Co Waterford bird reports July-August 2005

DUNGARVAN: 1 Green Sandpiper at Ballyneety.

HELVICK HEAD: 5 Storm Petrels & 1 Little Egret passed during c.2.5 hrs of seawatching; also 2 Common Porpoises.

KING'S CHANNEL, nr Waterford city: 2 Sandwich Terns (also heard on 29 & 30 Aug).

Sat 27 Aug:

BALLYSHUNNOCK RESERVOIR: 2 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Little Egrets.

Wed 24 Aug:

HELVICK HEAD: 1 Great Skua & 2 adult Roseate Terns during a 2-hr seawatch (0630-0830 hrs).

Tues 23 Aug:

HELVICK HEAD: 5 Sooty Shearwaters, 7 Storm Petrels, 1 Great Skua & 1 Arctic Skua flew west in 2.5 hrs (c.1730-2030 hrs).

Sat 20 Aug:

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 1 Little Egret, 200+ Swallows, 1 Sand Martin, 3 Wheatears, a juvenile Tree Sparrow, & 2 Migrant Hawkers.

BELLE LAKE: 2 Water Rails calling, 17 Sedge Warblers ringed; also a Migrant Hawker.

Fri 19 Aug:

DUNGARVAN: 50 Pied Wagtails feeding off the Cunnigar car-park.

Wed 17 Aug:

BELLE LAKE: 1 Water Rail seen, 10 Sedge Warblers ringed.

Mon 15 Aug:

BALLYSHUNNOCK RESERVOIR: 4 Little Egrets, 1 Green Sandpiper.

Sun 14 Aug:

BELLE LAKE: 19 Sedge Warblers ringed.

Sat 13 Aug:

DUNGARVAN: 55 Little Egrets roosting between the Cunnigar & Killongford, juvenile Mediterranean Gull off the Cunnigar base.

KILMEADEN POOLS: 1 Green Sandpiper, 50 Pied Wagtails.

BALLYSHUNNOCK RESERVOIR: 2 Little Egrets, 2 Green Sandpipers, 1 Kingfisher.

LISSELAN: 1 Yellowhammer.

Thur 11 Aug:

DUNGARVAN: Juvenile Mediterranean Gull off base of the Cunnigar.

Wed 10 Aug:

MOUNT CONGREVE: 1 Jay flew from Kilkenny side of R. Suir; also 2 Little Egrets during the last week.

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND: 38 Little Egrets.

Tues 9 Aug:

Near VILLIERSTOWN: Barn Owl seen at roadside.

Mon 8 Aug:

ARDMORE: 1 Tree Sparrow.

North of MELLERAY: 1 Merlin.

Sun 7 Aug:

BELLE LAKE: Juv Reed Warbler & 23 Sedge Warblers ringed; 2 Migrant Hawkers.

Nr KILMACLEAGUE: 4 Yellowhammers (S6401).

Sat 6 Aug:

BELLE LAKE: 46 Sedge Warblers ringed.

DUNGARVAN: 45 Great Crested Grebes south of the Cunnigar, 1st-summer Mediterranean Gull at Ballyneety.

CLONEA STRAND: 1 Whimbrel.

Fri 5 Aug:

BELLE LAKE: 11 Sedge Warblers ringed, 1 Water Rail heard.

RATHMOYLAN: 1 Yellowhammer singing (X6599).

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 1 Sedge Warbler.

LISSELAN: Male Yellowhammer.

Thur 4 Aug:

BELLE LAKE: Juv Reed Warbler, 17 Sedge Warblers & 1 Blackcap ringed; 1 Water Rail heard.

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 1 Storm Petrel flew E (seawatch 1905-1935 hrs).

Wed 3 Aug:

BELLE LAKE: Adult Reed Warbler ringed.

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 1 Spotted Flycatcher.

Tues 2 Aug:

BELLE LAKE: 2 juv Reed Warblers & 14 Sedge Warblers ringed.

Near KILMURRIN COVE: 1 Yellowhammer.

ANNESTOWN BOG: Adult Water Rail (seen) & a Migrant Hawker at a water-treatment pond.

Mon 1 Aug:

DUNGARVAN: 1 Little Stint, c.600 Dunlin & 8 Sanderling at the Cunnigar.

BELLE LAKE: Juv Reed Warbler, 75 Sedge Warblers & 1 Blackcap ringed; also 3 Migrant Hawker dragonflies.

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 3 Willow Warblers, 1 Migrant Hawker.

July 2005

Sun 31 July:

CLONEA STRAND: Adult Mediterranean Gull, 2 Arctic Terns.

DUNGARVAN: 150+ Dunlin at Barnawee.

BELLE LAKE: Juvenile Reed Warbler & 44 Sedge Warblers ringed.

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 12 Willow Warblers.

Sat 30 July:

DUNGARVAN: 9 Little Egrets, 1 Whimbrel, 80+ Bar-tailed Godwit & 175 Redshank at Barnawee.

Late July:

KILMACTHOMAS area: Two sightings of Barn Owl in second half of July.

Tues 26 July:

DUNGARVAN: At Barnawee, 8 Little Egrets, 70+ Dunlin (all adult), 2 Knot, 4 Whimbrel & 18 Greenshank.

Mon 25 July:

CRUACHAN: Male Hen Harrier E, 5 Crossbills.

ARDMORE HEAD: Juvenile Grasshopper Warbler.

RAM HEAD: 167 Manx Shearwaters E in a 1/2-hr (1840-1910 hrs). Poor breeding success at the Kittiwake colony here, with only 10 Kittiwake chicks or fledglings present at study plots that held 204 nests on 11 June.

Sun 24 July:

HELVICK HEAD: 8 Storm Petrels E, 2 Great Skuas W & 1E, & 5 Puffins (2 W) in 1 hr (1845-1945 hrs).

DUNGARVAN: 1 Whimbrel, 80 Bar-tailed Godwits & 200+ Redshank at Kilminnin.

CLONEA STRAND: 25 Sanderling, 170+ Dunlin (only 3 juveniles) & 2 Arctic Terns; 1 Common Sandpiper at Ballyvoyle.

CORBALLY: 1 Yellowhammer.

Sat 23 July:

HELVICK HEAD: 2 Storm Petrels W & 6 Common Scoters W in 1.5 hrs (1700-1830 hrs); also 2 Whimbrel.

Fri 22 July:

HELVICK HEAD: 1 Sooty Shearwater E, 271 Manx Shearwaters E & 82W, 4 Storm Petrels E & 4 W, 2 Great Skuas (1W), 1 Arctic Skua, & 2 Puffins W during an evening seawatch (1910-2040 hrs); also 3 Risso's Dolphins & a Minke Whale.

Thurs 21 July:

Off RAM HEAD: 50+ Storm Petrels, 1 Great Skua, 2 Pomarine Skuas, 2 Arctic Skuas; also an unidentified shearwater, c.2 miles S of Ram Hd (possibly a leucistic Balearic Shearwater).

Wed 20 July:

HELVICK HEAD: Single Storm Petrel & Great Skua, also 4-5 Risso's Dolphins (including 2 young calves).

Tues 19 July:

HELVICK HEAD: A minimum total of 5 Cory's Shearwaters (4 flew E, 7 W) in a 4.5-hr seawatch (1550-2020 hrs), some of which appeared to be feeding off the mouth of Dungarvan Bay; also 5 unidentified large shearwaters E (probably Cory's), 1 Arctic Skua E, 1 Puffin W, & a Basking Shark.

EAST WATERFORD: 3 Buzzards seen soaring over an area south of Waterford city. Also, a Barn Owl seen just before dusk, between Waterford city and Kilmeaden.

16/17 July:

BALLINDUD (Tramore road): 1 Little Egret at stream near new roundabout.

Sun 17 July:

HELVICK HEAD: c.12 Common Scoters, small numbers of Storm Petrels, during an evening seawatch.

Sat 16 July:

DUNGARVAN: 1 Green Sandpiper at Ballyneety bridge.

BALLYVOYLE: 1 juvenile Puffin.

TRAMORE BACKSTRAND: 34 Little Egrets.

Thurs 14 July:

HELVICK HEAD: 1100 Manx Shearwaters flew E/NE, 76 W, in 1.5 hrs (1930-2100 hrs); also 2 Storm Petrels.

Wed 13 July:

MINE HEAD to ARDMORE (at sea): 5 Great Skuas, 1 Arctic Skua.

Sun 10 July:

Near SEEFIN (Monavullagh Mountains): 1 Quail heard calling - a particularly unusual record at this high-altitude location.

FENOR BOG: 1 Spotted Flycatcher; also an Emperor dragonfly.

KILMURRIN COVE: 20+ Sand Martins; small colony here.

CLONEA STRAND: 1 Minke Whale offshore.

DUNGARVAN: 7 Common Sandpipers & 1 Knot at Kilminnin.

Sat 9 July:

Near PORTALLY: 1 Yellowhammer (X6609).

TRANMORE BACKSTRAND: 40 Little Egrets.

Fri 8 July:

HELVICK HEAD: An unidentified petrel species flew E in late evening (seawatch 2105-2145 hrs) - size, shape & flight-action similar to Leach's Petrel but apparently all-dark (at least at distance); also a Common Porpoise.

Wed 6 July:

HELVICK HEAD: 1 Great Skua, up to 12 Storm Petrels, 1 Minke Whale and small numbers of Common Porpoises during an evening seawatch (1900-2115 hrs).

CLONEA/BALLINARD: 1 Arctic Tern & 1 Common Sandpiper.

Tues 5 July:

HELVICK HEAD: 1 Cory's Shearwater & 1 Sooty Shearwater flew west during an evening seawatch (1830-2100 hrs).

Sun 3 July:

BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 1 Arctic Skua E, 3 Puffins W during a 1-hr seawatch (0855-0955 hrs).

FENOR BOG: Spotted Flycatchers pair; also a Common Lizard.

ANNESTOWN BOG: 2 Blackcaps singing.

DUNGARVAN: 2 Common Sandpipers at Ballyneety.

HELVICK HEAD: c. 6 Storm Petrels during a 1/2-hr morning seawatch; 1 Pomarine Skua W, 1 Arctic Skua W & 1 Storm Petrel during a 1/2-hr evening seawatch (1805-1835 hrs).

Sat 2 July:

HELVICK HEAD: A total of 6 hrs seawatching (between 1045 and c.2030 hrs) produced 2 Cory's Shearwaters (west singly in evening), also 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 400+ Manx Shearwaters, 100+ Storm Petrels, 143 Common Scoters, 1 Great Skua, 5 Pomarine Skuas, 15 Arctic Skuas, 1+ Arctic Tern & 12 + Puffins, most of which flew west. A Basking Shark also passed close to shore.