Seawatch - 7th of June

Weather: A very mild morning with light southerly winds. Overcast with moderate visibility decreasing from about 5km to 1km (partial sea fog), but improving again later on. Some light rain around 7am (clearing quickly). Total seawatch time of 3.5 hours.

Count totals:

• Fulmar: 21 north & 9 south
• Manx Shearwater: 4,010 north & 146 south
• Common Scoter: 15 north & 55 south
• Arctic Skua: 1 dark-phase flew north
• Kittiwake: 97 north & 40 south
• Puffin: 1 north & 2 south
• Black Guillemot: 2 north & 1 south
• Razorbill/Guillemot: 1,250 north & 38 south
• Guillemot: 1 south
• Razorbill: 3 north & 4 south
• Not counted: Common Gull, Sandwich Tern

 On the islands:

• Maiden Rock: 19 Cormorant, 2 Shag, 3 Kittiwake, 1 Oystercatcher, 38 Common and Arctic Terns
• Clare Rock: 8 Cormorant, 2 Shag, 2 Great BB Gull, 3 Common/Arctic Tern
• Lamb: 9 Cormorant, 1 Shag, 2 Oystercatcher, Herring Gull: 18 adults and at least 9 chicks, 4 Great BB Gull, 1 Arctic Tern, Hooded Crow
• Dalkey Island: 3 Cormorant, 8 Shelduck, 5 Oystercatcher, 32 Herring Gull, Great BB Gull: 8 adults and 2 chicks, 1 Rock Pipit, Jackdaw, Starling
• Coliemore: Black Guillemot, House Martin, Swallow, Rock Pipit, Robin, Blackbird, 1 Coal Tit, 3 Raven flying south, Chaffinch, Linnet

A long early morning seawatch with a few interesting sightings, best of which was a dark-phase Arctic Skua heading north as well as a couple of Puffins. Also one new species for the year list in the form of a Coal Tit heard singing from the gardens behind Coliemore during the seawatch.

Of the almost 6,000 birds counted passing by offshore, the majority were Manx Shearwaters (4,156) followed by Razorbill/Guillemots (1,288) and 100+ each of Kittiwake and Gannet. The Manxies reached a peak passage of 868 birds/15 minutes at around 07:30. However, the total numbers alone only tell half the story:

Manx Shearwater passage off Coliemore - north in blue and south in orange

After the peak, the numbers of Manxies dropped off, though it appears that poor visibility between 08:00 and 08:30 may be partly responsible for the trough at that time. The peak about half an hour later correlates with improving visibility, but numbers of Manx Shearwaters passing by dropped off rapidly after that. Southward passage throughout was barely noticeable by comparison.

The nearest main breeding colonies of Manx Shearwater are located on the islands off Pembrokeshire in south-west Wales. As the Manx Shearwater flies, this would be about 170 kilometers:

Assuming the majority of the birds left colony in the hour before sunrise (5am @ Fishguard) and with an average flight speed of 55-60km/hr, this would leave the majority of Manx Shearwaters passing Coliemore between 7 and 8am ending up at the main feeding grounds in Dundalk Bay about an hour later.

Auk passage followed a similar trend initially, but became a bit more confused later on:

Auk passage off Coliemore. North in blue, south in orange

Kittiwake and Gannet was very confused initially, with seemingly random peaks and troughs, but along with Manx Shearwater and the auks, passage dropped off quite sharply after 9am:

Kittiwake and Gannet passage off Coliemore

All this just to show that the best seawatching time from Coliemore is in the first couple of hours after sunrise!

Early morning at Coliemore

Adult breeding Black Guillemot

Seawatch - 1st of June

Weather: F2-3, gusting to Force 4 from the south. Overcast intially, with some clearance later on. Visibility moderate (1-5km) improving later (5-10km). Total seawatch time 2 hours.

Count totals:

• Fulmar: 2 north & 4 south
• Manx Shearwater: 52 north & 129 south
• Gannet: 21 north & 29 south
• Kittiwake: 4 north & 3 south
• Black Guillemot: 3 south
• Puffin: 1 north
• Razorbill/Guillemot: 169 north & 27 south
• Guillemot: 7 south
• Razorbill: 5 south
• Not counted: Shelduck, Sandwich Tern

On the islands:

• Maiden Rock: 1 Cormorant, 15 Arctic/Common Tern
• Clare Rock: 1 Cormorant, 2 Great BB Gull
• Lamb Island: 2 Cormorant, 12 Herring Gull, 2 Great BB Gull, 12 Arctic Tern, 1 female Mallard
• Dalkey Island: 2 Shelduck, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Herring Gull, 9 Great BB Gull
• The Muglins: 13 Cormorant, 6 Shag, 18 Herring Gull, 2 Great BB Gull

Other Wildlife: 1 Porpoise offshore and a total of 33 Grey Seals loafing on the tidal rocks of Clare Rock.

A very typical summer seawatch in terms of species and numbers. Rarity of the seawatch was all 90,000 odd tonnes of "MS Queen Victoria" drifting south out of Dublin Bay - not an annual visitor.

Seawatch - 29th of May

Weather: A cold F2-3 wind blowing from the north in overcast conditions. Visibility was good (10km). Total seawatch time of 2 hours.

Count totals:

• Red-throated Diver: 1 flew south
• Fulmar: 1 north & 3 south
• Manx Shearwater: 20 north
• Gannet: 77 north & 39 south
• Common Scoter: 24 north & 120 south
• Unidentified small waders: 7 north
• Oystercatcher: 11 flew south
• Kittiwake: 153 north & 7 south
• Black Guillemot: 1 south
• Razorbill/Guillemot: 265 north & 20 south
• Razorbill: 1 south
• Guillemot: 2 north

On the islands:

•  Maiden Rock: 22 Arctic/Common Tern, 3 Shag, 2 Cormorant
• Clare Rock: 12 Herring Gull, 3 Cormorant, 2 Great BB Gulls
• Lamb Island: 16 Herring Gull, 7 Cormorant, 3 Great BB Gull, 19 Arctic Tern
• Dalkey Island: 17 Great BB Gull, 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, 6 Oystercatcher, 3 Raven, 1 Shag, 1 Shelduck, 4 Herring Gull, Hooded Crow
• The Muglins: 16 Herring Gull, 4 Great BB Gull, 19 Shag, 13 Cormorant, 2 Kittiwake
• Coliemore Harbour: Black Guillemot

Other Wildlife: 45 Grey Seals loafing on Dalkey Island with one one Maiden Rock

A locally high count of Common Scoter (144) was the highlight of the seawatch - strangely they were all heading south rather than north as would be expected at this time of year! It seems likely that these birds and the Red-throated Diver are probably non-breeders undertaking local feeding movements.

On Dalkey Island, a Feral Pigeon flew around the Martello Tower several times, twice deliberately flying into the stone walls before heading off in a northerly direction. Very strange...

Seawatch - 28th of May 2014

Weather: Mainly sunny with some high cloud. Winds light (F2-3) and gusty from the north making it feel rather cool despite the sunshine. Total seawatch time of 2.5 hours.

Count totals:

• Red-throated Diver: 1 summer-plumaged bird flying north
• Fulmar: 2 north & 2 south
• Manx Shearwater: 10 passing north & 1 south
• Gannet: 12 north & 6 south
• Shelduck: 2 north & 4 south
• Common Scoter: 2 flew north
• Whimbrel: 1 flying north
• Mediterranean Gull: 1 first-summer flew north
• Kittiwake: 39 north
• Puffin: 1 flying north
• Black Guillemot: 1 adult summer flew north
• Razorbill/Guillemot: 486 flying north & 60 south
• Guillemot: 2 north
• Razorbill: One flock of four flying north & a single flying south
• Swallow: One flying north
• Not counted: Common Gull, various terns and gulls

On the Islands:

• Maiden Rock: 36 Common/Arctic Terns, 13 Cormorants, 2 Shag, 1 Great BB Gull, 1 Oystercatcher
• Clare Rock: 13 Cormorant, 1 Shag, 1 Great BB Gull, 1 Sandwich Tern
• Lamb Island: 5 Cormorant, 3 Great BB Gull, 17 Herring Gull, 22 Arctic Tern, 2 Hooded Crows
• The Muglins: 14 Herring Gull, 1 Cormorant, 3 Shag, 1 Oystercatcher
• Dalkey Island: 8 Great BB Gull, 4 Oystercatcher, 2 Shelduck, 3 Raven, Jackdaw
• Coliemore Harbour: Black Guillemot, Swallow, Pied Wagtail, Jackdaw, Long-tailed Tit

Other Wildlife: Grey Seal

 Two new seawatch species for the year list in the form of Puffin and Mediterranean Gull, as well as a couple of Long-tailed Tits heard calling from the gardens behind Coliemore Harbour. Puffin is quite scarce in South Dublin so it is good to get one early in the season. As usual, auks were the most numerous seabird off Coliemore and the chart below shows how the passage changed over the 150 minutes of seawatching.

Number of Auks flying north in 15 minute blocks

Visibility may be partly responsible for the initial drop in numbers, with strong glare off the sea making it difficult to find/identify some of the more distant birds.

Otherwise, the terns are beginning to settle in on Maiden Rock and Lamb Island, with the former getting a few boxes and gravel courtesy of Dr. Steve Newton and some vols from the South Dublin Branch last night. Lamb Island also had its first two Herring Gull chicks, with a further two Great Black-backed Gull chicks on Dalkey Island.

A few random pics from today:

Cormorants roosting on Clare Rock

Tern colony on Maiden Rock with new boxes for Roseate Terns

The Arklow-based "RNLB Ger Tiggchelarr" lifeboat heading north through Dalkey Sound

Dutch cargo ship "Flinter Arctic"

The bulker "Clipper Trust" in front of Howth Head lighthouse

Seawatch - 23rd of May 2014

Weather: Steady F6 from NE. Overcast but thankfully no rain. Seawatch total of two hours.

Count totals:

• Fulmar: 4 north
• Manx Shearwater: 9 north
• Gannet: 75 north & 9 south
• Commic Tern: 24 north
• Black Guillemot: 3 flying south
• Guillemot: 4 north
• Razorbill/Guillemot: 86 north and 16 flying south
• Unidentified small waders: 8 north

On the islands:

• Maiden Rock: Washed over by waves so no birds present.
• Clare Rock: As above.
• Lamb Island: 16 Herring Gull, 4 Great Black-backed Gull, 47 adult and 4 immature Cormorants, as well as 31 Shag.
• The Muglins: 7 Herring Gulls and 3 Cormorants despite being washed over by waves.
• Dalkey Island: 3 Cormorant, plus Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Jackdaw and Starling.

Not quite as good as Monday's seawatch! Despite the seemingly ideal conditions of strong onshore winds, there were surprisingly few seabirds offshore. The commonest birds noted were Gannet and auks, but I think this may be due to the fact that they are relatively easily spotted despite a shaking scope and large wave troughs. Other than a small flock of unidentified small waders (possibly Dunlin and Ringed Plovers), nothing unusual present offshore.

Unfortunately strong north-easterly winds are the worst possible conditions for nesting terns on the east coast of Ireland. The small colony on Maiden Rock haven't started nesting just yet. Hopefully the terns on Rockabill and especially Kilcoole won't be too badly affected.

Seawatch - 19th of May 2014

Weather: Overcast with occasional light rain. Calm (F0-1) with infrequent light NE breeze.

Count totals:

• Red-throated Diver: 1 adult summer north
• Great Northern Diver: 2 adult summer north
• Fulmar: 17 north & 1 south
• Manx Shearwater: 72 north & 14 south
• Gannet: 57 north & 104 south
• Common Scoter: 38 north & 4 south
• Dunlin: 2 summer-plumaged birds north
• Unidentified Waders: 24 north and 1 south
• Turnstone: 3 summer-plumaged individuals north
• Great Skua: 1 passing north - briefly chasing a pair of Kittiwakes
• Arctic Skua: 1 south - briefly harassing some terns
• Long-tailed Skua: 2 adult summers flying north giving good views about 500-600 meters offshore
• Black-headed Gull: 8 immatures north
• Kittiwake: 148 north & 58 south
• Roseate Tern: 1 adult summer north
• Commic Tern: 63 north & 5 south
• Black Guillemot: 1 adult summer south
• Guillemot: 8 north & 11 south
• Razorbill: 4 north & 4 south
• Razorbill/Guillemot: 1257 north & 127 south
• Swallow: 3 north & 4 south
• Not counted: Sandwich Tern, Cormorant, Shag, Shelduck, various gulls

On the Islands:

•  Maiden Rock: 9 Cormorants, 38 Common/Arctic Terns, 1 Great Black-backed Gull and 1 first-summer Little Gull.
• Clare Rock: 13 Cormorants, 1 Shag, 1 each of Herring & Great Black-backed Gull
• Lamb Island: 22 Herring Gull, 3 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Oystercatcher, 1 Cormorant, 4 Arctic Terns
• The Muglins: 17 Herring Gull, 4 Great Black-backed Gull and 1 Shag
• Dalkey Island: 8 Oystercatcher, 11 Great Black-backed Gull, 3 Herring Gull, 1 Swift, 1 Wheatear, Swallow, Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, Starling.

Probably one of the best seawatches I have had from Coliemore! The obvious highlight was the pair of Long-tailed Skuas flying north not too far offshore - the species is quite rare on the Irish east coast with only a handful of recent records from Dublin and Wicklow (including one record on the same date 5 years ago from Kilcoole). The other two skua species were a nice bonus as well and are recorded in small numbers every year in County Dublin. The final icing on the cake was a first-summer Little Gull hanging around the tern colony on Maiden Rock. It roosted with the terns for several minutes before flying off. Little Gulls are regular off Coliemore, but most sightings are in winter during easterly storms.

Good numbers of commoner seabirds, including the highest personal site count of auks (1,358). The unidentified waders were probably all Dunlin, plus one probable Bar-tailed Godwit flying with a flock of Gannets (!) but all were too far offshore to be 100% certain.

The seabird passage was associated with a Mesoscale Convective System moving through the central and eastern Irish Sea, with very heavy rainfall and numerous lightning strikes. I wonder if this inclement weather forced the different seabirds to move to the western Irish Sea?

Met Eireann Weather Radar: Heavy rain indicated by yellow & orange

Lightning Strikes shown by red dots