Ballycotton

Spurred on by my recent lack of bird finds in the city I decided to take a day trip down to Ballycotton. First time! Although it didn’t have quite as many species as it does on other months I was definitely not disappointed. I gave some thought about whether to show the good stuff first in this blog post or whether to leave it until the end. I decided on the latter! 

So...loads of small songbirds around, especially large numbers of stonechat and goldfinch which could be seen pretty much everywhere. Alonside them where occasional linnet, pipit and pied wagtail. The town itself was stuffed to the gills with house sparrows chattering away. Particularly amusing was the sparrow attempting to drag a large piece of plastic into its nest, he succeeded after about ten minutes. 

House sparrow showing off

Stonechat, named thus because its song sounds like small stones being knocked together

A male stonechat, they always seem more cautious then the females

An odd specimen, its throat implies stonechat whilst its eyebrow suggests whinchat. Stone seems more likely

A flock of Goldfinch flocking

A goldfinch sitting on the charred bushes that ruined my pants!

Was hoping for Reed but Sedge warbler is always nice to see too!

Finally got a barn swallow in good light

I kept an eye on the sea and spotted a few gannets and a fulmar along with the usual great cormorants and shags. None of them came anywhere close to me so no good shots, ah well.

Fulmar, he never did come back to be properly photographed

A fairly distant gannet

To my delight I saw two new birds I had never seen before, perhaps I was unlucky before or perhaps I just wasn’t looking. Either way, I was happy. 

Not only is this Yellowhammer a great looking little bird but I also never realized how nice its song is.

Also, this Whitethroat, pity I didn't get a good shot.

I was absolutely ecstatic to spot and photograph not just one but two species of falcon. Kestrels can of coarse be found in Cork city but are rarely approachable, they usually just fly past or perch high up on wires. I watched 8 of them in Ballycotton!

Kestrel, surveying its kingdom!

 

Last but most certainly not least two peregrine falcons on the cliffs gave me quite a show. The peregrine is one of the most widespread falcon species on the planet and with good reason, its aerial abilities are so impressive that it can outrun every other bird with ease. The two individuals I saw where chasing each other and doing some impressive manoeuvres such as turning upside down to accept food from the others talons, very cool.   

It pays to be cautious if you’re a pigeon. Peregrines can strike a bird in mid air at 325 km/h causing near instant death. Just to put that in context Cheetahs have a maximum running speed of only 120 km/h.

All in all a great day, looking forward to returning during the migration season!  

Ravenous wheatears (The Valentia island trip)

Apparently it has been 18 days since I posted, oh well...I have been on holidays to the remote Western side of County Kerry on Valentia island where I stayed for a week to explore the local bird life and wildlife in general. I had intended a trip to the Skellig islands but alas weather conditions and timing got in the way. Still, my findings more than made up for that. 

First off one of the local attractions here is the so called Tetrapod walkway, a well preserved trail of footprints made by one of the first amphibian creatures to walk on land. It’s estimated to be a whopping four hundred million years old and is one of the oldest footprint sites on the planet. Pretty nifty! 

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Valentia is a haven for gulls, this time only great black backed, herring, lesser black backed and kittiwakes where present but I’d imagine that in Winter it gets pretty easy to spot some of their rarer cousins. (Herring top in white, great black backed bottom)

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In the higher areas I had hoped to find and photograph a wheatear. This personal favourite of mine is an undeniably stunning little bird with its black, grey and creamy contrasts. 

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Indeed the rocky areas had an abundance of them. The pair pictured here strayed into my area when a fledgling crash-landed nearby prompting frenzied attempts to lure me away by both parents. A very entertaining experience. The wheatear is a member of the trush family and is comparable in size to a large robin.

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It’s smaller but more colourful cousin the Stonechat could also be found here in the hedgerows and particularly near the lowland bogs.

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In keeping with the theme of small songbirds I managed to find an unusually social sedge warbler which unlike most warblers posed (albeit at a distance) for the camera (below).  Grasshopper warblers too where unusually abundant but entirely unwilling to be photographed. At least I saw one for once!

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On the mountain and the bogs Skylarks (top) where everywhere singing as is their trademark far up in the sky. Meadow pipits (bottom) too where easy to find especially in the bog areas. 

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Last but most definitely not least I discovered 2 pairs of ravens on the island which after noticing my presence started mocking me and flying overhead in what was both a dazzling and slightly nerve wrecking display of crow like power. The raven is the largest European songbird with a wingspan of up to 1.5 meters and a body length of about 65cm. Truly an impressive bird!

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More Valentia stuff tomorrow!