We started counting about 9.45am from the wooden bridge, everything was hunkydory, moved to the main road and the amount of birds where we had just been seemed to have quadrupled.
We count them pre high tide roost which can result in mis counts as the birds keep jumping up to steer clear of the rising water, which meant re-counts and re-counts again.
This tide seemed to have them more active than usual too, plus I'm slow counting my species anyway, so I was getting a tad frustrated, and I didn't even have to count the small waders which kept lifting for Sinead and Jerry!
Plus, I find the huge expanse we have to cover with no markers difficult.
PLUS, I've graduated onto counting 9 species now: Oystercatchers, Brent geese, Black headed gulls, Curlew, Greater black backed gulls, Common gulls, Herring gulls, Herons and Shelduck, tbh, my head was errrwrecked.
Anyhow, the counts were done and the coffee was downed by 1pm.
I wanted to go to Wicklow again so planned to take the east toll road from Clontarf to go via bootytown, the N11 and down to Wicklow that way.
Except that didn't happen.
Something similar to this did:
(this is footage from Rosslare port, Co Wexford- and yes, he does do a pee in the middle of the road, bonus points if you spot the 2nd guy doing the same in the bushes!)
I'm going to blame the Magnificent signage rather than my lack of brain cells for what happened, but I ended driving through the port tunnel in the completely opposite direction (going North towards the airport) and having to get back South via the M50, €6 in tolls to go the wrong way later and I was finally on the N11 and eventually around Sally Gap area by 3ish.
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| Road near Lough Dan, Co Wicklow, Feb 11th 2012 |
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| Foggy Wicklow colours |
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| Coronation plantation, Co Wicklow, Feb 2012 |
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| Several Ravens around Coronation plantation, Co Wicklow |
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| River Liffey in its infancy, running through Coronation plantation, Co Wicklow |
Apart from the calls of the Ravens and the calls of a pair of Great tits I didn't hear (or see) anything else, and I did sit down, stay quiet and listen.
I would have liked to have stayed much longer but it was getting dark and I had to make my way back.
