First visit of the year

 

Fieldfare on the walls of Loop Head Lighthouse © John N Murphy

I managed a trip to the Loop today 3rd January with very little about due to the wet day and rough weather prior to my visit. There were up to 500 Fieldfares and 350 Redwings throughout the headland and around the light. One large female Peregrine and a Kestrel were hunting around the lighthouse gardens where a Snipe, 20 Rock Pipits and two Stonechats were evading capture.  Five Razorbills, 18 Kittiwake and 25 Gannet were feeding off the tip with Fulmars and Common Gulls. Over 100 Rock Doves were feeding in a farmyard just east of Crotty's Farm at Cavan Cross.

In Kilbaha there were 8 Chaffinch and two Collared Doves in the gardens with three Great Northern Divers feeding in the harbour.  

Ross Bay had a further two Great Northern Divers, one Greenshank, 25 Turnstone and 60 Oystercatchers. No birds passed the Bridges of Ross.

Cloghaun Lough water levels were very high and waders were pushed up on the land with two Greenshank feeding the flooded back end of the lough along with 35 Curlew, 20 Ringed Plover, 40 Turnstone, 50 Oystercatchers, 6 Snipe, 40 Teal and two Eurasian Wigeon.

(JNM)

New Life on the Headland

A juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Loop Head Lighthouse in October 2023 © John N Murphy

Now that we are in 2024 and I have some time to update this site, its time to try and revamp this blogspot giving New Life to birding on the headland. The Autumn and birding season of 2023 was fairly average at Loop Head. After saying that we did manage a Buff-breasted Sandpiper for a couple of weeks feeding in the grass around the Eire sign in October but he sadly got picked off by one of the many Merlin's passing through the headland during this period. There were two Pied Flycatchers on the headland in autumn and a Turtle Dove. Kilbaha had one Yellow-browed Warbler, one Iberian Yellow Wagtail but the highlight and bird of the season was an American Cliff Swallow on 20th |September, a first time appearance and it was only a 2nd Irish record at that time. Over the coming weeks and months I will be updating this site regularly so anyone visiting the headland with sightings of birds, mammals or anything interesting please let me know and we will share info on this site for all to use.

Bridges Season 2012

Bonxies at the Bridges of Ross © John N Murphy

Monday 27th August 2012

Time: 06:45-10:30 & 14:00-18:30

Weather: F3-4 SW, overcast & clear to start, later sunny, dry & hazy (am). F3 W-SW, sunny, dry & hazy (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Alan Clewes, Paul Flint, Cory Flint, Neal Warnock, Andy Clifton, Malcolm Goodman, Geoff Clewes, Steve Webb, John N Murphy et al.

Barolo’s Shearwater: 1 West @ 15:45 (Niall T. Keogh, Neal Warnock & John N Murphy)

Balearic Shearwater: 1

Sooty Shearwater: 14

Manx Shearwater: 2,500+ (am)

Fulmar: 250+ (am)

Storm Petrel: 10

Common Scoter: 4 males

Great Skua (Bonxie): 7

Arctic Skua: 6

Sandwich Tern: 5

Arctic Tern: 16

Puffin: 2

Black-tailed Godwit: 1

Common Sandpiper: 2

Common Dolphin: 7+ (incl. a juv) feeding in the morning.

Bottlenose Dolphin: c.12 (incl. a juv) West in the evening.

Minke Whale: 1 breaching on four occasions @ 14:30

Niall T Keogh at al

Sunday 26th August 2012

Time: 06:30-10:30 & 13:30-17:45

Weather: F1-2 S, good vis, dry & sunny (am). F 2-3 S, dull, clear & light showers (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Alan Clewes, Paul Flint, Cory Flint, Jan Nordblad, Tom Nordblad, Peter Gluth, Lee Gregory, Neal Warnock, Andy Clifton, Malcolm Goodman, Geoff Clewes et al.

Sooty Shearwater: 5

Manx Shearwater: 200-300

Fulmar: 300+

Storm Petrel: 2

Common Scoter: 16

Great Skua (Bonxie): 9

Arctic Skua: 11

Sandwich Tern: 18

Arctic Tern: 22

Common Tern: 1

Puffin: 1

Whimbrel: 6

Dunlin: 71

Sanderling: 3

Knot: 2

Bar-tailed Godwit: 1

Peregrine: 1

Chough: 2

Common Dolphin: 6+ throughout the day.

Bottlenose Dolphin: 26+ throughout the day.

Minke Whale: 2+ in the afternoon.

Ocean Sunfish: 1 off Loop Head.

Niall T Keogh et al

Saturday 25th August 2012

Time: 06:30-10:30 & 11:00-19:00

Weather: F4-5 NW later N-NW, overcast, mild, excellent vis & some light drizzle. F3 NW, sunny, dry & hazy (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Alan Clewes, Dan Pointon, Paul Flint, Cory Flint, Jan Nordblad, Tom Nordblad, Peter Gluth, Lee Gregory, Joe Adamson, Jim Sheehan, Steve Webb, Neal Warnock, Mick Derwin, Steve Millar, Owen Foley, Conor Foley, Donal Foley, Eanna O’Flynn, Geoff Hunt, Mike Flanagan et al.

Balearic Shearwater: 3

Sooty Shearwater: 3

Manx Shearwater: 500+

Fulmar: 360+

Storm Petrel: 3

Common Scoter: 2 males

Great Skua (Bonxie): 14

Pomarine Skua: 5 subadults

Arctic Skua: 32

Sabine’s Gull: 2 adults

Kittiwake: 215+ incl. 22 juvs.

Sandwich Tern: 71

Arctic Tern: 20

Puffin: 11

Whimbrel: 4

Dunlin: 13

Sanderling: 2

Common Dolphin: 3+ in the morning.

Bottlenose Dolphin: 3+ in the morning.

Niall T Keogh et al


Friday 24th August 2012

Time: 06:45-11:00 & 13:00-18:30

Weather: F3 E-SE, overcast, mild & good vis. F3 E-NE, overcast, cool & excellent vis (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Alan Clewes, Dan Pointon, Paul Flint, Cory Flint, Jan Nordblad, Tom Nordblad, Peter Gluth, Lee Gregory, Joe Adamson, Jim Sheehan, Steve Webb et al.

Balearic Shearwater: 4

Sooty Shearwater: 54

Manx Shearwater: 2,700+

Fulmar: 240+

Storm Petrel: 24

Common Scoter: 1 male

Great Skua (Bonxie): 6

Pomarine Skua: 2 adult pale phase

Arctic Skua: 10

Sabine’s Gull: 2 adults

Kittiwake: 36 incl. 15 juvs.

Sandwich Tern: 2

Arctic Tern: 16

Black Tern: 2 juvs.

Puffin: 10

Whimbrel: 4

Dunlin: c.90

Sanderling: 1

Ringed Plover: 1

Knot: 3

Common Dolphin: 12+ in the evening.

Bottlenose Dolphin: 2+ in the morning.

Ocean Sunfish: 1

Niall T Keogh et al


Thursday 23rd August 2012

Time: 06.30-10.45 & 16.15-19.00
Weather: F3 SW, bright, mild, some light showers, F3 S-SW, dull, mild 7 some showers (PM).
Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Alan Clewes, Dan Pointon, Paul Flint, Cory Flint, Jan Nordblad, Peter Gluth et al.

Sooty Shearwater:5
Manx Shearwater: c.300
Fulmar:c.325
Storm Petrel:c.100
Great Skua (Bonxie): 12
Pomarine Skua: 1sub-adult pale phase
Arctic Skua: 6
Kittiwakes: 23 incl: 5 juvs.
Sandwich Tern: 17
Arctic Tern: 4
Puffin: 1 adult

Chough:2
Wheatear:1

Common Seal: 1 close offshore for much of the day.
Bottlenosed dolphine: 2 + in the morning & c.8 in the evening.

Niall T Keogh et al.


Wednesday 22nd August 2012 

Time: 06:30-11:30 & 13:00-19:55

Weather: F3-5 W, largely dry, bright & warm but some showers (am). F2-3 SW, sunny, warm & hazy (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Alan Clewes, Dan Pointon, Brian Porter, Paul Flint, Cory Flint, Brian Finnegan, Tom Tarpey, Jan Nordblad et al.

Great Shearwater: 2

Sooty Shearwater: 56

Manx Shearwater: 5,000+

Fulmar: 1,300+

Leach’s Petrel: 1

Storm Petrel: 90+

Great Northern Diver: 1 summer plumage

Red-throated Diver: 1 summer plumage

Great Skua (Bonxie): 48

Pomarine Skua: 5 (subadult pale phases)

Arctic Skua: 32

Long-tailed Skua: 1 adult @ 09:35 (Alan Clewes)

Kittiwake: 82 incl. 22 juvs.

Sabine’s Gull: 1 adult & 2 juvs.

Sandwich Tern: 13

Arctic Tern: 33

Puffin: 5

Black-headed Gull: 22

Merlin: 1

Wheatear: 1

Common Seal: 1 close offshore for much of the day.

Bottlenose Dolphin: 8+ in the evening.

Ocean Sunfish: 1

Niall T Keogh et al

Tuesday 21st August 2012

Time: 06:30-10:30 & 12:00-19:50
Weather: F2-3 SW, largely dry, bright & warm but some showers (am). F4-5 W-SW, sunny, warm & hazy but with heavy showers in evening (pm).
Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Keith Langdon, Mikey Hoit, Dave Farrow, Reg Land, Simon Woodhouse, Dave Andrews, Alan Clewes, Dan Pointon, Brian Porter, Paul Flint, Cory Flint et al.

Balearic Shearwater: 2
Sooty Shearwater: 84
Manx Shearwater: 3,000+
Fulmar: 1,000+
Leach’s Petrel: 1
Storm Petrel: 88
Kittiwake: 54 incl. 18 juvs.
Common Scoter: 6 (4 males & 2 females)
Great Skua (Bonxie): 15
Pomarine Skua: 9 (adult & subadult pale phases)
Arctic Skua: 39
Sandwich Tern: 6
Common Tern: 2 juvs.
Arctic Tern: 19
Razorbill: 90+
Guillemot: 15
Auk sp: 40+
Puffin: 3
Black Guillemot:  1 juv.
Lesser Black-backed Gull: 1 adult
Common Gull: 1

Teal: 6
Whimbrel: 10
Dunlin: 7
Sanderling: 21
Knot: 2

Merlin: 1

Common Seal: 1 close offshore for much of the day.
Bottlenose Dolphin: 8+ in the evening.
Common Dolphin: 10+ in the morning.







Ocean Sunfish: 1

Niall T Keogh et al

Monday 20th August 2012

Time: 06:30-10:30 & 15:00-19:00

Weather: F2-3 SW-S, dry, bright & warm (am). F3-4 SW-S, sunny, warm & hazy (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Keith Langdon, Mikey Hoit, Dave Farrow, Reg Land, Simon Woodhouse, Dave Andrews, Alan Clewes & Dan Pointon.

Balearic Shearwater: 2

Sooty Shearwater: 32

Manx Shearwater: 855+

Fulmar: 720+

Storm Petrel: 155

Kittiwake: 97 incl. 32 juvs

Common Scoter: 14 (11 males + 3 females)

Great Skua (Bonxie): 8

Pomarine Skua: 4 pale phase (3 adults & 1 subadult)

Arctic Skua: 35

Sandwich Tern: 3

Arctic Tern: 9

Razorbill: 50

Guillemot: 12

Puffin: 8

Black Guillemot: 1 juv.

Whimbrel:16

Black-tailed Godwit: 9

Dunlin: 27
Sanderling: 5
Ringed Plover: 1
Knot: 2


Chough: 2
Merlin: 1 chasing passerines at the seawatch site.


Common Seal: 1 close offshore for much of the afternoon.

Bottlenose Dolphin: 6+ in the evening.

Common Dolphin: 10+ in the afternoon.
Leatherback Turtle: Three sightings at 06:45, 17:42 & 18:50.

Niall T Keogh et al

Sunday 19th August 2012

Time: 06:30-12:00 & 15:00-18:00

Weather: F1-2 S-SE, dry, bright & warm (am). F2-3 SW-S, sunny, warm & hazy (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Keith Langdon, Mikey Hoit, Dave Farrow, Reg Land, Simon Woodhouse, Dave Andrews, Dan Brown and the BirdWatch Ireland Clare & Limerick Branches.

Balearic Shearwater: 2

Sooty Shearwater: 30

Manx Shearwater: 395+ (06:30-09:55)

Fulmar: 190+ (06:30-09:55)

Storm Petrel: 142

Gannet: 450+ incl. 4 juvs (06:30-09:55)

Kittiwake: 96 incl. 34 juvs (06:30-10:30)

Common Scoter: 7 (6 males + 1 female)

Great Skua (Bonxie): 4

Pomarine Skua: 1 pale phase

Arctic Skua: 12

Black Tern: 1 juv.

Arctic Tern: 12

Razorbill: 38

Guillemot: 4

Puffin: 2

Black Guillemot: 1

Black-headed Gull: 1

Whimbrel: 9

Black-tailed Godwit: 11

Spotted Redshank: 1 flew North at 10:20

Chough: 2

Willow Warbler: a tired migrant juvenile landed on a seawatchers chair!

Bottlenose Dolphin: 8-10 in the morning.

Common Dolphin: 30+ in the morning.

Leatherback Turtle: Two sightings of (different?) individuals showing well, resting at the surface for c.1 minute at 07:33 & 09:50.

Niall T Keogh et al

Saturday 18th August 2012

Time: 06:30-10:30 (Seatrack survey) & 15:00-17:45

Weather: F1-2 S-SE, dry, bright & warm (am). F2-3 SW-S, sunny, warm & hazy (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Keith Langdon, Mikey Hoit, Dave Farrow, Reg Land, Simon Woodhouse, Dave Andrews & Dan Brown.

Balearic Shearwater: 1 pale bird, West at 09:22

Sooty Shearwater: 16

Manx Shearwater: 470+

Fulmar: 590+

Storm Petrel: 20

Gannet: 825+

Kittiwake: 85 (8 juvs)

Common Scoter: 5 females

Pomarine Skua: 1 subadult (2^nd-summer type)

Arctic Skua: 8

Arctic Tern: 7

Sandwich Tern: 5

Razorbill: 54

Guillemot: 2

Puffin: 6

Common Gull: 11

Lesser Black-backed Gull: 2

Whimbrel: 13

Dunlin: 4

Sanderling: 10

Ringed Plover: 6

Black-tailed Godwit: 7

Bar-tailed Godwit:2

Knot: 1

Chough: 2

Wheatear: 1

Kestrel: 1

Bottlenose Dolphin: 5 or 6 in the afternoon.

Common Dolphin: 100+ in the morning & c.30 in the afternoon.

Niall T Keogh et al

Friday 17th August 2012

Time: 06:40-10:40 & 15:20-19:20

Weather: F1 S, dry, bright & warm (am). F 2-3 S-SE, bright, warm, some showers & sea mist at times but generally good vis & dry (pm).

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Keith Langdon, Mikey Hoit, Dave Farrow, Reg Land, Simon Woodhouse & Dave Andrews.

Balearic Shearwater: 1

Sooty Shearwater: 24

Manx Shearwater: 3,250+

Fulmar: 710+

Wilson’s Petrel: 1 feeding & heading West, from 06:55-07:05.

Storm Petrel: 60+

Common Scoter: 1 male

Great Skua (Bonxie): 8

Pomarine Skua: 5 subadults (2^nd-summer types)

Arctic Skua: 14

Black Tern: 1 juv.

Arctic Tern: 3

Sandwich Tern: 10

Razorbill: 25+

Guillemot: 1

Puffin: 5

Whimbrel: 6

Dunlin: 22

Sanderling: 1

Black-tailed Godwit: 5

Chough: 2

Swift: 2

Wheatear: 1

Niall T Keogh et al

Thursday 16th August 2012

Time: 13:15-18:00

Weather: F3 S-SW, dry, bright, warm.

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Keith Langdon, Mikey Hoit, Dave Farrow, Reg Land, Simon Woodhouse & Dave Andrews.

Balearic Shearwater: 1

Sooty Shearwater: c.20

Storm Petrel: c.20

Common Scoter: 2 males

Great Skua (Bonxie): 2

Arctic Skua: 3

Black Tern: 1 juv.

Sandwich Tern: 12

Arctic Tern: 1

Puffin: 1

Whimbrel: 10

Common Dolphin: 8-10 (incl. a calf)

Ocean Sunfish: 4

Niall T Keogh

August Pelagic

On a pelagic off Loop Head this morning there were two Wilson's Storm Petrels, one first-summer Long-tailed Skua, one 2nd summer Pomarine Skua, one Arctic Skua, seven Bonxies, 30 Sooty Shearwaters, one Balearic Shearwater, two adult Sabine's Gulls, 300 Storm Petrels two Minke Whales and 150 plus Common Dolphins.

Owen Foley et al.

August Already

Wednesday 1st August 2012

August has arrived and with it birders look to the Bridges to find that first Wilson's Storm Petrel of the year or something better.  Today Southerly winds shifted to SW then strong from the West and with that in mind, Dave McNamara spent a couple of hours on the Bridges in the late afternoon.  The only birds of note were one Sooty Shearwater, two Bonxies and eight European Storm Petrels.  On the landward side there were three Chough and 20 Rock Doves.

North west not always best

Last Saturday on a strong north westerly wind shearwaters and skuas trickled past the Bridges.  Two Grey Phalaropes were the highlights along with 28 Sooty Shearwaters, two Arctic Skuas, one Bonxie, one Storm Petrel and good numbs of Manx Shearwaters.

Graham Clarke & Owen Foley.

Shearwaters are building

Monday 23rd July 2012

A wet misty day with prolonged wet conditions all day at The Loop. A short clearance in the evening allowed one hours seawatching off the Bridges where there was one Balearic Shearwater, seven Sooty Shearwaters, 500 Manx Shearwaters per hour, one Puffin and smaller movements of auks, Fulmamrs, Kittiwakes and some gulls. On the headland there were two Wheatears, four Raven and mixed flocks of large gulls in freshly cut fields.

 John N Murphy & Brian Finnegan.

Seabirds on the move

Tuesday 17th July 2012

 One Arctic Skua, one Bonxie and 100 Manx Shearwaters per hour were off the Bridges of Ross today.

 Brian Finnegan.

Open Season

Sunday 15th July 2012

Today has seen the beginning of the seawatching season at the Bridges of Ross where there was one Cory,s Shearwater, 200 Manx Shearwaters per hour and one Bonxie.

Geoff Hunt.

Golden Oriole

Sunday 3rd June 2012 A female Golden Oriole was seen going to roosts late this evening at a garden near Feard (Tony Mee).

Little Auk & more

First-winter Iceland Gull near Kilbaha © John N Murphy

Saturday 21st January 2012

My first visit to Loop of the new year proved to be very productive. On a half hour sea watch from the car park at the Bridges of Ross there was on Little Auk flying in a south west direction.  There were good numbers of Guillemots, few Razorbills, Fulmars, Kittiwakes and Gannets.

There were seven white-winged gulls on the headland. One first-winter Glaucous was roosting on the rocks between Kilbaha and Cloughaun Lough.  Along these rocks there were also three first-winter Iceland Gulls.  One adult and two first-winter Iceland gulls were feeding within a large flock of Herring Gulls in fields adjacent to Ross Bay.

Other birds of note were two Chough on the lighthouse road and one Raven in Kilbaha village.

John N Murphy & Finbarr MacGabhann

2011 Loop Head Report

The round up of all 2011 records will soon be published, check back later for full report.

Brambling

At Loop Head today there were two Bramblings, one male Crossbill, one male Hen Harrier, one Peregrine, one first-winter Mediterranean Gull, one adult Arctic Tern, 23 Lapwings, four Chough and one Chiffchaff.

Off the Bridges of Ross there were 1,000 plus Kittiwakes, 500 auks including two Puffins, one Red-throated Diver, six Wigeon, one Purple Sandpiper and one female Pochard.


John N Murphy & Brian Finnegan

 Brambling at Walshes Farm, Kilbaha © John N Murphy

Raven hovers over Ross beach © John N Murphy

Mediterranean Gull on the rocks in Kilbaha © John N Murphy

Black Redstart

Today Tuesday 1st November sees after a night of South East winds, the first Black Redstart of the autumn at Loop Head.  Tony Mee has been on the peninsula for the past few days over the Bank Holiday weekend, but things have been dead.  So far he managed to dig out three Merlin, a late staying Swallow (31/10/11), one Chiffchaff and now a Black Redstart.  Little return for many hours of flogging the Loop.  We feel your pain Tony.

John N Murphy

Black Redstart © John N Murphy

Late staying Willow Warbler

At Kilbaha today there were five Pomarine Skuas chasing Kittiwakes and other gulls around the harbour and bay. One adult Sabine’s Gull was seen far out in the Bay feeding with a flock of approximately 300 Kittiwakes.  One juvenile Arctic Tern also came into the harbour.   One late staying Willow Warbler was in the New Zealand sea flax around the harbor,  along with one Chiffchaff, one Siskin, a Sparrowhawk, one Peregrine, six Snipe and four Ravens. A flock of 70 Lapwing were in adjacent fields next to Ross Bay.

John N Murphy, Jeff Copner & Howard Williams.

 Willow Warbler © John N Murphy

Pomarine Skua chasing Kittiwake in Kilbaha Bay © John N Murphy