Irish Wildlife Observations 2012.

[eskimo]

Quite a few of these geese (Brent?) around Donegal Bay today where I was fishing, it was very dull and drizzly so the light and hence the picture is not great. I also saw a large bird which looked like an all black gannet fly past, is it a juvenile of the species?

the juvenile is the one with the white stripes on the wing.some juveniles have no white collar earlier in autumn but gain it as winter progresses

[johnwest]

Quite a few of these geese (Brent?) around Donegal Bay today where I was fishing, it was very dull and drizzly so the light and hence the picture is not great. I also saw a large bird which looked like an all black gannet fly past, is it a juvenile of the species?

the juvenile is the one with the white stripes on the wing.some juveniles have no white collar earlier in autumn but gain it as winter progresses

Thanks for your reply Eskimo, I think the bird I saw may have been a skua as I saw one recently in the same area, it was harrying a couple of gulls for food and I had a reasonably good look at it, it was quite like the bird I saw previously.

[johnwest]

I have already posted this photo in the Shore Reports section but I thought I'd stick it up here as well, it is a dolphin with young in Donegal Bay barely 30 yds from shore. I got a couple more of them cavorting further out also. Unfortunately it was a very overcast day with constant rain so the photos, taken with a telephoto lens, are not great.

[sparkey+1]

Nice pics John i saw a pod a while back while we were fishing whiterock in dublin

[johnwest]

Nice pics John i saw a pod a while back while we were fishing whiterock in dublin

Thanks Sparky+1, I gather dolphins seem to show up around Dublin marks quite often from reading the shore reports. It's great to see them especially if the fishing isn't going so well!

[donal domeney]

I haven’t seen one of these for a few years,
Enjoyable to watch it give the other birds a hard time trying to steal their food

[blowin]

Meet Eric . He lives somewhere around Dromore West . His mates are hooligans who steal fish from the cutting board when you aren't looking but they won't let you anywhere near them . He flew off with my baited jellyworm and had to be wound in from the sky twice so I gradually coaxed him closer and within about 15 mins he was taking scraps from my hand . He appeared for two trips about a week apart but didn't show last time . No doubt gone to terrorise kids out of their icecreams now that he has been socialised .

[SirSquiglum]

Friend of mine was spending the weekend somewhere in sligo and was out on some local beach at the time (Dont know the name of it sorry, if needs be i can find out) But they noticed some splashing in close up the beach and went up to see what it was, it was a Dolphin that swam in and nearly beached itself, they managed to get hold of it an carried it back into deeper water to see it swim away!! Not sure if the dolphin was sick or just lost his way, but its nice to see he made some friends that helped him on his way back out to sea. Was informed it swam back strong and I just hope its ok!!
Below is a pic of them getting it back out to deeper water!!

[chuckaroo]

brilliant stuff lads. great pic. lovely big fish/dolphin nice story

[blowin]

+ 1

[cathalger]

Great observation, super pic. Thanks for posting.

[goldfish17]

Meet Eric . He lives somewhere around Dromore West . His mates are hooligans who steal fish from the cutting board when you aren't looking but they won't let you anywhere near them . He flew off with my baited jellyworm and had to be wound in from the sky twice so I gradually coaxed him closer and within about 15 mins he was taking scraps from my hand . He appeared for two trips about a week apart but didn't show last time . No doubt gone to terrorise kids out of their icecreams now that he has been socialised .

That is a fulmar if im not mistaken?

[johnwest]

Forgot to report earlier but on my way home from fishing Donegal Bay on Thursday 30th at dusk , I saw three hares "holding a meeting" in the middle of a narrow country road. Two of them exited stage left into a field while the third loped up the road for about 50 - 60 yds before darting into a gap in the hedge/wall.

[cathalger]

Nice observation Johnwest, wonder what was on the agenda?

[chuckaroo]

not sea fishing i know............
but i was fly-fishing at my local river last night trying for a dollaghan when at one stage i was holding my rod up in the air with the flies dangling in front of me. i could see a bat fluttering around them with interest and before i knew it the wee guy was snagged. must have thought my teal blue and silver was a moth!...
i managed a few pics of him before i removed the fly. he wasnt even properly impaled on the fly, the hook was just caught under his arm/wing-pit and it was simple to just lift away.
he took no time in scampering down my leg and flying off, im sure totally unharmed (not b4 leaving a wee bat t**d on my leg for his troubles... )
what species is it does anyone know?

[fishfeatures]

was out rock hopping last week and saw what I think was my very first stoat, little bugger wouldn't stay still long enough for a photo.

Now i ain't no Don Conroy , so I think it was a stoat , def not a pine marten, maybe a mink?? anyway nice to see one

[Etihad]

not sea fishing i know............
but i was fly-fishing at my local river last night trying for a dollaghan when at one stage i was holding my rod up in the air with the flies dangling in front of me. i could see a bat fluttering around them with interest and before i knew it the wee guy was snagged. must have thought my teal blue and silver was a moth!...
i managed a few pics of him before i removed the fly. he wasnt even properly impaled on the fly, the hook was just caught under his arm/wing-pit and it was simple to just lift away.
he took no time in scampering down my leg and flying off, im sure totally unharmed (not b4 leaving a wee bat t**d on my leg for his troubles... )
what species is it does anyone know?

It's a Daubenton's bat, widespread and common throughout Britain.
Nice pictures

[cathalger]

was out rock hopping last week and saw what I think was my very first stoat, little bugger wouldn't stay still long enough for a photo.

Now i ain't no Don Conroy , so I think it was a stoat , def not a pine marten, maybe a mink?? anyway nice to see one

Stoats are always a treat to see Fishfeatures, doesnt happen often. A mink would be fairly dark in comparison to a stoat and a good bit bigger unless it was a really young mink. Stoat would be reddish brown on the back and a white belly and chest if you got a look at it, wee black tipped tail? Elusive and fast moving?

[cathalger]

4 otters seen there Wednesday week ago, 5th September 12. Heading down the Antrim coast road just north of Carnlough there were 3 in the calm sea, 2 juveniles out in front staying close together, then an adult popped up 30 yards behind them, probably the ma. She seemed to have dived after something when I first noticed the other pair.

Then at dusk on the way back to the car from fishing in a completely different place a few miles away an otter was coming along the path I was on and stopped and stared at me before heading off over open ground and over a hill, not before checking me out twice more. I dont be seeing them all the time, just that day I was particularly lucky with otter sightings.

[corbyeire]

saw a grey partridge in NW cork, friday, are they that widespread?
i know they were captively bred and released around offaly - thought that was their range in ireland