Monthly Archives: January 2007

Bufflehead in Clare

Bufflehead at Lough Atedaun
A female Bufflehead was found at Lough Atedaun by John N Murphy & Fnbarr MacGabhann on Saturday afternoon the 6th January 2007.  If accepted by the Irish Rare Birds Committee (IRBC), this will only be the second ever Irish record of this species.  The first accepted Irish record was a female at The Gearagh, Cork in 1998. The photographs below depict female birds taken in Boston during February 2005 (John N Murphy).  So far the autumn/winter of 2006/07 has been very good for trans-Atlantic ducks with at least four Ring-necked Ducks in the county and many North American waders and passerines arrived in the county during Autumn of 2006.  There are also a few national records of Lesser Scaup throughout the country and a male Bufflehead presently in Scotland. This helps in the case of the female Bufflehead at Lough Atedaun being of wild origins and a probable true vagrant and not just an escape from some national collection.
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January 2007

Wednesday 31st January 2007 
The female BUFFLEHEAD was still at Lough Atedaun (John Rattigan).
One female Black Redstart was at Kilkee.
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Black Redstart, Kilkee Iza Zawadzka 
One Long-eared Owl was seen hunting over a roadside near Caherkine, Quin.
Eight Yellowhammers were back at Ballycarroll, Barefield.

Tuesday 30th January 2007
The female BUFFLEHEAD was still at Lough Atedaun (Finbarr MacGabhann),
along with 12 Whooper Swans one of which was wearing a yellow coloured
neck collar with inscription N1.
The female Ring-necked Duck was at Lough Inchiquin (Finbarr MacGabhann).
One female Marsh Harrier was at Corofin late in the afternoon.
There was one adult and two first-winter Iceland Gulls, plus 31 Brent Geese
at Creg beach, Lahinch.
One female Blackcap was at Ballymacaula, Ennis.

Monday 29th January 2007
The female BUFFLEHEAD was still at Lough Atedaun (Ed Carty & John Rattigan).
One female Ring-necked Duck was at Lough Inchiquin (Ed Carty).
A small flock of 14 Whooper Swans were at Ballycar Lake, Newmarket-on-Fergus. 

Sunday 28th January 2007
One Glaucous Gull was at Lough Donnell, with another at Doonbeg and a third at
Kilbaha. One adult Mediterranean Gull was at Quilty.
One Little Egret was at Kildysart.

Saturday 27th January 2007
The female BUFFLEHEAD was still at Lough Atedaun (Richard Bonser, Jimmy Dowdall
and Aidan Kelly).  There was also a drake Green-winged Teal (Jimmy Dowdall & Aidan Kelly). 
A flock of 99 Whooper Swans were at Ballygireen with another 22 birds near Clenagh Bay.

Friday 26th January 2007
One adult and one 1st-winter Iceland Gull were at Seafield,
Quilty along with one 1st-winter Glaucous Gull.
One Dipper was at the Claureen River near Kilmaley.

Thursday 25th January 2007
One male Blackcap was at Oak Park, Ennis.

Wednesday 24th January 2007
There were 50 Red-throated Divers and two Long-tailed Duck at Liscannor Bay.
One Dipper was on the Claureen River near Kilmaley.

Tuesday 23rd January 2007
The female BUFFLEHEAD was at Lough Atedaun again today (John N Murphy).
One female Ring-neck-Duck was at Lough Inchiquin (John N Murphy).
There were 32 Red-throated Divers and two Long-tailed Ducks on Liscannor Bay.
One Dipper was on the Claureen River near Kilmaley.

Monday 22nd January 2007
There were four Iceland Gulls at Lahinch Marsh (two 1st-winters and two adults).
One Little Egret, one 1st-winter Iceland Gull, one Chiffchaff  and one Jack Snipe
were at Liscannor. 

Sunday 21st January 2007
The female BUFFLEHEAD was once again at Lough Atedaun
(Andre Robinson & Stephen McAvoy).
One Grey Phalarope was off Bishops Quarter near Ballyvauighan.
Also present off Bishops Quarter were four Black-throated Divers,
15 Great Northern Divers and five Gannets.
There were five Iceland Gulls at Lahinch Marsh along side the
six Pink-footed Geese and one Little Egret. One 2nd-winter Little
Gull, two Long-tailed Ducks and a Peregrine were at Liscannor.

Saturday 20th January 2007
There was one Pink-footed Goose near Clooney.

Friday 19th January 2007
The female BUFFLEHEAD is still at Lough Atedaun (Stan Nugent).
The six Pink-footed Geese and one Little Egret were at Lahinch Marsh.
Three Grey Phalaropes , one Little Gull, one Chiffchaff
and a Long-tailed Duck were at Liscannor.
One adult Glaucous Gull was at Clahane, Liscannor.
Ten Snow Buntings were at George’s Head, Kilkee.
One Little Egret was at Moyasta with two more at Blackweir Bridge,
Poulnasherry Bay.
A flock of 16 Whooper Swans were at Ballycar Lough.

Thursday 18th Januruay 2007
At Liscannor there was one Grey Phalarope, one Little Gull
and one adult Iceland Gul.
One Little Egret and a flock of 117 Curlew were at Blackweir Bridge.

A colour ringed Brent Goose was read by Dave McNamara on the Rine,
in Ballyvaughan (M21171006) with the following combination
LEFT LEG a White Band with AAA
RIGHT LEG a White band with CCC
this bird was also present on Saturday 13th January.

Wednesday 17th January 2007
One drake Ring-necked Duck was at Ballyallia Lake
(John N Murphy & David Lyons).
One second-winter Little Gull, one adult Mediterranean Gull
one adult Iceland, Gull and one Grey Phalarope were all at
Liscannor today.

Tuesday 16th January 2007
The female BUFFLEHEAD was at Lough Atedaun (Sean Cronin).
The fisrt-winter drake Ring-necked Duck returned to Lough Inchiquin
(Meave Meehan & Iza Zawadzka).  
Two Grey Phalaropes were seen off Liscannor this morning.

Monday 15th January 2007
There was a Kittiwake at the quay in Clarecastle.
A flock of 16 Greylag Geese were at Ballycar Lake, Newmarket-on-Fergus.  

Sunday 14th January 2007
There were six Snow Buntings at Georges Head, Kilkee.
Ten Whooper Swans were at Ballycar Lake, Newmarket-on-Fergus. 

Saturday 13th January 2007
The BUFFLEHEAD was at Lough Atedaun today (Brian Haslam).
One Grey Phalarope and three Little Gulls were at Liscannor.
One first-winter Glaucous Gull was at Lough Donnell.
100 Purple Sandpipers were at Seafield, Quilty.
One adult Glaucous Gull was at Carrigaholt.
One juvenile Litte Gull was in Kilbaha Harbour, Loop Head.
Over 90 Barnacle Geese were at Doonbeg.
One Little Egret and a first-winter Iceland Gull was
at the causeway near Doorus on Clare/Galway border.
One Little Egret was at Moyasta, Poulnasherry Bay.
One Dipper was on the Claureen River near Kilmaley.
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First-winter Little Gull Kilbaha John N Murphy
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Great Northern Diver Kilbaha  John N Murphy
 
Friday 12th January 2007
The female BUFFLEHEAD was at Lough Atedaun around lunchtime
today (John N Murphy & John Rattigan).
Six Pink-footed Geese were at Lahinch Marsh.

Thursday 11th January 2007
There was one Grey Phalarope, four Little Gulls one 2nd-winter
Iceland Gull and two Little Egrets at Liscannor.
The six-pink-footed Geese were once again at Lahinch Marsh.
No information has come in about the Bufflehead, due to the
fact that no one as been at Lough Atedaun because of the
adverse waether. 

Tuesday 9th January 2007
The female BUFFLEHEAD is still at Lough Atedaun (Pat Brennan & Stan Nugent).
One Grey Phalarope was in the harbour at Liscannor.
Two male Blackcaps are showing up regularly at a garden in Barefield.

Monday 8th January 2007
The female BUFFLEHEAD was seen close to the slipway at
Lough Atedaun this morning (Dave McNamara).
Two Grey Phalaropes and seven Little Gulls were feeding
along the shore at Liscannor this morning. 
The six Pink-footed Geese were at Lahinch Marsh. 
Eight Yellowhammers were found feeding on a driveway at
Ballycarroll, Barefield.

Sunday 7th January 2006
The female BUFFLEHEAD was showing well this morning at Lough Atedaun,
Corofin (John N Murphy et al).
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Bufflehead female with Tufted Duck ©  Mike Davis
The drake Green-winged Teal was at Bell Harbour this afternoon (Brian Lynch).
The second-winter Glaucous Gull was still on the Rine in Ballyvaughan.
Nine Little Gulls and two Little Egrets were at Liscannor.
The six Pink-footed Geese were back at Lahinch Marsh.
One Common Sandpiper was at the Quay in Clarecastle.
Seven Greylag Geese were at Fenloe Lake, Newmarket-on-Fergus.

Saturday 6th January 2007
A female BUFFLEHEAD was found at Lough Atedaun, Corofin late
this afternoon (John N Murphy & Finbarr MacGabhann)(Tom & Nuala Lynch).
This is only the second  Irish record.
There were four Snow Buntings and one second-winter Glaucous Gull at
the Rine, Ballyvaughan.
One Merlin was at Fanore. 
At Liscannor there were four Grey Phalaropes, ten Little Gulls, one first-winter
and one second-winter Iceland Gulls and two Little Egrets.
One female Ring-necked Duck was at Lough Inchiquin, Corofin (John N Murphy
& Finbarr MacGabhann).
The two drakes and one female Ring-necked Ducks were still at Ballyallia
Lake, Ennis (John N Murphy & Finbarr MacGabhann). 
A small flock of 26 Whoopers Swans were at Drumcliff, Ballyallia Lake.

Friday 5th January 2007
One male Blackcap was at Our Lady’s Hospital, Ennis.
The two males and one female Ring-necked Ducks were at
 Ballyallia Lake again this morning.
The Carrion Crow was at Lahinch Marsh along with one
Little Egret and the six Pink-footed Geese.
Fifteen Little Gulls were in Liscannor still feeding along the
tide line. One Chiffchaff, one second-winter Mediterranean Gull
and one first-winter Iceland Gull were aslo at Liscannor.

Thursday 4th January 2007
Three Ring-necked Ducks were at Ballyallia Lake (Finbarr MacGabhann),
(one female, one adult male and one first-winter male).
One male Blackcap was also at Ballyallia Lake.
There was a small flock of six Pink-footed Geese at Lahinch Marsh this morning.
Over 15 Little Gulls (one first-winter, two second-winters and 12 adults)
were at Liscannor this afternoon along with one first-winter and one
second-winter Iceland Gulls.
One Carrion Crow was near the pier at Liscannor.

Wednesday 3rd January 2007
The female Marsh Harrier was back at Ballyallia Lake along
with one first-winter drake Ring-necked Duck (Dave Mcnamara).
A flock of 12 Little Gulls and one first-winter Iceland Gull were at
Liscannor.
One adult Little Gull was at Moneypoint.
A small flock of Greylag Geese were at Ballycar Lake.

Tuesday 2nd January 2007
Six Little Gulls plus one second-winter Mediterranean
Gull were at Liscannor.
One first-winter and one second-winter Iceland Gulls
were a Lahinch Marsh.
Two Greylag Geese were at Ballycar Lake.

Monday 1st January 2007
There were six adult Little Gulls at Liscannor today.
Two first-winter Little Gulls were in Kilbaha Harbour.
One second-winter Little Gull was at Bridges of Ross.
One Little Egret was at Tullyvarraga Marsh in Shannon.
Five Greylag Geese were at Ballycar Lake, Newmarket-on-Fergus.
One Brambling was amongst a flock of over 100 Chaffinches
at Fenloe lake.

First-winter Little Gull Video Grab from Kilbaha © John N Murphy

Little Gull adult © John N Murphy

 

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