Dermot Breen's Blog: August 2013

Wednesday, 14 August 2013

Shark fishing trip

I got out with John Brittain of Blue Water Charter Fishing http://seafishingireland.net/ last week on a Blue Shark fishing trip. I managed to last about 2 hours but after that I was completely out of action with seasickness and really couldn't care less what was flying around the boat!
I didn't see a huge amount up to that point anyway save for a few dozen Storm Petrels, a single Sooty Shearwater and 2 Great Skuas. The shark fishermen caught at least half a dozen Blue Sharks all of which were successfully released back.
Can't say I'll be in a hurry to head back out to drift up and down and side wards on a small boat any time soon..

Great Skua

Adult Kittiwake, moulting.

European Storm-Petrel

Juvenile Arctic Tern

Manx Shearwater

Northern Gannet

Wednesday, 7 August 2013

Belmullet August 2013

Headed up to Belmullet to join Declan Manley and co. in ringing Storm Petrels on Saturday night. Didn't have much time for taking shots. I think we had around 300 Stormies and just one Leach's. Have had better and worse nights. Two weeks ago they were up there ringing and over the course of a weekend ringed 1200 Storm Petrels though no Leach's. As a result of extracting petrels from the nets for the majority of the night I got covered in "petrel oil". Clothes are never really the same afterwards no matter how many times you wash them.

One of the highlights of the weekend for me came in the form of finally seeing Great Yellow Bumblebees the following day. This species has been in severe decline in recent years in Ireland. It was formerly recorded here in Galway on Inishbofin and Slyne Head. I've searched these and several other areas of traditional meadow and machair sites but to date haven't found any here. It has been recorded in recent years on the Aran Islands. I didn't come across any on Inisheer while out there a month ago.

We also managed to catch about 4 Twite in the North part of Belmullet from a flock of about 40. Another species that is in serious bother in Ireland, could well be the next breeding species we lose. Only really found in NW Mayo and West Donegal these days.