Irish wildlife observations 2011

saw plenty of swallows in east galway last thursday - also saw 2 little egrets near the city centre

Swallows in Leitrim/Longford and Roscommon direction, also Partridge running around the back roads ...by the time I got the telephoto lens on it was in someones garden though and into a hedge

killer whales off irelands eye

http://www.iwdg.ie/iscope/sightings/det ... p?id=16853

killer whales off irelands eye

http://www.iwdg.ie/iscope/sightings/det ... p?id=16853

with a bit of luck they will stick around and feast on a few seals

an otter with 2 pups on an estuary last night

http://www.iwdg.ie/iscope/sightings/det ... p?id=16853

yessss my prayers have been answered how many seals per day can they eat

I heard my first Cuckoo of the year yesterday, 16 April at Coomhola near Bantry.

A beautiful Jay feeding by the edge of the road near the viaduct just outside Cork city yesterday 16/4/11

Might not be too surprising to people in Munster, Connaught or the midlands but I heard my first drumming snipe yesterday evening in an upland area. I usually associate that sound with June up here.

Saw a female sparrow hawk near Baltimore this morning!It was being pestered by a smaller bird!!

saw a barn owl near sligo on sunday in flight - first one i can say for sure that ive seen

first swallows here in mayo,spotted sunday,also a sparrow hawk....but hes nearly a pet at this stage....he likes my bird feeder table!

saw a Red-legged Partridge today,took a photo on the phone but its not great

Red-Legged Partridge.JPG

my boss said its around for awhile now

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Saw a large Basking Shark off Galley Head yesterday evening

My 1st peregrine sighting on the north dublin coast! He stooped at a load of waders but I couldnt see if he got anything. Amazing birds

was on the bus down from dublin to galway yesterday - had no book so spent most the time looking out the windows - saw 3 seperate kestrels hovering just at the edge of the motorway

then walking the mutt down at the local point saw another one show up over a stone wall about 2 metres in front of me and about 3 m high - the gale was blowing hard so he could only hover infront of me for a second - it was amazing to have such a view

i seen a beauty chasing a load of them rock pigeons one day last week down east cork direction while out fishing,it made up for the brutal fishing id that day !!!

I was walkin over oconnel bridge half asleep at 06:30 with mac d's coffee in hand,spotted sumtin in the river i was expecting to see a duck or cormerant but low and behold an otter wresting with a half decent trout,in the liffy

Theres been talk of a kestrel decline in recent years, I dunno? I saw one near Ballygawley Co Tyrone last Sunday, another at Partry Co Mayo on Monday and another close to Antrim Airport yesterday evening. I think Ive seen 5 if not 6 in 2011 and I dont drive the motorways and dual carriage-ways very much at all. Only 2 of those have been seen hovering over roadsides where youd expect to see them.

Anyone else seeing them or noticing a decline?

Saw a sparrowhawk flit across the road infront of the car last Saturday in Glenariff Co Antrim.

Also a stoat ran across in front of the car on the way back from Mayo yesterday near Castlebar.

Mayo is rich with stuff and I'm sure Im forgetting things, heard cuckoos and drummimg snipe galore. A pile of birds heard that I have no idea what they were. Heres a 'Green Sawfly' photographed at the top of the Cong Canal, Lough Mask on Tuesday past. The cockchafer beetle was at the same area.

One last thing, picked up a freshly killed red squirrel in Glenariff Co Antrim, on the road last Saturday and then found one on the road between Partry and Tourmakeady Co Mayo on Tuesday, it was destroyed. Drying the tail of the first one now for flies.

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