Sunday 3 rd March outing to Dundalk Bay

Photo by Michael Mc Nulty. 

A car outing to Dundalk Bay will take place on Sunday March 3rd. Meet at Dundalk Docks at 12 noon. If you wish to car share from Bailieborough please meet at the Market Square at 10.45am. Best to bring a packed lunch and to wrap up well. The outing should last a few hours approx but if you are making your own travel arrangements then you will have the option of leaving a little earlier if necessary. If you have not visited the area before and you are not sure of the location of the docks then please contact me by email or at 086 8336675 to arrange a meeting point in Dundalk.

The black tailed godwit pictured above in its beautiful summer plumage was photographed by branch member Michael at our outing there last March.

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Presentation by Breffni Martin in Bailieborough on 21 February

A talk by Breffni Martin of the Louth branch of Birdwatch Ireland took place on Thursday last in the Business Centre, Bailieborough. Breffni spoke about the waders and wildfowl of Dundalk Bay. As well as giving us many useful wader and wildfowl ID tips he also spoke about the amazing journeys undertaken by many of these birds annually to and from their breeding grounds.  A special mention went to the bar-tailed godwit- a satellite-tagged godwit had been recorded travelling from its breeding grounds in Alaska to its wintering grounds in New Zealand in just over 8 days! (Visit this link to read this  amazing story here)

He also told us of the importance of Ireland as a wintering location for geese and wading birds including brent geese that breed in the Arctic Tundra and black-tailed godwits that breed in Iceland. We hope to see these species along with many others when we make our return trip on March 3 to Dundalk Bay. Thanks to Breffni for a very informative and enjoyable presentation.

Countryside Bird Survey Training Day Sunday 24 February in Virginia

Dick talking to the group at a recent training day in Shannon

Information on the day by Dick Coombes

Ever thought of taking part in one of our key bird surveys, the Countryside Bird Survey (CBS), but didn’t know how to go about it? Well Olivia Crowe and Dick Coombes will be conducting a training day this coming weekend in Virginia. Why not come along or maybe even bring someone else?

The details are:

• Sunday 24th February,  Lakeside Manor Hotel, Virginia, Co Cavan  

The schedule for the day will be:

09.30 – 10.00  Arrival.

10.00 – 13.00  Illustrated talks, instruction about survey methods, ID and a chance to ask questions, with a tea/coffee break mid-morning.

13.00 Lunch (provided)

13.45 (approx) Short field trip. Should be finished by approx 15.30.

The CBS is carried out all over the country, but there are many gaps to be filled. Hopefully this training session will produce some new recruits as well as provide an opportunity for existing survey participants to get a refresher and meet other participants. We will also be showing some of the interesting results achieved by this important survey to date.

Getting ready to commence the outdoor field trip in Shannon

The afternoon field trip will provide easy hands-on experience with the forms and survey methods. The format will be very informal and there will be plenty of time to ask questions.

 Participants enjoying the outdoor fieldtrip at Shannon event 

 To help us plan for numbers etc, please register your interest at:   http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MQ8X38Y or  just get in touch with us directly (rcoombes@birdwatchirelnd.ie) or tel 01-2812408.

"Waders and Wildfowl" Talk in Bailieborough Thursday 21 February

Teal at Navvy Bank, Dundalk.

A Presentation on "Waders and Wildfowl" by Breffni Martin (BWI, Louth Branch Chairperson) will take place on Thursday 21st February in the Business Centre, Shercock Rd, Bailieborough at 8pm.
Many species of water-birds spend the winter months on the Co.Cavan lakes and this is an opportunity to learn more about them and to improve your ID Skills.
Breffni is well known to Cavan branch members and has joined us on many occasions on our branch outings to Dundalk Bay, and we are very pleased to have him come and talk to the local branch.
This talk will be suitable for beginners and we will follow up the talk with an outing to Dundalk Bay on Sunday 3rd March, when we hope to see many of the species that Breffni will talk to us about.
All welcome and admission is free!

Nest Boxes :

Pj and Andrew hard at work!

 If you are interested in putting up a nest box a small number will be for sale on the night.The boxes were made and donated to the branch by committee member PJ Byrne. He has also on behalf of the branch placed a number of nest-boxes in a local forest.Thanks also to Andrew for helping out with the job. ______________________________

Countryside Bird Survey training day

A Countryside Bird Survey training day will take place in The Lakeside Manor Hotel, Virginia on Sunday 24 February. If you wish to take part in the training day Please email Birdwatch Ireland,CBS Coordinator Dick Coombes at rcoombes@birdwatchireland.ie  Visit the following link to learn more about this survey here:

Upcoming Events:.

Sunday 3 March - Outing to Dundalk Bay.Details on this event will be posted soon.

Tuesday 9 April  -   " Are there Woodpeckers in Cavan ?"  A presentation by Dick Coombes, (Birdwatch Ireland, Countryside Bird Survey Co-ordinator.) in the River Front Hotel, Virginia at 8pm. Branch AGM prior to the talk at 7PM.

Sunday 19 May National Dawn Chorus day. Details of walks will follow closer to the date

Outing – Sunday 13th January – Lough Gowna & Glen Lough Nature Reserve, Edgeworthstown.

A special word of thanks to Tom Murtagh for guiding the outing to Gowna and Glen lough and to Clare Driver and Michael Mc Kiernan for providing the lovely photos.

A report by Tom on the outing follows:

Photo by Clare Driver - mute swans

As with our winter 2011 visit to Lough Gowna, the weather conditions on Sunday last (13th January) were anything but conducive to an enjoyable days birding. Despite temperatures managing only a few degrees above freezing and persistent drizzle throughout the morning, those who braved the elements had an interesting day’s birding around Lough Gowna and nearby Glen Lough Nature Reserve at Edgeworthstown (Co. Longford).

Swam Lake Gowna

Our first stop was at Swan Lake, near Lough Gowna village,in south Co. Cavan, where a sizeable flock of Mallard (c.150—200) were observed.  Small numbers of Teal and Wigeon were also present, as was a solitary Shoveler and a few Great Crested Grebes.

Photo by Clare Driver - Whooper Swans at Church Lake

The group’s next stop was Church Lake, an inlet of Lough Gowna, near the village, with good access and viewing via a lane way from the Aughnacliffe Road. It was here that our “birds of the day” were spotted – a pair of Great Northern Divers. These birds are winter visitors to Ireland from northern climates - probably Iceland, Greenland or possibly Canada. The main wintering populations of Great Northern Divers in Ireland are to be found in coastal waters from Donegal to Cork. They are rarely observed on inland lakes.  On Church Lake, good views were had of the divers, with the mist and drizzle abating somewhat as the morning wore on. Our sighting of these birds was a real bonus and reward for those who ventured out in very trying weather conditions.

Photo by Clare Driver - Distant view of the great northern divers

 Also of note at Church Lake, was a flock of Whooper Swans, approx. 70 birds, with a small number of Mute Swans in the mix, all grazing in fields overlooking the lake. A small party of Lapwing and a pair of Goldeneye made up the species tally for this site.

Photo by Michael Mc Kiernan - Some of the group at church lake 

Our travels next took us along the western shore of Lough Gowna towards Erne Head and Dring, and along the way further small flocks of Goldeneye and Wigeon were spotted, also some Cormorants and a Kestrel at Dernaferst.

In the late afternoon, the group made the short road trip to visit Glen Lough Nature Reserve on the Longford/Westmeath border, near Edgeworthstown in Co Longford. At this stage, although visibility was still poor with lingering mist, the drizzle had cleared  and the temperature had recovered a few degrees. Glen Lough is a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Reserve and is a designated Special Protection Area (SPA) under the Birds Directive. Its importance is, in the main, as a wintering wildfowl habitat. On our visit, Whooper and Mute Swan were noted, also Mallard, Little Grebe, Grey Heron and Water Rail (heard). Whooper Swan numbers here on the day were small, but regularly recorded numbers reach 100+ at this site. Also, a variety of duck species recorded here regularly (Wigeon, Gadwall, Shoveler, Tufted Duck) were absent on the day.The scarcity of ducks however was somewhat compensated for by a good showing of raptors, with several Buzzard, a Sparrow Hawk and a Kestrel observed. We were also treated to good views of a pair of Stonechats in the nearby reed beds.

Photo by Clare Driver - stonechat at Glen Lough Nature Reserve

The viewing experience at Glen Lough Reserve is enhanced by the availability of a purpose build hide, provided by the NPWS, which offered a welcome shelter from the chilly January air for our intrepid birders ! There was a general consensus that this site is well worth a return visit in more favourable weather conditions!

January outing to West Cavan Lakes

Our first outing of the New Year will take place on Sunday 13 January to the  West Cavan Lakes. Local birder Tom Murtagh will join us on the day and we will visit a number of lakes in the area. We hope to see some whooper swans and and a variety of waterfowl. 

Meet at Swan Lake, Gowna at 11am. Car park is on the Granard Road.

Packed lunch and warm waterproof clothing and boots recommended.

Tom wrote a very interesting report on our visit to the area last year and to read it please click here :

Please note that winter events are subject to change. It may be necessary to cancel or change the time of an event on short notice due to bad weather. Please check the blog for updates closer to date for any possible changes.

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The Garden Bird Survey

If you feed garden birds and would like to learn more about them visit the following Birdwatch Ireland link .You will find lots of very useful information and details on how you can take part in the Survey. It's a great way to learn your birds and you are sure to enjoy the time spent watching! 

Keep feeding the birds over the holidays and hope everyone has a lovely Christmas.

I - WeBs Workshop at Ballybay Wetland Centre on Sunday 2 December

Some information on this event by Helen Boland

On Sunday 2^nd December, we are holding an I-WeBS workshop at the lovely Ballybay Wetlands Centre, Derryvalley Farm, Ballybay, Co. Monaghan.

www.ballybaywetlands.ie 

It will run from 10am - 1pm after which there will be a field visit to look at some of the wintering waterbirds on the wetlands near the centre.  

This is a completely free event and we will provide tea and coffee and some light lunch.

The workshop is aimed at anyone who either already takes part or who is interested in participating in the survey.  Everybody is welcome. We will provide information about wintering waterbirds, and about the survey itself, how to count, and a bit of waterbird ID, and hopefully we will be able to sign up a few new recruits. No wetland is too small! And there is bound to be one in your area.

We will be holding at least one other workshop this season which we will forward details of as soon as possible.

In the meantime let me know if you would like to come along to this one In Ballybay, Monaghan, so I can gather some idea about numbers and how much refreshments to provide.

Helen Boland

I-WeBS National Organiser

BirdWatch Ireland

Unit 20, Block D, Bullford Business Campus | Kilcoole | Co. Wicklow 

Direct: 00 353 (0)1 2812410

Office: 00 353 (0)1 2819878
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Irish Wetland Bird Survey

I-WeBS has been the mechanism for monitoring wintering waterbirds in Ireland for the last 18 years, with the results being used for site-protection and designation.  Hundreds of thousands of waterbirds migrate to Ireland each winter from breeding grounds in Arctic Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Siberia, Russia, and countless places in between. In order to try to conserve the many species that spend the winter here we need to monitor them to find out how many individuals there are of each species, if the size of each population is increasing, decreasing or stable, and we need to identify the network of sites that they use. With the help of thousands of hours of input from skilled volunteers and staff of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, this information is compiled and built-on every year.

The Irish Wetland Bird Survey  (I-WeBS) is a joint survey of BirdWatch Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.