Inishmore October 2015 Part One

I just spent a week out on Inishmore, 11th to 17th October. The Arctic Warbler was by far the best bird I had during the week. Otherwise it was pretty quiet with about eight to nine Yellow-browed Warblers, 1 Lapland Bunting and long staying and unseen Reed Warbler being about the best of the lot.
While Inishmore has probably become best known for it's American passerines in recent years that possiblity just wasn't going to happen during my week. Ireland has been stuck in a high pressure system for the last while so if it was going to happen it was going to come from the east. I can't exactly complain about a self found Arctic Warbler I suppose! The high pressure resulted in unseasonably good weather. For the first time ever I didn't have a single drop of rain all week. While the wind never reached gale force it did get a little strong towards the end of the week and first time you could really feel the winter chill in the wind.

Yellow-browed Warbler

Yellow-browed Warbler

Yellow-browed Warbler

Yellow-browed Warbler

Chiffchaff

Dunnock

Dunnock

Robin

Robin

Blackbird

Fieldfares

Meadow Pipit

Pied Wagtail

Chough

Adult and young Woodpigeon.

Rock Doves

Goldfinch, one of the 4.4 million of them on the island along with Linnets which were even more numerous!

 

Redpoll



Linnet

Lapland Bunting

 

Inishbofin 11th Nov 2014

A selection of birds out on Inishbofin from last week. Nothing too unusual out there on the day - 2 Greenfinch, female Eider, 3 Chiffchaffs and oddly a full summer plumaged Sanderling.



Grey Heron



Sanderling and Ringed Plover



Summer plumaged Sanderling on 11th November?!



Lesser Black-backed, Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls.

Female and male Blackbird



Song Thrush

Dunnock

Chiffchaff behind bars!

Male Stonechat



European Starling

 

Random October 2014 pics

A collection of shots taken over the last two or three weeks mostly on Inishmore.

Common Sandpiper, Inishmore, 5th October 2014.

Rock Pipit, Inishmore, 7th October 2014.

Dunnock, Inishmore, 9th October 2014.

Dunnock, Inishmore, 9th October 2014.

 

Robin, Inishmore, 10th October 2014.

Robin, Inishmore, 10th October 2014.

Wren, Inishmore, 9th October 2014.

Wren, Inishmore, 9th October 2014.

Hooded Crow, Inishmore, 9th October 2014.

Hooded Crow mobbing Kestrel, Inishmore, 9th October 2014.

Hooded Crow mobbing Kestrel, Inishmore, 9th October 2014.

Hooded Crow mobbing Kestrel, Inishmore, 9th October 2014.

Hooded Crow mobbing Kestrel, Inishmore, 9th October 2014.

Hooded Crow mobbing Kestrel, Inishmore, 9th October 2014.

Grey looking juvenile Little Stint, Rusheen Bay, 12th October 2014 (no palmations seen in the field).

More typical bright juvenile Little Stint, Rusheen Bay, 12th October 2014.

Adult Kittiwake with what looks like a red seaweed of sorts, Barna, 18th October 2014.

First-winter Kittiwake with Sprat, Barna, 18th October 2014.

 

Slyne again

I got back down to Slyne Head on Friday. Much the same line-up as on Wednesday. One new bird was a Lesser Whitethroat. It only showed briefly but it looks interesting from the shots. The nape and crown are brown and don't contrast with the mantle. The ear coverts weren't very dark and the upperparts are sandy brown. Could it possibility be one of the eastern races? Unfortunately as I didn't see it in profile so I couldn't see if it was particularly short winged or long tailed nor could I see if it had much white in the outer tail feathers (looks like it may have white one the other tail feathres from below in the last shot here?). I also never heard it call either :-(