| Mayo Branch (Birdwatch Ireland) |
| Monday, 06 April 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mayo Branch of BirdWatch Ireland
Mayo Branch of BirdWatch IrelandApril 2009 UpdateTo receive (or
stop receiving) this Monthly Update by email, see details at the end
of this Update THE CORNCRAKES
HAVE LANDED! (See below) Upcoming Events / Surveys: All are free of charge and
open to all, however Outdoor Events are subject to weather conditions,
so please check before you travel and wear appropriate clothing.
7.30 pm in Beleek Woods, near Ballina. Meet in the Car Park for a walk in the woods to listen to the dusk chorus. No dogs please. There will be a Public Talk about Birdsong before the walk at 6.30pm sharp in the Merry Monk on the Killala Road, Ballina. This will start punctually to ensure the Dusk Chorus Walk after it starts on time. Details Ruth 087-643-2340 /
094-9257841 (eves / w/e) Sun 17 May: Dawn Chorus Walk led by Eoin McGreal in Brackloon Woods, Westport. Meet at The Octagon, Westport at 4.40am sharp, or at Brackloon Woods at 5am (the entrance just off the Leenane Road). No dogs please. Once again, BirdWatch Ireland will be linking up live with the Mooney show on RTÉ Radio1 on the morning. This walk will also include examining the contents of Moth Traps (weather permitting) Details Wendy 086 3382808 or
098 21019. All the above are/will be advertised on the Branch website: www.birdwatchmayo.org For other events and information, see website, local press or contact us directly. Corncrakes – Tim Gordon (BWI’s Corncrake Field Worker) is back at work in West Connaught. The first Corncrakes usually arrive in the third week of April, but one has already arrived on Turbot!!! So, if you hear one please report it. As the Corncrake Hotline number is not yet in operation, reports can be sent to Wendy and she will pass them on to Tim.(Wendy’s Tel No. 098 211019 or 086 3382 808)April/May – Bird Atlas - the first Breeding Survey of tetrads. Roving records are very welcome and are essential to help fill in the gaps. If you need Roving Records forms, ask Wendy.BirdWatch Ireland Courses 2009 (on Cape Clear Island, Co Cork)
Dates: 25/26 April, 16/17 May, 14/15 June, 27/28 June, 25/26 July, 22/23 Aug, 19/20 Sept
Contact BWI Head Office in Wicklow 01 2819878 or check out their website: www.birdwatchireland.ieIrish Wetland Bird Survey – this finished in March, so please remember to return your data to Helen Boland or your local co-ordinator. Garden Bird Survey – please return your data ASAP to BWI Head Office (it should have been in by the end of March!Barn OwlsThese magnificent farmland birds have declined by over 50% in their population during the past 25 years and are therefore a Red-listed Bird of Conservation Concern In Ireland. They are also listed as a Species of European Conservation Concern (SPEC3) having an unfavourable conservation status in Europe. BWI are currently looking for all Barn Owl sightings, or previous sightings, for Co Mayo. Please let us have them as soon as possible as they are currently being surveyed in Mayo. John Lusby and David Watson (BWI) will monitor these over the coming months. More on this project can be seen at: http://www.birdwatchireland. Spring MigrantsPlease send us in your earliest
reports
Countryside Bird Survey Squares are available at:
If you are interested in taking on a square this spring, please let Dick Coombes know on: 01 2819 878 or rcoombes@ If you are unable to survey your square this year, let him know now so that he can reallocate it. Spring Alive BirdLife International and BirdWatch IrelandPlease record your first sightings of the Barn Swallow, Common Swift and Common Cuckoo through the Spring Alive website: The following is a message from Niall Hatch (Development Officer with BWI): ‘It’s Spring Alive time again, and we are keen to ensure that there is a good response in Ireland again this year. For those of you who haven’t come across the project before, Spring Alive is a pan-European citizen science initiative, aimed primarily at children but open to everyone. We ask people to submit their first records of Swallow, Swift, Cuckoo and (though not very relevant to Ireland) White Stork, and these records then feed into a Europe-wide mapping system that is viewed by schools. You can read more about it all on page 23 of the current issue of Wings. BirdWatch Ireland has achieved an excellent Spring Alive success rate over the past couple of years, and obviously this is something that we are keen to continue. There has also been a good uptake amongst teachers across the country, and the project website now represents perhaps the best information resource on migratory birds for schools, both in English and in Irish. I would ask you all
to please submit your first county sightings of each of the above species
at www.springalive.net, and also to get your friends and
families to do the same. Please also promote it at your Branch events,
as well as to any teachers you may know. The project counts observers,
not birds, so if a group of 5 people all see the same Swallow, for example,
that counts as 5 records, not 1’. Bird watching on Inishbofin May 22-24 2009 (I have been asked to include this information by the hotel – contact them directly, as we do not have any involvement with the weekend) This weekend will be led by Anthony McGeehan, starting when you get off Friday’s 11.30am ferry and finishing when you catch Sunday’s 5pm ferry. It will include Corncrake walk and talk, breeding birds of the island, a possible boat trip (costs extra) and I presume any other birds that drop in! B & B, lunch and dinner at the Dolphin Hotel. Cost €350 pps. Suitable for all levels of ability. Bring binoculars, walking shoes and waterproof gear. Also sun-screen, as it can be surprisingly hot on Inishbofin! Contact: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it phone the Dolphin Hotel on 095 45991 Recent Sightings/Reports: - Spring Migrants have started to arrive!(The following are as they are submitted to us – so may not have been verified. Remember to report rarities to the appropriate group. Apologies for any I have missed – please let me know) 5 Mar Willow Warbler singing at Cornfield near Hollymount (C Benson) 4 Mar 286 Light-bellied Brent (some ringed) and 14 Sand Martin seen at Lecanvey – winter meets summer! The Brent were feeding furiously in preparation for their long-haul flight (which should be happening very soon) and the Martin were prospecting for nests (W Stringer) 3 Apr 100 Swallow, 10 Whooper Swans, 40 Tufted Duck and Willow Warbler at Lough Cullin – more ‘summer meeting winter’ (S Meaney) 1 Apr 1 first-year Gyr Falcon at Annagh Head on the Mullet – was seen here before on 15 and 17 March (D Suddaby) 31 Mar 1 Spotted Redshank at the southern end of Cross Lough on the Mullet (M Reilly) 30 Mar 1 (possibly 2) Corncrake heard on Inisturbot – the first of the season and a very early bird – most will probably not arrive for another two weeks (via T Gordon) 29 Mar Swallow seen near Killala – the first reported for the season (M Kenney) 27 Mar Sandwich Terns at Bertra Beach, Murrisk –first report of the season (D McLoughlin) 22 Mar 2 Buzzards and 1 Wheatear at Lough Furnace, Newport (L McElderry) 22 Mar 270 Golden Plover at Lough Nagelia, near Killawalla (W Stringer) 21 Mar Chiffchaff singing at Cornfield, near Hollymount – first of the season (C Benson) 20 Mar Wheatear at Lough Roonah, west of Louisburgh – first of the season (E McGreal) 20 Mar Sand Martins at Carrowmore, west of Louisburgh – first of the season (E McGreal) 19 Mar 1 Buzzard at Cornfield, and 100 Whooper Swans, 300 Golden Plover at Cloongowla, both near Ballinrobe (C Benson) 18 Mar Willow Warbler at Furnace, Newport (G Rogan) 17 Mar 279 Brent at Mulranny – Barnacle geese were also in the area (L McElderry) 17 Mar Gyr Falcon seen again in the Annagh Head area of the Mullet (M Reilly) 16 Mar 2 Red Grouse and 2 Grey Wagtail at Sheskin (B Murphy) 16 Mar 1 Snow Goose with a small flock of Greylags at Termoncarragh. Also approximately 40 Twite at Termoncarragh on the Mullet (M Casey) 16 Mar 6 1st winter Glaucous Gull and 2 1st winter Iceland Gull at Annagh Beach, the Mullet 15 Mar 1 Gyr Falcon (juvenile white phase) at Annagh Beach on the Mullet (P Lonergan) See Pat’s excellent photos on: www.irish birding.com 15 Mar 1 Snow Goose on the Mullet – has been here for a few months (D Breen) 12 Mar 1 Little Egret on the tidal marsh at Murrisk, Clew Bay (D Cabot) 12 Mar 1 adult Glaucous Gull, Corragaun Lough, nr. Killadoon. Unusual here, present since 6th March and feeding on carrion (D Cabot) 06 Mar 1 Iceland Gull, Achill Sound (C Benson) 05 Mar 100+ Whooper Swans, Cloongowla, Ballinrobe (C Benson) 02 Mar Waxwings seen feeding in Ballina Town (M Gawley) 02 Mar 1 leucistic (probable) Blackbird at Bollinblanna, Currane (B Hoban) 02 Mar 1 Mediterranean Gull and 1 Black Brant at Westport Quay (W Stringer) 02 Mar 1 Snow Goose (white phase) at Termoncarragh on the Mullet (N Warnock) 01 Mar Ring-necked Duck at Carrowmore Lake near Bangor (N Warnock) 27 Feb 2 Iceland Gull (1st
and 2nd winter) at Batchelor’s Walk, Ballina (J Donnelly) Branch Contact Details: John Milroy (Chair) 086 8449113 Wendy Stringer (Sec/Newsletter) 086 3382808 or 098 21019 or Postal Address: Wendy Stringer, Knappagh, Westport, Co Mayo Ruth-Ann Leak (Treasurer/Website) 087 6432340 or 094 9257841 (eve or w/e) Ger Rogan (PRO) 087 6788699 Keep an eye on our website for future events, news and sightings, or to send in sightings: Email Address: ` birdwatchmayo@ Website address: www.birdwatchmayo. This Newsletter is available by email – just send your email address and let us know that you want to receive it (or stop receiving it) to: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||