South Hide (Photos by Brian Carruthers)



18 October 2012

Skylark at Bull Island (Photo by Harry Bailey)


Grey Heron at Bull Island (Photo by Harry Bailey)




17 October 2012

Bull Island: 6 Swallows, a Wheatear and 35 Sanderling at the South end of the beach. 2 Mute Swans at the Wooden Bridge.GF

Sanderling at Bull Island beach (Photo by Ger Franck)


16 October 2012

Bull Island:  Some visible migration on the Bull Island today with a group of 8 Snipe coming in off the sea, meanwhile 5 Swallows and a flock of 40 Skylarks were seen heading in the direction of Dublin Port. 2 Ravens at the Bull Wall.GF


White Mallard in Poppintree Park Ballymun (Photo by Mick Kelly)



14 October 2012

Black Guillemots in winter plumage at Howth Harbour (Photo by Edd Kealy)



Guillemot at Howth Harbour (Photo by Edd Kealy)


What happens when a Redshank and Lesser Yellowlegs meet at North Bull Island?  (Photo by Grzegorz Burkowski)


Lesser Yellowlegs in combat with a Redshank (Photo by Grzegorz Burkowski)




12 October 2012
North Bull Island: Interesting behaviour observed today from the Lesser Yellowlegs that has been present on the Bull just North of the Causeway for several days now. A hunting Peregrine flew over head putting everything else up but the Lesser Yellowlegs sat tight. It squatted down in shallow water where it had been feeding until the Peregrine had passed over. See photos below.JF

Peregrine on the hunt - Lesser Yellowlegs cowering (Photos by John Fox) Click on each photo to see full size image
 

What happened next...
After John Fox took the photo of the Peregrine, it made a kill, then landed on the salt bank to feast on it's catch (See photo below).  My shot originally focused on that bird, on left.  Only when I cropped the shot did I notice the other Peregrine on the post, which was barely in the shot.BC 
(Photo by Brian Carruthers)



Shoveller at Causeway, Bull Island (Photo by Dave MacPherson)


Merganser (male in eclipse plumage) at the wooden bridge, Bull Island (Photo by Dave MacPherson)




11 October 2012

Cock Pheasant hiding behind the Redshank (Persicaria maculosa) at the allotments in Meakstown Finglas (Photo by Michael Keating)



10 October 2012
St. Margaret's: 5 Whopper Swans seen today in the flooded field beside the Keelings plant in St. Margaret's at the back of the airport at 4.00pm. They where still there at 6.30pm and where joined by 3 more swans.MK


8 October 2012

North Bull Island:  the 1st-winter Lesser Yellowlegs was showing exceptionally well at ranges down to 15m on The North Bull Island at 13:45 today. Present North of the causeway, just past the small bit of salt marsh at the River Santry outflow. Best viewed from the coastal path alongside the road. A hybrid Carrion X Hooded Crow was present there also & a Peregrine was on the North salt marsh (NTK & NK).

Lesser Yellowlegs at Bull Island (Photo by Edd Kealy)


Lesser Yellowlegs at Bull Island (Photo by Niall Keogh)


Hybrid Carrion X Hooded Crow at Bull Island (Photo by Niall Keogh)




7 October 2012

North Bull Island:  Lesser Yellowlegs about 150m north of the causeway on the Anne's Park side at 3.30 today. Feeding very close to the footpath in mud with tufts of grass (views to about 10m) . Went home for camera but tide was in when I got back and could not re-locate. Long yellow legs, slimmer, longer bodied and smaller than redshank when side by side. Faint brown tinged streaking to upper breast, white breast/belly otherwise, pale super in front of eye, white eye ring, thin blackish bill.PR

Raheny: A hearing rather than sighting..Redwings heard calling on Sunday night.BO'B


6 October 2012

Baldoyle Estuary:  3 Grey Plover, Turnstone, 2 Curlew. Mixed flock of Black-tailed Godwit & Redshank. Herring Gull and large numbers of Black-headed Gull. 17 Red-breasted Merganser, 5 Shag, Hooded Crow and Jackdaw. 30 Brent Geese, one of which was ringed  Code 33YY. Left Yellow 3, Right Yellow 3.EMcC


Howth: This solitary and fairly tame Red-throated Diver (Loon) was in Howth Harbour this afternoon.  It was located between the branch pier which is part of the east pier and the marina.  It seemed to be used to both people walking on the pier and boats going in and out.BQ  

Red-throated Diver at Howth Harbour (Photo by Bill Quinn)



Red-throated Diver at Howth Harbour (Photo by Dave MacPherson)



Rogerstown North Hide: A good day's birding had by all from the Rogerstown north hide on a glorious bright calm October day Lots of BOP's about . . . 6 Buzzards at one stage having no problem soaring high with the thermals away from the chasing Corvids, a lone Sparrowhawk hunting the Meadow Pipits, Skylark & Goldfinches, with some success I add. We had a good view of the Merlins resting on the 'postbox' and the 'rock', two together, that's good. I received a phone call from James Hayes in the Turvey south hide, wondering if anyone had seen a Little Stint in the area, his scope was broken, so could not confirm his sighting, hopefully in range for his camera lens, here's hoping !!. Two Ruffs paid us a visit just below the sandbank in front of the hide, with a Green Sandpiper still in the area. Compared to last month's high count of up to twenty birds, not many Little Egrets about today, eight in total. Lots of Redshanks, Greenshanks, Sanderling, Dunlin, Goldfinches, Wigeon, Teal, Mallards, Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew, Great Black-backed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Oystercatchers with a couple of Grey Herons, Cormorants, Knots, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Whimbrel & Shelduck. A Pheasant & a Grey Partridge popped up for a few moments. The best was left to last, as the high tide was on ebb just a the light started to fade, it brought us not one, two, but three Kingfishers catching their prey right below our east & west windows, for a good 20 minutes until the water level was just to low for them to fish. As I said, a good day all in. Sightings by John Fields, Karol Waszkiewicz and children with myself, Brian Carruthers.BC




5 October 2012
Howth Harbour- 5 Black Guillemots, 1 Red-throated Diver;  and 
Balscadden - 200+ Swallows moving South, 20 House Martins, 2 Redpoll, 2 Peregrine. Lots of Goldfinches, Linnets, Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds and 6 Stonechats.EK


3 October 2012
Rogerstown:  2 Green Sandpiper upriver at 18.00. Still some Swallows around despite the cold! DO'M


2 October 2012
Bull Island Causeway at high tide:  28 Pintail, 19 Shoveller and 20 Lapwing.CD 


1 October 2012

Blessington Street Basin: at 8 a.m. 1 female Smew, 1 Hooded Merganser, 2 Mute Swan, 28 Tufted Duck, 1 Grey Heron, several Coot, Moorhen and Mallard.CD

 

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