Cape Clear 3rd-6th May 2012

3rd May

I arrived  on Thursday morning to an overcast and wet Cape Clear.

A misty Cape Clear in the distance

Cotter's Garden; Looking towards North Harbour

There had been persistant east to north easterly winds and lots of grounded migrants over the previous few days including about 1,500 warblers (mainly Willow Warbler c.1,000). Only about 150 remained by Thursday.

Wet Blackcap in the pig pen

Willow Warbler at Cumar

Dunnock; Singing in the rain.

Me by the lake

News that Mary Leonard had found two Yellow Wagtails at the back of her house, so myself and Steve payed a visit, but the birds had moved on. They were later refound on rough ground above the Wheatear field.

One of two Yellow Wagtails

4th May

The day brightened up with the arrival of Eamon O'Donnell for the weekend.

Warden Steve Wing and Eamon O'Donnell

 A Golden Oriole was seen flying in off the sea at west bog during the morning. Dispite the lack of cover the bird could not be relocated.

Golden Oriole in West Bog

Becky and Lorna on the Low Road at East Bog

Eamon in Central Bog

Bríd's Garden (Low Road) ; Looking into South Harbour

Blackcap and Spotted Flycatcher on the Low Road

Spotted Flycatcher and Whitethroat numbers grew over the weekend.

Eamon birding the Low Road

Later that evening one of the Yellow Wagtails was refound feeding with cattle on the Low Road.

Yellow Wagtail

Geoff Oliver, Alan Horan, Eamonn O'Donnell and friend in Cotter's Bar.

Plans were hatched late in the evening for some 'Pelagic Magic' the next day, with a trip around the Fastnet Lighthouse. With a strenghtening north easterly wind predicted, I declined the offer.


5th May

The pelagic set sail during the morning with most of the islands birders on board. I had a ramble around the high road and along south harbour.

Linnet

Pied Wagtail

View from the High Road

 

Singing Grasshopper Warbler

Course Leader (Steve Wing) and participants

 Saturday started with a Birdwatch Ireland course 'Beginners Birdwatching'  at the Bird Observatory.

During the morning a brief view of a swallow with  black undertail and some peach in the rump had me thinking 'Red-rumped Swallow'.

15 minutes later there was no sign of the bird among the 20 or so House Martins.

Just as I thought I must have imagined it, the bird reappeared and gave fantastic views for the next four hours over Cotter's garden.

The Twitch

 The beginners birdwatching course was temporarily abandoned for a quick twitch. Red-rumped Swallow becomes the 4th bird on the beginners lists after Shag, Lesser black backed Gull and House Martin...

Geoff Oliver and friend twitching outside the shop

Red-rumped Swallow over Cotter's

Those who embarked on the renamed 'Tragic pelagic' , did not have much to show for their mornings trip and would have to wait another couple of hours to see the bird.

Meanwhile an unintentionally supressed Whinchat showed well at the entrance to the Wheatear field.

Whinchat

Back at West Bog I flushed the Golden Oriole from the two pine trees in one of the paddocks.

West Bog

 News quickly spread and the beginners birdwatching course was temporarly abandoned for the second time that day to twitch the oriole. Steve relocated the bird further up the valley.

After a few minutes the bird flew to a near by stone wall.

 Where it was mobbed and flushed by a blackbird

 

 The bird then did a fly by past the assembled beginners and a delighted Mary Cadigan.....

Beginners twitching

Most of the birders on the pelagic dipped and would have to wait another day for views of the bird.
There was a second Golden Oriole reported on the 5th. A bird flushed from the mass track and seen by just one observer, the barman in Cotter's.



The folowing day (6th) the Golden Oriole, Red-rumped Swallow and Whinchat were all seen again. On the 7th Eamon found a Nightingale in West Bog, rounding off an excellent weekend.