Today was the last iwebs count for 6 months.
*hand punch of joy into the air*
It has been interesting and of course I've enjoyed it, but I won't lie, it's the other iwebbers wot makes it. Ger, John, Philip, Tom, Jerry, Sinéad and especially Helen - big up and Respect.
Great to see Denis joining today too, as the iwebs PA, lovely handwriting.
Nice to have a Royal visit from Kendrew too, short but sweet flyby.
March 2012 iwebs was a very quiet and easy count, quite the opposite to last month's. TG.
Me and Philip covered sections 3 and 4, there were so few birds, it was great.
 |
| Bull island 08.36 March 10th 2012. Dull, but dry day. There was sun behind a load of cloud, but the cloud never really cleared so there was no sun shine = poor photos to follow. |
 |
| Philip sporting this season's Farmer Chic look. Philip was well able to count all the Dunlins, Knot, Green shank and Grey Plover - the waders I simply wouldn't have been able for. |
 |
| Section 3, Bull Island, Dublin Bay |
I think we finished up by 11.30 and went for coffee (and scone, and sushi(!), and one of those natural bars that pretends to be healthy but is packed with sugar - yum).
I was really hoping the sun might give me a break so I could get some good light for some decent shots, but nope, it was poor light all day.
And birds seemed to be all really far off today too.
 |
| Little Egret, Bull Island, Mar 2012 |
 |
| Female Merlin, Bull Island, Mar 2012. Male would be grey on top and have a thick black tail band. |
 |
| Meadow Pipit resting on a post near the golf course, pale sub moustachial. One of 'loads of Meadow pipits' at the Bull today. |
 |
| Terrible photo of a Skylark, but just wanted to mention that there were thousands of Skylarks at the Bull today all singing and starring in their own sky shows, great to be in the audience. |
 |
| Kestrel, grey head and grey tail = male kestrel, Bull island, Mar 2012 |
 |
| Male Kestrel, female would have a brown head and paler body |
 |
| Male Kestrel, female would have barring across her tail and it would be browner, not plain grey as the male's above. |
No Owls that I saw, Philip didn't see any either (he was there at dawn), Denis didn't see any (but nothing new there), neither did a couple of birders we met on the way back (possible urban birder sighting!) and I've just checked Irish Birding and no sightings, so I'm assuming the owls have finished their wintering at the Bull and gone off to their breeding grounds for a bit of summer lovin.
Happened so fast.
