Nice to get out sea watching at Seven Heads again, pretty light, 4 Arctic Skua, 1 Pom, 1 Bonxi, 10 GND, stormiest, Puffins and basking sharks

The Great Glen skua portal opened up today, amazing to see Long-tailed Skuas thermalling over Loch Linnhe like giant Bee-eaters up to 1000m before whizzing northeast towards Inverness! 🪶 #ornithology #highlandbirds

A pair of Common Tern has recently been seen displaying on our newly created island in the Borrow Dyke. Cork Harbour supports an important breeding population of this species, & it looks like we may have given them one more breeding location option 😊 #builditandtheywillcome

1/4 Yesterday morning we were treated to a truly fascinating presentation on, and hands on exploration of, the stratigraphy (study of sediment layers) of our wetlands.

Coming up this Saturday 25th April at 10 am 👇meet at the Scrape Hide on the Nature Trail!!

Skylarks and at least one project hoping to help in the south www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

It's only force majeure if it comes from the Majeure region of France. Otherwise it's just a sparkling shitshow.

Our Sand Martin's are back in big numbers this am and very active at the nesting banks. This video shows the view from our outside camera this morning and our first visit to burrow 19 by a returning bird! You can check out our Sand Martin nestcams 24/7 on our YouTube channels!

Closing date for submissions to the next issue of Irish Birds is 31 March. Contributions of all kinds are welcome and help build a stronger evidence base for Irish ornithology. If you’re unsure whether your material is suitable don’t hesitate to contact the editor to discuss potential submissions.

Honored to have had the chance to visit Oxford last week (after a few days in Liverpool beforehand!). I really enjoyed meeting so many great people and sharing ideas on bird migration. I hope you enjoyed the presentation, and stay tuned for upcoming results on vagrants and bird migration! 🪶

Two Snow Geese at Toonsbridge with the Whoopers, no Cork records so far. These might stand a chance….

"The University is supportive and encouraging of our staff and students engaging with AI in their studies and research" AI:

Some photos from two weeks in Senegal recently.

Harlequin Duck, Co.Donegal, Ireland. The first record of this species in Ireland.

First attempt and unfinished map of Yellowhammer eBird records for Cork in 2024 and 2025 with QGIS. I am alive ….just, not easy

Two of three Risso’s Dolphins I saw off Dursey last April were already in the IWDG catalog. Grand day watching them

⏰ Just 2 months to go until the submission deadline for the next issue of Irish Birds 📅 31 March 2026 We welcome papers, short notes and reviews on birds in Ireland. Contributions from field ornithologists, recorders and practitioners are especially welcome — queries encouraged!

Went to see this interesting gull found in Cork city yesterday by Alex Lynch. It seems most likely to be an adult Black-headed x Bonaparte's Gull, a very rare pairing and not conclusively proven anywhere as yet, as far as I can see, but with two strong candidates from Spain and France.

Really, really stuck for the last minute gift…… Birds of County Cork @waterstones.bsky.social

Soon it will be beginning to smell a lot like Christmas. #Speirgorm #Corkmas

The refurbished Bishop Lucey Park, Cork - definitely an Old Red Sandstone Brutalist vibe slightly transitioning to Cork white limestone at Grand Parade. Not a green spot, summer may change that. Glad the stagnant water is gone.

Successful trip to Donegal with the Harlequin showing well and then got the two Taiga in the Geese fields at Dooey. #irishrarebirds

Recently got a Hawke phone adapter for the scope from @birdwatchireland.bsky.social great value at €25. Many years of using a jam jar lid glued to phone case behind me…..cheap🤷🏻‍♂️

High tide on the Lee at Shaky Bridge, Cork

The view from Seven Heads, Cork. Sadly I messed up the digiscoping effort for the Soft plumaged Petrel past Seven Heads, Cork at 10.52 this morning but thrilled the lads on Galley Head got it nearly an hour later. Persistence pays off for seawatching

Welcome to Seven Heads

1/3 We had another great volunteer morning on the reserve yesterday. The weather gods were kind to us and we got a lot done, including replacing one of our wetland access gates and cutting back some encroaching gorse on the nature trail.

Clearing out old Sand Martin nests from the nesting wall at @harpersisland.bsky.social

Old Head of Kinsale 12.5 km away as seen from Seven Heads. Gannets diving. 169 Sootys, 32 Great Shearwater, 7 Arctic, 1 Pom 1 Bonxi

Recent visit or the Irish Butter museum in Cork. Made some butter and glad to see a butter wrapper from the family shop, O’Donovan’s Princes Street, in the collection. Butter on the shelves last shot

Golden hour Cork

Ireland’s third Isabelline Wheatear was showing very well over the border in Dungarvan this morning. Hopefully have something more colourful to post tomorrow from west Cork.

Currently looking at research on Woodpigeons in Ireland. They are the most commonly struck (by aircraft) large bird at Dublin Airport. Strikes generally occur in the evening and hit the starboard engine mostly. An interesting added complexity to consider when choosing your flight and seat.

Flap - Michael Quane piece looking fantastic with autumn Virginia Creeper

Recently got on the solar train, 9 panels and 5kw battery, the later powering us through till dawn usually. Have in recent days been exporting up five times as much energy as imported from grid. Wet cloudy days production is about same as imported. We are not heavy electric users.

Just watched a Peregrine chase a flock of Pink-footed Geese and then take one down! Seem to to remember reading about previous records of hunting geese (Barnacle?) in the Derek Ratcliffe book but never witnessed it! 🤯

25 Buzzards moving SW in an hour, in hills west of Dungarvan. Gained height from Dungarvan and moved rapidly SW @watbirds.bsky.social

Visiting Copeland bird observatory warden Adam Ringland was delighted to ring one of two adult Choughs that surprisingly ventured into our mist nets this morning.

Grand day at Galley Head 10.45-16.00 very heavy Great Shearwater passage, up to 8,500 per hour at times. Total app 20,000, second highest day count for the species in Ireland. 250 Cory’s, 4 long tailed, 21 Bonxi, 5 Arctic skua, 1 Pom, 1 Sabines, 2 Wilson’s, 4 grey phalarope #seabirds

Graffitiish from recent trip to Cape Clear @ccbowarden.bsky.social

Above Dungarvan with Hook Head and Saltee Islands in background, flyby ringtail, Swallows and House Martins moving through…

www.rte.ie/news/environ... @jamierohu.bsky.social straight on peat?

Green Sandpiper and Kingfisher recently from @harpersisland.bsky.social ebird.org/checklist/S2... ebird.org/checklist/S2...

First-very modest-fig harvest nearly ready

Etain Hickey ceramic added to the bird wall - tiny flock of Curlew and a Hare in spring flowers. Beautiful work

"What song the Sirens sang, or what name Achilles assumed when he hid himself among women, though puzzling questions, are not beyond all conjecture"

Detections for late June- late July @harpersisland.bsky.social LRP recorded on 5 dates. Not 100% sure of Barn Owl. Analysis of 124 hours or recording took 40 minutes using @chirpity-nocmig.bsky.social on the computer plus another 40 mins for me so delete errors. Recorded 4 hours per night

Evening aperitif on the banks of the Lee

Company at VP, 429 ft. Stock Dove and now common Great Spotted Woodpecker. Noticeable lack of Kestrel

Good news, possibly www.thejournal.ie/sprat-fishin...