Not Just Gulls

OK, for want of something topical to post, allow me to present a few images of juvenile and 1st-winter michahellis  type Yellow-legged Gulls taken here in Ireland. Even when greater concentrations of gulls were found at various rubbish tips throughout Ireland, and when Yellow-legged Gulls seemed easier to find as a result, it seemed that both juveniles in late summer/early autumn and 1st-winters remaining to overwinter were unaccountably rare in Ireland compared to other age classes. When one considers that juveniles make up a large proportion of the late summer influx to other north-western European countries, it does seem strange that the same should not be the case here. Now, of course, the low observer numbers in Ireland, and even lower number of dedicated larophiles, can't help the situation, especially as birds of these age classes are more difficult to pick up in the first place than adult types. But those of us who were watching gulls intently rarely seemed to find them ei...

One of the things that brightens up even a quiet winter is the annual arrival, predominantly during January and February, of varying numbers of Iceland Gulls. These birds tend to be quite widespread here in Ireland, with pretty much all coastal counties receiving a few every year, and, while peak counts of these and Glaucous Gulls tend to come from Killybegs in Co. Donegal, we don't do too badly for them down here in Cork either. In recent winters, there have usually been at least two or three birds along the river Lee in Cork city centre, and, as most have been juveniles, most records clearly don't refer to returning birds. Birds can often give good close views in this urban setting, but a juvenile that is currently present at Kyrl's Quay takes the biscuit, being perhaps the most approachable Iceland Gull that I have ever seen, anywhere.  So, without further ado, here are some of my better Iceland Gull images from this winter and previous years, mainly from Cork city but...

So, here we are, 2018, many years since I last kept a blog. I'm not sure how long this one will last, either, but here goes anyway. On editing my dormant Blogger profile, it was amusing to see how much had changed and how much had stayed the same since I wrote the initial blurb. I suppose I was in denial, somewhat, when I said that I was a 'recovering ex(?) nationwide twitcher', as, while that's far from all that I am, I do travel the length and breadth of Ireland if a prospective Irish tick is found. That happens all too rarely these days, though, and I'd get bored very quickly if I was only waiting for the next tick. Since my last spell of blogging, I have gotten quite into sound recording, which certainly adds another dimension to time spent in the field. I must confess that there is a degree of the listing instinct involved, insomuch as I am acutely aware of which common species I am missing recordings of, or which particular vocalisations of species I have al...