Had a very productive weekend up in the North West over the weekend with Hugh Delaney. I met up with Hugh in Sligo and we headed North from there. The Lissadell Goose Field was the first stop of the day. A few hundred Barnacles and an assortment of duck were present but not the hoped for Cackling Goose. We moved onto the Ballintemple/Ballyconnell and found a smallish flock of Barnies just to the South East of the main crossroads and thankfully one of the Cackling Geese was present. It was a dark bird with no contrast between the breast and the flanks and also had a prominent white half collar at the base of the back neck sock. I didn't note if it had a black chin strap or not. The whole flock was quickly
purposely flushed by a farmer from the fields behind and although most of the flock relocated to the West we didn't see the Cackling again. I didn't manage any shots but it looks very like the same bird here http://www.sligobirding.com/October2012Gallery.html
We continued North from here and stopped off at Tullaghan, Co. Leitrim to have a look for the American Wigeon. Derek Charles and Majella Callaghan had seen the bird already on the day so we knew it was about. We eventually picked it up amongst the rock pools at the outflow of the Drowes River with close to 30 Eurasian Wigeon. There were a few features that seemed a little odd at the time like the soft head pattern and a slightly darker breast but I think this may have been down to the dull light conditions and distance. I wouldn't think there are many previous records for County Leitrim of American Wigeon. The river here forms the border between Leitrim and Donegal and it has been seen on the Donegal side also.
I wanted to have a look at Killybegs given how scarce white-winged gulls have been in Galway so far this winter. I had yet to see either Iceland or Glaucous so far in 2013. One the way we past the first of four speed camera vans that we past in our 24 hours in Donegal - bit of overkill me thinks!
Killybegs was relatively quiet even though there were a few large trawlers offloading their catches. Most gulls were distant, Nimmo's Pier it isn't. In the end we saw about two first-winter, two second-winter and one third-winter Icelands, two first-winter and one second-winter Glaucous Gulls. The third-winter Iceland had some dark pigmentation to the subterminal part of the outer primaries but it failed to show much contrast between the outer and inner primaries so probably best left as Iceland. It did however show brown freckling to irides. Derek had a few more Icelands and Glaucous and also a first-winter Kumlien's Gull.
We had just enough time to visit Sheskinmore Lake for the white phase Snow Goose. We stumbled on the Snow Goose in the company of around two dozen Greenland White-fronted and a single Barnacle Goose in the field just between the pokey little bird hide and the lake itself. I don't think it's the same Snow Goose I found at Inch Island the previous winter on size as this bird was definitely smaller than the GWF's. The Inch bird approached Greylags in size. We had a quick look at Narin to finish off the day but no sign of the usual Long-tailed Ducks in the surf nor the flock of Barnacles out on Inishkeel.
The next morning found us on the causeway out to Inch Island. Just as we got out of the car an Otter surfaced right next to the road but disappeared promptly. Hugh quickly picked up the Bittern in amongst the reeds on the island side where it showed on and off for an hour and a half. This was the first Bittern I've managed to see on the ground in Ireland. Amazingly to see how quickly it would disappear behind such a small amount of vegetation once it stopped moving. We also had great views of the presumed returning male Smew from here but the light was dire and when it improved we were looking straight into the sun. We had a male Smew around an hour later at the other end of the lake. Hard to know if it was the same bird as earlier. Inch has had several Smew down through the years. There was a good flock of Whoopers and Greylags out on the levels with a flock of 15 Pink-feet being the best in amongst them.
We also had a look for the Cattle Egret at Saint Johnstown. It certainly wasn't present while we there although it returned a few days later. Nice to see a few Tree Sparrows here mixed in with the flock of Chaffinches. It's one in big demand for Galway listers with no known resident flocks in the county anymore.
Blanket Nook was also checked. We had a few feral Canada Geese with a small flock of Greylags in the fields on the way down which proved to be our eighth goose species of the weekend, not bad! While the lagoon was all quiet there was the usual Slavonian Grebes far offshore, at least half a dozen. Big Isle had a few hundred Greenland White-fronted Geese. On the way home we quickly checked Murvagh in Donegal Bay. Only a handful of distant Common Scoters there. We had checked Rossnowlagh on the way up the previous day and had no Scoter at all. Last site of the day was Rath Lough just inland of Ballintra. I've had Goosander here in the past but not today. There were some reported very nearby the same day that we only later heard of.
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| Barnacle Geese |
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| Barnacle Geese |
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| Barnacle Geese |
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| First-winter Common Buzzard |
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| First-winter Common Buzzard |
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| Third-winter Iceland Gull |
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| Third-winter Iceland Gull |
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| Second-winter Glaucous Gull |
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| Male Smew |
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| Male Smew |
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| Bittern |
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| Bittern |
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| Bittern |
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