First Clogheen Marsh wader mist netting session of the autumn was not as successful as hoped with 2 Mallard, 3 Snipe, 4 Redshank and 2 Black-tailed Godwit, but all adds to the data! @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social @birdwatchireland.bsky.social 🪶

Irish Cuckoo Update - Cores is still in eastern Chad, where he has been for over a month, Inchi is somewhere in Africa (won’t find out where until returns next spring) and Glen has been jumping around from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and now Hungary @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Clogheen Marsh autumn migration monitoring. 2000 Swallows came to roost last night, caught 196 plus a Sand Martin. Today, 179 birds caught of 27 species inc 28 Blackcap, 12 Chiff, 2 Reed + 2 Sedge also 6 Mallard, 50 Chaffinch, Grey Wag + Siskin @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

First wader session of the season at Harbour View beach, Kilbrittain and caught 19 Dunlin, an adult Greenshank and a lovely Curlew Sandpiper. Also had a juvenile Manx Shearwater, seem to be lots turning up inland this year @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social 🪶

Last Clogheen CES visit yesterday produced a rather low 41 birds of 14 species. Highlights included 5 species of warbler, of the 9 Sedge Warbler, one was so heavily covered in fat for migration it was almost twice its normal weight at 18g! @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Few gull sightings. 534:C and 02U:C were nestlings from West Cork in 2021 and 2024 respectively and in Faro and Cadiz. Whilst 2 rehabs from Wildlife Rescue Cork - 18U:C was in Portugal for winter and now in Limerick and 28H:C already in Kinsale from Cork City 3 weeks ago @btobirds.bsky.social 🪶

Irish Cuckoo Update - after spending a number of weeks on the French/Italian border Cores has now jumped the Mediterranean and Sahara and on the Sudan/Chad border. Living up to the tradition of migrating furthest east of @btobirds.bsky.social. @npwsireland.bsky.social 1/2 🪶

Great opportunity to catch and ring a juvenile Little Grebe at Native Species weekend @fotawildlife.bsky.social and share its amazing features with visitors. A common species with almost nothing known about their movements or longevity in Ireland! @btobirds.bsky.social @npwsireland.bsky.social

Another successful Storm Petrel catching session at Galley Head, Cork. 286 in total including 4 controls over 3 1/2 hours. Never tire of these wonderful little birds about the size of a Robin but live out on the open sea! @btobirds.bsky.social @npwsireland.bsky.social @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social

First Swallow roost catch of the year at Clogheen Marsh last night. About 300 birds came into roost and we caught 114 inc a retrap adult from last year plus 2 Sand Martin. Surprised to get so many this early, but migration seems early @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Great weekend at @ccbowarden.bsky.social for the Lavender Festival. Ringing Demo with a good mix of passerines, 163 Stormies caught at night inc 3 controls (1 we caught at Galley Head on Wednesday night) and 20 Rock Doves for RAS project inc 9 new! @btobirds.bsky.social @willjsmith.bsky.social

A rather quiet Clogheen CES 8 with virtually no bird song. Felt rather like some adult birds have already left! Still managed to catch 49 birds. Highlights were two very contrasting male Swallow, 3 juvenile Bullfinch, a Mallard and a Water Rail @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social 🪶

Great clear full moon night at Galley Head catching Storm Petrels with a good team. 264 caught including 3 controls from elsewhere in 3 hours @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Rather quiet Killarney NP CES 7 yesterday with just 25 birds from 13 species. Although adult female and a very dark juv G-s Woodpecker and a juv Reed Bunting can’t be sniffed at. Also did the two Barn Owl nest sites with broods of 4 and 3 chicks @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Lesser Black-backed Gull project work today in Roaringwater Bay. 204 colour ringed from 3 islands including @ccbowarden.bsky.social and 14 Herring Gull. Seems to be a productive season here and a fabulous day to be island hopping! @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social 🪶

CES 7 at Clogheen Marsh was steady with 54 birds of 15 species. Highlight was the first bird of the morning - a retrap Long-eared Owl from last November. Over 2/3 of the rest was warblers including the first juvenile Sedge @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social 🪶

Wonderful day giving budding Canadian ringer Adam Ross a flavour of some Cork projects. Firstly, Rook ringing as part of a RAS, ringing 99 Common Tern chicks as part of @portofcork.bsky.social project and lastly a nest of 3 Buzzard chicks @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Our last Peregrine nest site of the year, followed by our first few West Cork Barn Owl nest sites checked this week. Seems to be a decent year with a good number of healthy chicks, also a pair of Stock Dove chicks @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social @birdwatchireland.bsky.social

CES 6 at Clogheen Marsh was only just manageable between the various weather fronts, but a decent session with 61 birds of 15 species. Lots of fledglings including the first juvenile Reed Warbler @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Irish Cuckoo Update - Cores has now moved to near Limoges in central France, but the big news is that there are now two extra tagged Cuckoos out there both from Cork. These two are wearing a different device that send data via mobile phone network @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social 1/3🪶

CES session 5 at Killarney NP was rather quiet, but a couple of notable individuals amongst the 22 birds. Our first ever juvenile Reed Bunting, seem to get flooded out most years and a retrap Reed Bunting originally ringed in 2022! @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social 🪶

Irish Cuckoo Tagging Project Update - after just over 6 weeks on breeding grounds in Killarney NP, Cores is on migration! Brief stop on Kerry side of Beara peninsula on 10th before quick departure to SW Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 BIG NEWS NEXT WEEK! @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social🪶

Irish Cuckoo Tagging Project Update - after just over 6 weeks on breeding grounds in Killarney NP, Cores is on migration! Brief stop on Kerry side of Beara peninsula on 10th before quick departure to SW Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 BIG NEWS NEXT WEEK! @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Great day out doing raptor nests. Another 2 Peregrines sites ringed in Cork as well as a Kestrel nest right in Cork City! But the most amazing find was amongst mostly corvid remains was the remains of a HOOPOE in one of the Peregrine nests!! @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social 🪶

Clogheen Marsh CES session 4 produced the first 5 juveniles of the year in amongst the 54 birds of 18 species. A good mix including our first Kingfisher of the year, a retrap adult from 2024, also a side catch of 3 Mallard and a Moorhen @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social 🪶

CES session 4 at Lake Hotel, Killarney NP produced 53 birds of 13 species. It was heavily dominated by juvenile birds in particular Blue Tits and Long-tailed Tits, but also Treecreeper and 2 Kingfisher @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social 🪶

A couple of our ongoing RAS projects. Rooks in our Enniskeane garden now getting busy inc birds from 2019. Rock Doves @ccbowarden.bsky.social getting some great survival data including BH that was ringed in 2016 which keeps breaking @btobirds.bsky.social longevity records! @euring.bsky.social

Nice resighting of one of the juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls rehabbed by Wildlife Rescue Cork last year. 04J:C is alive and well sunning itself on a beach near Porto, Portugal last week doing the normal migration it should be doing @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social 🪶

Monitoring Cork Peregrine nest sites today. 6 sites in total, 3 of which had chicks still too small and 3 which were ringed with broods of 2, 2 and 4. Corvids seemed to be exclusively on the menu! @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

CES 3 at Killarney NP was fairly decent with 35 birds of 12 species. Highlights being a pair of Siskin, 4 Treecreeper and a new occurrence for this site an adult Chiffchaff! Lots of juvs now around too @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

3rd CES visit to Clogheen Marsh produced 42 birds of 11 species inc highest catch of Blackbird (12) and a good few new Reed and Sedge Warbler. A House Sparrow seen was a new species for the reserve after the also new Spoonbill seen on last visit @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

An incredible SouthWest Ireland RG team effort this weekend monitoring Choughs nesting in buildings in Cork. Just shy of 100 sites checked and 132 chicks colour ringed. A great range of sites from cattle sheds, old farmhouses, castles, garden sheds + church towers! @npwsireland.bsky.social

Seems like an age ago, but a fabulous last week back in home county of Sussex working with colleagues @btobirds.bsky.social and friends in training to tag Cuckoos for the ongoing research into their migration from Ireland @npwsireland.bsky.social @mostlyscarce.bsky.social

When I tell people I’m a ringer, they’re occasionally unsure whether I mean birds or bells. In today’s case, both could’ve been true! We ascended the tower of a Victorian church, squeezing past the bell, to access this Chough nest in Co. Cork today. @sambayley.bsky.social #birdringing 🇮🇪🧪🌍

A busy day monitoring breeding Choughs in SW County Cork with @sambayley.bsky.social. 25 chicks colour-ringed was a great result! #birdringing 🇮🇪

And a nice, noisy brood of three Hooded Crows ringed in SW County Cork today 🇮🇪🪶 @sambayley.bsky.social

2nd Killarney CES session was much improved with 31 birds of 13 species. The highlight was a Mistle Thrush, a new species for the CES! Also the first few juvs with a couple Robins and Long-tailed Tits @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

2nd Clogheen Marsh CES session of the year. 42 birds of 14 species. Highlights being a good few returning Sedge and Willow Warbler from previous years and seemingly a good year for breeding Bullfinch @btobirds.bsky.social @npwsireland.bsky.social

Two very different recoveries. Black-tailed Godwit ringed at Clogheen Marsh on 20th Jan, resighted 1600km away in SW Iceland on 29th April. Whilst Mute Swan seen Fota Wildlife Park on 24th Jan was ringed on 25th July 1998 at Killarney NP, 27yrs later! @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

DINOSAUR ALERT! Yesterday we were assessing and ringing Grey Heron nests in Cork Harbour. A Qualifying Interest for the SPA and as an apex predator important to understand how they are surviving and using the landscape @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social @fotawildlife.bsky.social

First Killarney NP CES session yesterday was pretty quiet possibly due to the high water levels. Just 15 birds of 8 species. Highlight though was only third Great Spotted Woodpecker ringed here after 2 in 2024 @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Brilliant 1st Clogheen Marsh CES visit of the year today with 105 birds of 18 species. Returning warblers from past few years inc Reed, Willow, Chiffchaff and Blackcap. Absolute highlight was after 3 years our lone male Cetti’s Warbler has finally been joined by a female @btobirds.bsky.social

Big variety of projects by the SWIRG team this week, from monitoring Dipper nests, two Raven nests, revamping nest boxes for a Swift colony, catching adult Grey Heron and Little Egret and ringing a rehab Gannet. All good data! @btobirds.bsky.social @npwsireland.bsky.social @fotawildlife.bsky.social

Irish Cuckoo Update - Cores is back in Ireland! Leaving Algeria 🇩🇿 on 12th he sped north to Bilbao, Spain 🇪🇸. On 21st did a big sea crossing of Bay of Biscay arriving near Mallow in Cork the next day. 1200km of open water and just 70km from home @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

First Rock Dove RAS session of the year catching 25 birds inc 6 new and a retrap from 2019. Also a migrant catching session by the lake with new warden, John Horton, of mainly warblers with highlight being a Spanish control Chiffchaff @ccbowarden.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

One of our Black-tailed Godwits ringed at Clogheen Marsh on 30 Jan 2024 has been caught 600km away on northbound migration at Wheldrake Ings NR, Yorkshire on 25 March 2025. Now bearing a set of colour rings hopefully see back in Clonakilty next winter @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

A first ringing demo for the newly founded SouthWest Ireland Ringing Group at Killarney National Park yesterday. A good selection of birds for the 20 participants, but a pair of Treecreeper and Long-tailed Tit were the show stoppers @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Irish Tagged Cuckoo Update - we thought we had lost all of our birds in Africa with no signals since December! On 8th April Cores came back to life in Algeria moving north. He must have been in dense jungle and the tag couldn’t charge! Still hope for KP + Torc or did they end their days in Africa!

Getting to work on a number of chick ringing projects with Grey Herons and Ravens today and Ringed Plovers last week @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

First decent Spring ringing session at Clogheen Marsh, with 46 birds of 13 species. Felt more like Norway than Cork with highlights a Siberian Chiffchaff, an acredula Willow Warbler and a very grey ‘continental’ Robin. Also 5 butterfly species @npwsireland.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social