Despite the gale-force winds today, managed to get out to Strangford Lough, and spotted the first GPS collared bird (see earlier blog items) of the season, 27ON (Orange/Black(Noir)), at the Maltings. All the birds were struggling to stand up, so I was unable to observe much on its behaviour. Interestingly, also present was the leucistic brent which had been observed last winter, which has a pale back - looks a real oddity!
It was nice to note today that five out of the seventeen ringed birds read had broods of between three and five young trailing after them!!
A couple more reports have come in of first sightings - one of four birds at Killough Harbour yesterday, from Owen Hegarty, and another of seven today at the Gann Estuary, Pembrokeshire from Derek Grimwood.
Sunday, 11 September 2016
Friday, 9 September 2016
STILL LOOKING LIKE A REASONABLE BREEDING YEAR....
A couple more emails from different places appear to confirm hopeful signs...
Robin Vage, reporting from Belfast Lough at Kinnegar, at lunch-time today had 32 brent, equally split between adults and juveniles.
Broods were: 2 x 1 juv., 1 x 2 juvs., 4 x 3 juvs.
Then, in came the first record from Dublin, observed at dusk last night, of a single family which included 1 juvenile. This record, including supportive photos, came from Twilight Plunkett.
I was out myself today at the north end of Strangford Lough. The birds are already becoming more dispersed, with significant numbers encountered further south, and rings read, at Pig Island and the Gasworks. Whilst the big flocks out in the middle seldom hold large numbers of juveniles, the latter were very much in evidence around the margins, and particularly adjacent to stream outfalls, with broods of up to 5 juveniles being seen.
Robin Vage, reporting from Belfast Lough at Kinnegar, at lunch-time today had 32 brent, equally split between adults and juveniles.
Broods were: 2 x 1 juv., 1 x 2 juvs., 4 x 3 juvs.
Then, in came the first record from Dublin, observed at dusk last night, of a single family which included 1 juvenile. This record, including supportive photos, came from Twilight Plunkett.
I was out myself today at the north end of Strangford Lough. The birds are already becoming more dispersed, with significant numbers encountered further south, and rings read, at Pig Island and the Gasworks. Whilst the big flocks out in the middle seldom hold large numbers of juveniles, the latter were very much in evidence around the margins, and particularly adjacent to stream outfalls, with broods of up to 5 juveniles being seen.
Thursday, 8 September 2016
HOPEFULLY A GOOD SIGN...
Reports coming in of rings read have been rather sparse to date, and I haven't, with one thing or another, been able to get out myself, looking at Strangford Lough (hope to change this tomorrow, weather permitting!!).
Today, however, I have received two bits of news which provide hope that it might have been a good breeding season.
Firstly, Dave Suddaby, from Birdwatch Ireland, reporting from his home patch on The Mullet, County Mayo, had a flock of 21 geese yesterday (07/09/16) which included 3 ringed birds. Perhaps even of more interest (could this be for me?) was the fact that this flock contained 8 juveniles!!
Then, tonight, Cameron Moore from Whitehead, County Antrim, who records and takes excellent photos or videos of colour-ringed birds, phoned me to say that he has had unusually high (for this stage of the autumn) numbers of brent geese flying high over Larne Lough, presumably heading for Strangford Lough, since last Saturday (03/09/16). Today, however, a flock of 69 geese actually came in and landed near the causeway on to Islandmagee, and he records that, as well as an unread ringed BY bird being present, he noted particularly good numbers of juveniles.
So, watch this space!!
Today, however, I have received two bits of news which provide hope that it might have been a good breeding season.
Firstly, Dave Suddaby, from Birdwatch Ireland, reporting from his home patch on The Mullet, County Mayo, had a flock of 21 geese yesterday (07/09/16) which included 3 ringed birds. Perhaps even of more interest (could this be for me?) was the fact that this flock contained 8 juveniles!!
Then, tonight, Cameron Moore from Whitehead, County Antrim, who records and takes excellent photos or videos of colour-ringed birds, phoned me to say that he has had unusually high (for this stage of the autumn) numbers of brent geese flying high over Larne Lough, presumably heading for Strangford Lough, since last Saturday (03/09/16). Today, however, a flock of 69 geese actually came in and landed near the causeway on to Islandmagee, and he records that, as well as an unread ringed BY bird being present, he noted particularly good numbers of juveniles.
So, watch this space!!
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