Glaucous Gull & Ring-necked Duck

While in Achill on Sunday this adult Glaucous Gull was feeding on titbits coming off the Fin Whale. It wasn't too concerned about the people who were there to see the whale. It's a pity it wasn't a Ivory Gull though! The weather was atrocious but at least it showed at close range. I think this was the first Glaucous Gull I've seen this winter, don't think we've had any yet in Galway so far, should be a few on the way shortly though.
The long staying/returning drake Ring-necked Duck was also at Lough Doo on the NE corner of the island.

 

 

Achill Fin Whale and Common Dolphin

This male Fin Whale live stranded on the Keel beach on Achill Island, Co. Mayo on Christmas Eve. It died shortly afterwards. It's about 17 metres long. Unfortunately when an animal of this size accidently/purposely strands itself there's nothing that can be done practically to save them or even humanely dispatch them (though I think I heard of a technique in USA where they sometimes apply shaped explosive charges to the heads to euthanize stranded large whales!).
A bit more information on this stranding here on the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group website http://www.iwdg.ie/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2450:fin-whale-live-stranded-on-achill-island
The weather was absolutely horrendous as it has been almost without fail here now for two weeks straight.
Less than a 100 metres away from the Fin Whale there was also a dead Common Dolphin, an amazing coincidence. It had washed up dead two days previous to the Fin Whale. Cetaceans of this size can be refloated but usually when they strand themselves they are normally in very poor health or even terminally ill. I've heard of horror stories of people who try to refloat large cetaceans by pulling them back into the water with machinery, only to break their spines or seriously maim the poor animal in the process.

With an adult Glaucous Gull in attendance.

 

 

 

Large gulls at Nimmo's

Some shots of first-winter European Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls from Nimmo's Pier on Sunday, mainly to show the variation of birds present on the day.
Lesser Black-backed Gulls are probably rarer than Iceland Gulls here in Galway during the winter. Surprising given how many winter along the South coast of Ireland each winter.

First-winter Herring Gull, Nimmo's Pier 15th December 2013.

First-winter Herring Gull, Nimmo's Pier 15th December 2013.

First-winter Herring Gull, Nimmo's Pier 15th December 2013.



First-winter Herring Gull, Nimmo's Pier 15th December 2013.

 

First-winter Herring Gull, Nimmo's Pier, 15th December 2013. Interesting looking bird, almost American Herring like in some respects with a whitish head and upper breast which contrasts with a brown neck shawl. It has dropped all its median coverts for some reason which reveals the solid mud brown bases to the greater coverts.

Juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull, Nimmo's Pier, 15th December 2013. This bird has previously been reported as an intermedius by some just on account of its unmoulted scapulars, that's a new on me..?!

Juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull, Nimmo's Pier, 15th December 2013.

Juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull, Nimmo's Pier, 15th December 2013. A second smaller bird also with unmoulted juvenile scapulars.

Juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull, Nimmo's Pier, 15th December 2013. A second smaller bird also with unmoulted juvenile scapulars.

 

Terns & Gulls

Some shots from mostly Nimmo's Pier over the last month or so.

There are currently at least seven Sandwich Terns hanging around Nimmo's again this winter. They've been wintering here now for the last two decades. In amongst the seven there is a first-winter which are unusual here during the winter. On top of this it is also colour ringed with a red ring. Unfortunately it looks like the ring may be damaged already as I haven't managed to fully read it on the three times I've seen it. The first digit is a U but after that it becomes unclear. However we do know that it was ringed on the Inner Farne Islands, Northumberland, UK. Nice to know where some of our winter Sandwich Terns originate from at least. It has also replaced a lot of the juvenile feathers on the lesser and median coverts in the last month.
I've often thought that if we can get Forster's Tern here maybe we could get a Cabot's Tern some day?
The winter has gotten off to a decent start for white-winged gulls here in Galway with three first-winter and a second-winter Iceland along with the second-winter and adult "Kumlien's" Gull here so far. Most white-wingers don't traditionally show up until after New Years here. With all these violet weather systems making their way across the Atlantic there may well be even more on the way, fingers crossed.



Adult Forster's Tern, Nimmo's Pier, 4th December 2013.

Adult Forster's Tern, Nimmo's Pier, 4th December 2013.



 

Adult Forster's Tern, Nimmo's Pier, 4th December 2013.

 

First-winter Sandwich Tern, Nimmo's Pier, 16th November 2013.

 

Close-up of the colour ring.

Adult Sandwich Tern, Nimmo's Pier, 16th November 2013.

Adult Sandwich Tern, Nimmo's Pier, 16th November 2013.

Adult Sandwich Tern, Nimmo's Pier, 16th November 2013.

First-winter Ring-billed Gull, Nimmo's Pier, 4th December 2013.

 

First-winter Iceland Gull, Waterside, 15th December 2013.

First-winter Iceland Gull, Rinvyle Point, 16th December 2013.

First-winter Iceland Gull, Rinvyle Point, 16th December 2013.

Common Seals and Otter

Some shots of Common Seals down in Mannin Bay from last week. Amazing to see the variation in colours. Otter also nearby, poor shot as I was facing into the sun at the time.

 

Goa Part 3

White-browed Fantail

Black-headed Cuckoo-shrike

Blue-faced Malkoha

White-cheeked Barbet

Malabar Lark

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Green Bee-eater

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater