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

More October Seawatching

At the Bridges of Ross today between 08.30 to 15.30, there were 45 Pomarine Skuas, two Arctic Skuas, one Great Skua, 61 Grey Phalaropes, eight Sooty Shearwaters, seven Manx Shearwaters, four Storm Petrels, ten plus Arctic Terns, one Puffin, four Red-throated Divers and two Great Northern Divers.

Paul Troake & Geoff Pearson.

The Twisted Rocks at the Bridges of Ross © John N Murphy

Merlin on the headland

At Loop Head today 16th October 2011, there was one immature Merlin at the Lighthouse, one Chiffchaff was in the Gardens at Kilbaha, two Pomarine Skuas and 3 Barnalce Geese were in Kilbaha bay along with ten Arctic Terns.

Dave McNamara

Immature Merlin at Loop Head © John N Murphy