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