Welcome to the Waterford Birds blog, supplementing the Recent reports page of the main Waterford Birds website www.waterfordbirds.com. If it's not there yet it may be here (real-time postings when possible), along with extra details. Please post any updates, new reports or corrections by texting 0861701599 (alternatively - but this may delay dissemination of news - click Comments). The main website will be updated (including photos) at next opportunity.



Wednesday, August 31, 2011

BRICKEY RIVER: Kingfisher at Two Mile Bridge (MC snr).

CLONEA STRAND: Adult Mediterranean Gull at Ballinclamper (").

WHITING BAY: 15 White Wagtails & 5 Wheatears this morning (SH).

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

DUNGARVAN: Adult & juvenile White Wagtails, juvenile Mediterranean Gull (White Darvic Ring) & 2 juvenile Arctic Terns @ the Cunnigar. (MC, CF)
BALLYVOONEY: 25+ Common Scoter flew W this evening (DW).

DUNGARVAN: 6 Curlew Sandpipers on the Cunnigar (FO'C).

Monday, August 29, 2011

Nr KNOCKMEALDOWN MOUNTAINS: Male Hen Harrier (AM).

RAM HEAD: Dark-phase Arctic Skua (being chased by Sandwich Terns), 2 Great Skuas & 6 Common Dolphins; very few Manx Shearwates, few flying auks (").

DUNGARVAN: Juvenile Ruff at Ballyneety, 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls at Barnawee (CF, FO'C, DW.)

CLONEA STRAND: Adult & 2 juvenile Roseate Terns at Ballinclamper (").
Nr WHITING BAY: 8 Tree Sparrows at Springhill Lower (DW, CF).

Sunday, August 28, 2011

KNOCKADERRY: Common Sandpiper & Tufted Duck. (MC)

DUNGARVAN: 4 Tufted Ducks in the bay. (")
DUNGARVAN: 2 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers at Ballyneety (MC).

Saturday, August 27, 2011

SEAFIELD: Green Sandpiper (DW).
BALLYSHUNNOCK: Hybrid Whooper X Mute Swan & Hybrid Swan Goose. (MC, CF, DW)
CLONEA: Adult Common Tern & 3 juvenile ArcticTerns @ Ballinclamper. (MC, CF)

DUNGARVAN: Common Sandpiper @ Ballyneety. (")
Nr CARROLL'S CROSS: Wing-tagged RED KITE heading east over N25 (MC, CF, DW).

BALLYSCANLAN LAKE: 3 Crossbills (").
BUNMAHON: Arctic Tern feeding (DW).

Friday, August 26, 2011

KNOCKMEALDOWN MOUNTAINS: Sightings of a Red Grouse and what sounds from the description like the albino Hen Harrier seen earlier in the summer (Brian Simpson).

PORTLAW: Kingfisher & Common Sandpiper (DC).

DUNGARVAN: 3 Common Sandpipers, 2 Green Sandpipers & 1 juvenile Mediterranean Gull (White darvic ring E336) @ Ballyneety. (MC)
Nr CALISO BAY: Another Cuckoo! (AM)

Thursday, August 25, 2011

KNOCKMEALDOWN MOUNTAINS: Cuckoo near the Vee (AM).



Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Nr BALLYLANEEN: Long-eared Owl (DW).

BUNMAHON: Kingfisher (JH) - video.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

SEAFIELD: Reed Warbler (DW).

Monday, August 22, 2011

BALLINARD: Juvenile Mediterranean Gull, juvenile Little Tern & adult Common tern (MC, DC, CF).

Sunday, August 21, 2011

DUNGARVAN: 4 Mediterranean Gulls (juv, 2nd-summer & 2 adults) at Barnawee, 2 Common Sandpipers at Ballyneety (MC, DW), Swift over Abbeyside (PMW).

KILMEADEN POOLS: Common Sandpiper (MC).

COMERAGH MOUNTAINS: Hen Harrier (PC).
DUNGARVAN: Juvenile SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER still present on the Cunnigar @ 12:20, just beyond sanddune, on shoreline on inside (MC, CF, DW) - video (MC).
BROWNSTOWN HEAD: Quiet seawatch - 200 Manx Shearwaters W (115 E), 22 Fulmars W (13 E),  290 Gannets E (250 W), 21 Kittiwakes W (4 E), 205 Sandwich Terns W (14 E), 2 Commic Terns W, 1 Razorbills W & 1 large auk W (07:00-10:00, wind 2-3 SW, PMW).

Saturday, August 20, 2011

DUNGARVAN: Great Skua @ The Cunnigar. (MC, CF)
HELVICK HEAD: Storm Petrel, 2 juv Puffins & 45 Manx Shearwaters W (seawatch 17:15-17:45, PMW), also 2 Whimbrel on rocks.
RAM HEAD: Sooty Shearwater & 350 Manx Shearwaters W (6 E, 3 on sea) (seawatch 14:50-15:50, wind 2-3 SW- W, MAD, PMW).

DUNGARVAN: Juvenile stint species near Cunnigar tip (FO'C), now confirmed as Semipalmated Sandpiper - video (DW).
ARDMORE: Juvenile Mediterranean Gull (MC, CF).

DUNGARVAN: Adult Mediterranean Gull @ The Barnawee and Green Sandpiper @ Ballyneety (").

Friday, August 19, 2011

RAM HEAD: OSPREY (Mark Ryan per www.irishbirding.com).

DUNGARVAN: Adult SPERM WHALE live-stranded on sandbanks at the Cunnigar; also 3 Pomarine Skuas on sandbanks there (FO'C) & a Yellow-legged Gull (DW) & female/imm Shoveler (CF) at Killongford.

HELVICK HEAD: Sub-adult Pomarine Skua, Great Skua, 2 Puffins & small numbers of Manx Shearwaters (seawatch 19:45-20:15, CF).

Thursday, August 18, 2011

RAM HEAD: Great Shearwater (on water then flew into feeding Manxie flock), 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 1 Great Skua & 1000+ Manx Shearwaters (AM).
BALLYNACOURTY LIGHTHOUSE: A Jay this morning (MC snr).

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

WEST WATERFORD PELAGIC: Boat-trip from Youghal to c5 miles off Ram Head (9-5) produced 2+ Balearic Shearwaters, 4+ Sooty Shearwaters, 4+ Bonxies, 8+ Stormies, a juvenile Puffin, 500+ feeding Manxies & 4+ Common Dolphins - subject to any later corrections (hard to exclude duplication for some species), also an ad or subadult Mediterranean Gull closer inshore (Paul Archer, Mark Carmody, Declan Clarke, Mark Foley, Owen Foley, Andrew Kelly, Andrew Malcolm, Ronan McLoughlin, Gerry Power, John Power, Ann Trimble, Paul Walsh, Daniel Weldon & boatman Martin Colfer www.charterangling.ie, wind 2-3 E to NE).

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

BUNMAHON: Hummingbird Hawk-moth (DW) & 3 Kingfishers (James Hearne)


Monday, August 15 2011

DUNGARVAN: Merlin at the Cunnigar, 2 Mediterranean Gulls at the Park Hotel (DC).

SEAFIELD: 2 flyover Green Sandpipers (DW).

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Nr BUNMAHON: Barn Owl @ 9:35 pm (DW).

COMERAGH MOUNTAINS: 2 coveys of Red Grouse (PC).
TRAMORE BACKSTRAND: Green Sandpiper & Common Sandpiper at Clohernagh (DS).

KILMEADEN POOLS: Common Sandpiper (").

Saturday, August 13, 2011

DUNGARVAN: 2 juv Reed Warblers in tiny reedbed in dump complex at Ballyneety, Water Rail calling here also; Green Sandpiper & 2 Common Sandpipers, Ballyneety; Common Sandpiper at Killongford (MC, CF).

BUNMAHON: Green Sandpiper and 2 Kingfishers (").

RAM HEAD: Sooty Shearwater and Puffin west (").

Friday, August 12, 2011

DUNGARVAN: Juvenile Ruff at the Cunnigar (MC).

SEAFIELD: 2 Green Sandpipers (DW).
BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 2 Arctic Skuas (Michael Nolan per www.irishbirding.com).

Thursday, August 11, 2011

DUNGARVAN: At the Cunnigar, large numbers of Ringed Plover (including some flightless young), smaller numbers of Sanderling & Dunlin (ads & juvs & Turnstone, 4 Grey Plover (3 ad-summer & 1 juv), 14 Whimbrel, 2 Golden Plover & 20+ Bar-tailed Godwit (JAP).
DUNGARVAN: 3 Mediterranean Gulls (adult '3H97' & 2 juveniles) & a Common Sandpiper at Ballyneety (MC).

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

DUNGARVAN: Adult Mediterranean Gull @ Barnawee. (MC)
BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 4 Sooty Shearwaters, Great Skua & Arctic Skua (Michael Nolan per irishbirding.com)

HELVICK HEAD: 3 Storm Petrels, an Arctic Tern & just 16 Manx Shearwaters (seawatch 19:10-20:25, CF).

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

RAM HEAD: Large shearwater (Cory's/Great) hanging around same patch of water where seen recently, also a skua species W, immature Great Northern Diver on sea, 5 Bottlenose Dolphins & 2 Porpoises (AM).

Monday, August 08, 2011

DUNGARVAN: 7 Mediterranean Gulls at Barnawee (2nd-summer & 6 adults including '3H97') (MC).

KILMEADEN POOLS: Ringed Plover (DW).
SEAFIELD: Grasshopper Warbler (DW).

Sunday, August 07, 2011

DUNGARVAN: Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpipers & juvenile Merlin at Ballyneety (DC); SPOONBILL at Killingford @ 17:45, 34 Great Crested Grebes in Dungarvan Bay (PMW).

HELVICK HEAD: 2 Puffins W & very few Manx Shearwaters (3 E, 1 W) in half-hour seawatch (16:30-17:00, wind 1-2 W or NW, PMW).

Saturday, August 06, 2011

BUNMAHON: OSPREY circling for 5 minutes over sea, then flew east c18:35 (DW); later seen circling off Annestown/Kilfarrasy at 18:55 (PMW).
DUNGARVAN: SPOONBILL & juvenile Mediterranean Gull at Killongford (MC, CF).

LISMORE: Barnacle Goose (presumed escaped or feral) on canal (").

WEST WATERFORD: Buzzard (").
BROWNSTOWN HEAD: 4 Common Scoter E, 2 Black Guillemots E (ad + juv separately), 3 Whimbrel W, 134 Manx Shearwaters E (54 W), 20 Fulmars W (6 E), 300 Gannets E (177 W), 37 Kittiwakes W (28 E), 28 Sandwich Terns W (26 E), 2 Razorbills E, 2 large auks W & a Porpoise (seawatch 06:50-09:50, wind 1 W); on land, a Tree Sparrow (PMW).

Friday, August 05, 2011

DUNGARVAN: 3rd-cal-yr Yellow-legged Gull again at Killongford (PMW); juv Mediterranean Gull at Ballyneety, 2nd-summer Med Gull at Barnawee, 3 Common Sandpipers off pitch & putt (MC); 5 Common Sandpipers at Ballyneety (DC).

CLODIAGH RIVER: Kingfisher (DC).
RAM HEAD: 3 large shearwaters & an immature Great Northern Diver (AM).

Thursday, August 04, 2011

DUNGARVAN: 3rd-winter (3rd-calendar-year) Yellow-legged Gull at Killongford this evening (CF).

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

HELVICK: Puffin flew west. (MC)

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

BALLYRAFTER (Lismore): Flock of 70+ Siskins (AM).

Off MINE HEAD: Over 250 Manx Shearwaters, an immature Puffin & 2 Black Guillemots from boat (DC).

Monday, August 01, 2011

KILMEADEN POOLS: Wood Sandpiper still present, also an Emperor dragonfly (PA).

DUNGARVAN: 2 Common Sandpipers at Killongford bridge & 1 at the Cunnigar (PV).

CLONEA STRAND: 3 adult & 2 juvenile Sandwich Terns, 1 of juvs with yellow ring including "ECL" on right leg ("), & adult Mediterranean Gull at Ballinclamper (MC snr).

COLLIGAN WOOD: Dipper & a brood of fledged Spotted Flycatchers (DMcG).




Sunday, July 31, 2011


Nr AGLISH: Barn Owl at 22:20 (MF).

KILMEADEN POOLS: Wood Sandpiper still present (DS, PV).