Great Yellow Bumblebee in Galway at last!

Still very quiet here in Connemara wader-wise. Haven't seen a Ruff, Curlew Sand or Little Stint yet never mind a Yank! Hopefully that should change from next week. A few details on a few colour ringed Sanderlings I've recently received from Jeroen Reneerkens.
Probably the highlight for myself came today in finally managing to rediscover a population of Great Yellow Bumblebee on mainland Galway. Last recorded in 1972, quite close to where I saw at least three individuals today near Ballyconneely. I've been doing a transect as part of the Bumblebee Monitoring Scheme every month since April. It involves walking a 2km transect through machair and old traditional cattle grazed meadows. It's a little strange how after visiting the same site six times now, how I've only just seen the species?


Colourcode: G1RRRW  Ring number: NT60905  
Name Ringer: Gunnar Þór Hallgrímsson 2nd Ringer: Jeroen Reneerkens 
Date Catch: 10/05/2011   Catching Place: Sandgerði, "second beach", Iceland.
Sightings of this bird:

• Date(d/m/y) Place Observer 2nd Observer 3rd Observer
• 04/08/2011 Omey Island, Clifden Co. Galway, Ireland 53.32.20 N 10.09.50 W Dermot Breen.
• 22/08/2011 Omey Island, Clifden Co. Galway, Ireland 53.32.20 N 10.09.50 W Dermot Breen.
• 29/08/2011 Omey Island, Clifden Co. Galway, Ireland 53.32.20 N 10.09.50 W Dermot Breen.
• 31/08/2011 Omey Island, Clifden Co. Galway, Ireland 53.32.20 N 10.09.50 W Dermot Breen.
• 04/09/2011 Omey Island, Clifden Co. Galway, Ireland 53.32.20 N 10.09.50 W Dermot Breen.
• 01/11/2011 Omey Island, Clifden Co. Galway, Ireland 53.32.20 N 10.09.50 W Dermot Breen.
• 31/05/2012 Siglingamerki, Sandgerði, Iceland 64.01.49 N 22.42.47 W Jelle Loonstra
• 13/08/2012 Omey Island, Clifden Co. Galway, Ireland 53.32.20 N 10.09.50 W Dermot Breen
• 20/08/2012 Omey Island, Clifden Co. Galway, Ireland 53.32.20 N 10.09.50 W Dermot Breen
• 30/07/2013 Omey Island, Clifden Co. Galway, Ireland 53.32.20 N 10.09.50 W Dermot Breen
• 03/09/2013 Omey Island, Clifden Co. Galway, Ireland 53.32.20 N 10.09.50 W Dermot Breen.

G1RRRW, Omey Strand.

Colourcode:W6RRYY   Ring number: H321318    

Name Ringer: Jeroen Reneerkens 2nd Ringer: Jelle Loonstra

Date Catch: 22/11/2011   Catching Place: Iwik village, Banc d' Arguin, Mauritania.

Sightings of this bird:

• Date(d/m/y) Place Observer 2nd Observer 3rd Observer
• 25/11/2011 Iwik village, Banc d' Arguin , Mauritania 19.52.40 N 16.18.11 W, Jeroen Reneerkens.
• 26/11/2011 Iwik village, Banc d' Arguin , Mauritania 19.52.40 N 16.18.11 W, Jeroen Reneerkens.
• 28/11/2011 Iwik village, Banc d' Arguin , Mauritania 19.52.40 N 16.18.11 W Jeroen Reneerkens.
• 28/11/2011 Ebel Kheaiznaya, Banc d' Arguin, Mauritania 19.53.56 N 16.18.35 WJan van Dijk
• 30/11/2011 Iwik village, Banc d' Arguin, Mauritania 19.52.40 N 16.18.11 W Stef Waasdorp.
• 11/12/2012 Ebel Kheaiznaya, Banc d' Arguin, Mauritania 19.53.56 N 16.18.35 W Jan F. de Jong.
• 12/12/2012 Ebel Kheaiznaya, Banc d' Arguin, Mauritania 19.53.56 N 16.18.35 W Harry Horn.
• 13/12/2012 Ebel Kheaiznaya, Banc d' Arguin, Mauritania 19.53.56 N 16.18.35 W Harry Horn.
• 14/12/2012 Ebel Kheaiznaya, Banc d' Arguin, Mauritania 19.53.56 N 16.18.35 W Harry Horn.
• 09/01/2013 Ebel Kheaiznaya, fish processing, Banc d'  Arguin, Mauritania 19.53.18 N 16.18.44 W Camilo Carneiro.
• 26/05/2013 Pointe de Mousterlin, Fouesnant, Finistère, France 47.50.54 N 04.02.05 W, Sebastien Nedellec.
• 27/05/2013 Pointe de Mousterlin, Fouesnant, Finistère, France 47.50.54 N 04.02.05 W Michel le Bloas.
• 26/07/2013 Gortnagarryan Strand, Emlagh, Louisburgh Ireland 53.44.37 N 09.53.44 W Dermot Breen.
• 31/07/2013 Lividic, Plounéour-Trez, France 48.40.02 N 04.18.25 W Pierre Leon.

W6RRYY, Gortnagarryan Strand, Co. Mayo.

Colourcode: G1GRGG   Ringnumber: 897177

Name Ringer: Gunnar Þór Hallgrímsson   2nd Ringer: Jeroen Reneerkens

Date Catch: 19/05/2011   Catching Place: Siglingamerki, Sandgerði, Iceland.

Sightings of this bird:

• Date(d/m/y) Place Observer 2nd Observer 3rd Observer
• 19/05/2011 Siglingamerki, Sandgerði, Iceland, Gunnar Þór Hallgrímsson  64.01.49 N 22.42.47 W, Jeroen Reneerkens.
• 19/05/2011 Siglingamerki, Sandgerði, Iceland Gunnar Þór Hallgrímsson,  64.01.49 N 22.42.47 W, Jeroen Reneerkens.
• 19/08/2012 Gortnagarryan Strand, Emlagh, Louisburgh, Ireland, 53.44.37 N 09.53.44 W, Dermot Breen.
• 18/10/2012 Bunlough strand, Louisburgh, Ireland, 53 44.2 N 09 54.9 W, Eoin McGreal.
• 01/09/2013 Gortnagarryan Strand, Emlagh, Louisburgh, Ireland, 53.44.37 N 09.53.44 W, Dermot Breen.



G1GRGG, Gortnagarryan Strand.  



Great Yellow Bumblebee

Great Yellow Bumblebee

Male Red-tailed Bumblebee

Bane of machair in Ireland - bloody golfers. Not very helpful when trying to find an AGP, Dotterel or Buff-breast. I wouldn't mind but there's a golf course only 2 miles away - grrr!!

Autumn Lady's Tresses