Saltee Islands.

I took a trip with a few friends to the Saltee Islands in Co Wexford to have a up close and personal with with a few of our sea birds which are nesting there. It was my first time on these islands and wont be my last. The weather wasn,t great and there was alot of wind and sea spary but we headed anyway. I always thought of the Skelligs as one of the best places to see these birds, but with the salties you can get a little bit closer with a little care taken of course. But what I noticed was some people getting too close and the adult birds were flying away leaving the poor chick defenceless againist the prowling Great Black Back Gulls. So I ask anyone that is planning to visit these islands not to put any poor chick in harms way and keep a safe distance between yourself and these birds. So here a few chick friendly pictures for ye.

Gannet feeding its chick.

Great Black Backed Gull

I always have a soft spot for Puffins

A pair of fulmars taking it easy.

As is this one

Ahhh puffins

Gannet and very young chick

Guillemot and chick

Puffins getting ready for take off

Kittewake and chicks

Rock pipit

Razorbill back to feed its chicks

Up close with a razorbill

Birding in Kerry

Birding in Co Kerry in the summer can prove very fruitful. I was heading away for the weekend, so why not head to Co Kerry. While there I went for a boat trip to Skellig Michael. There I had the best views ever of Puffin, Guillemot, Black Guillemot, Razorbill, Fulmar and Gannets. Also seen there was Manx Shearwater, Storm Peterl, Redpoll, Chough, Rock Pipit and plenty of Gulls. The following day I took a spin up the Gap of Dunloe in search of White-tailed Eagles, So I stopped on the way near the upper lake and found 2 Eagles (the most I`ve ever seen together in Ireland) while in the gap I had Common Sandpiper, Willow Warbler, Sand Martin and Raven. A walk around the National Park in Killarney yielded Woodcock, Chiffchaff, Coal tit, Great tit, Blue tit, Swift, Treecreeper, Blackcap, Dipper and many more of the usual suspects. Not only were there birds, I also had plenty of mammals with Badger, Red Deer, Fallow Deer and bats being the highlight of the park and Grey Seals on the Skelligs. So why not head to Kerry for a spot of birding! Go on, you know you want to!

Carrigkerry Co Limerick

I managed a spin up the west hills of Limerick on Sunday in search of Cuckoo. I found 4 birds in total along with 3 Whitethroats, 4 Bullfinches,30+ Willow Warblers, several Chiffchaffs and a female Croosbill,a parent Medow Pipit with a chick and Male stonechat while further a field I had a pair of nesting Little Grebe. So another great days Limerick birding.

Whitethroat

Female Bullfinch

Male Bullfinch

Cuckoo

Another view of the Whitethroat

Little Grebe

Juvenile Medow Pipit

Mr Fox

Seen as I`ve been struggling to get out birding these last few weeks, I had some spare time yesterday. But by god was it miserable, it rained and rained. I headed for Co Clare in search of a pair of Garganey which had been seen in Ballyallia lake. But there was no sign of them when I got there. I did have a Fox which seemed a little intrested in a flock of feral Greylag geese. But the geese had him well spotted and headed for the lake. I also had Swallow, Swift, Sandmartin, and House martins, along with Raven, Greycrow, Jackdaw, Rook, Sparrow Hawk, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Bullfinch, juvenile Robin, Chaffinch and Greenfinch. While Great Crested and Little Grebe were busy fishing on the lake and Coot and Moorhen were rustling in among the reeds. On the river Fergus a Grey heron was having a snooze after a feed of eels and small fish. So given the rain it was still an ok evenings birding.

This little guy was keeping a close eye on me.

Mr Fox making his mind up after been spotted.

Ok nothing doing here, time to head off!

I`ll be back.

One of this years Robin chicks out in the big bad world by himself.

Grey Heron having a rest.

Birding in Portugal

Well Limerick Birder took a trip to Portugal for a weeks birding. I spent the week in the Algarve and Alentejo regions. I had 31 life ticks among 128 species. Birds seen were, Great-Crested Grebe,Little Grebe, Gannet, Great Cormorant, European Shag, Cattle Egret, Little Egret,Little Bittern, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, White Stork, Eurasian Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Shelduck, Mallard, Gadwall, Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, Shoveler, Griffon Vulture, Booted Eagle, Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Black-winged Kite, Montagu`s Harrier, Common Buzzard, Lesser Kestrel, Peregrine, Red-legged Partridge, Purple Gallinule, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Great Bustard, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Curlew, Stone Curlew, Collard Pratincole, Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Sanderling, Turnstone, Dunling, Little Stint, Red Knot, Common Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Sandwich Tern, Caspian Tern, Whiskered Tern, Little Tern, Rock Dove, Fearl Pigeon, Common Woodpigeon,Collard Dove, European Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Little Owl, Common Swift, Eurasian Hoopoe, European Bee-eater, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Woodlark, Calandra Lark, Crested Lard, Eurasian Crag Martin, Barn Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Common House Martin, Tawny Pipit, Iberian Yellow Wagtail, Common Nightingale, European Robin, Black Redstart, Common Stonechat, Common Blackbird, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Sardinian Warbler Spectacled Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Cetti`s Warbler, European Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Mistle Thrush, Short-toed Treecreeper, Woodchat Shrike, Great Grey Shrike, Azure-winged Magpie, Common Magpie, Golden Oriole, Western Jackdaw, Chough, Common Raven, European Starling, Spotless Starling, House Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, European Greenfinch, Black-headed Weaver, European Serin, Cirl Bunting, Corn Bunting, Common Waxbill, So I`ve attached some of my favourite photos to share with ye. I hope you like them.

Hoopoe

Zitting Cisticola

Nightingale

Audouins Gull

Avocet

A pair of Little Bitterns

Little Tern

Sardinian Warbler

Spoonbill

Purple Gallinule

Azure-winged Magpie

White Stork

Black-headed Weaver

Yellow legged Gull

Cragg Martin

Calandra Lark

Griffon Vulture

Little Owl

Montagu`s Harrier

Spotless Starling

Spectacled Warbler

Short-toed Treecreeper

Tawny Pipit

Woodchat Shrike

Bee-eaters

Corn Bunting

Stonechat

Waxbill

Turtle Dove

Black-winged Kite

Common Sandpiper

Serin

Cirl Bunting

Melodious Warbler

Black Redstart

Black-winged Stilt.

Red-crested Pochard.

Great Reed Warbler.

Red-rumped Swallow.