I was in Donegal last weekend, 4 hours 20 it took me to drive there Friday after work.
4 hours 20!
2 packets of crisps, a Bueno bar, a bottle of water and an Earl grey tea (very nice one from Applegreen) kept me going.
The N3 after Cavan up to Donegal is a dark one, throw in 3 hours of stop/start rain, a squeaky wiper, 1.5º temperatures, ice warnings on the car dashboard, lots of bends around Lough Erne and every other car seeming to leave on their full beams, and you've got one helluva drive.
Anyway, I got there. I was tired but excited to be going up to the actual Donegal town, never been. I've been to Malin head and all around North and some of South Donegal, but never wee Donegal town.
Woke up early the next morning, way too early for a Saturday, knew I wouldn't get back to sleep, and didn't want to stay inside when Donegal was outside, so I sneaked off, tip toed out to my car and found myself driving towards Lough Eske.
The temp on the dashboard was 1.5º it was freezing cold, there was snow on the ground and the peaks of the Blue stack mountains were all white with snow. It was also now raining and the sky was a heavy dark grey. Outside felt wild, bit similar to Wicklow wild - same terrain. I loved it.
Despite the heavy rain I parked up, got out of my car and walked a bit along a lane, a flock of 40+ birds flew overhead.
Starlings? Nope, Redwings? Too big, way too big.
Fieldfares?
The rain was too heavy to put my binoculars up to them - and then they were gone.
I got back into the car and drove on further, more of these flocks of birds flew over in patches.
Thankfully the rain took a break and I was able to step out of my car again.
I took out my big Sigma 500mm lens to take a shot of one of the birds in flight, hoping to zoom in and see what it was.
The auto focus didn't work, the camera wouldn't take a picture.
All settings were correct, but the big Sigma lens had decided it wasn't playing along.
Again.
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| Luckily I had my Nikon 18-55mm lens with me, so I swapped lenses and the auto focus worked just fine. I was able to take some landscape photos. I was annoyed though, another trip to Conns with the Sigma lens. I think I'm on my 3rd? but can't think of any other cheaper option to get a 500mm reach. |
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| Misty mountains North West side of Lough Erne, Donegal, look at the colours! I would have loved to have wandered up to the top. |
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| I took this from the car (think it was raining again). I was in awe of the vibrant red coloured berries everywhere, they were nearly glowing. Just beautiful. |
Driving, still through the heavy rain, I spotted one of the flocks of birds land in some berry laden trees in a field to my right.
I pulled up, got my binoculars on them and could vaguely make out that they were indeed Fieldfares, about 200 of them. My god.
Never in my life had I seen so many, 20 tops would be my most, but usually I'd only see 1, maybe 2 or 3, I've always seen more Redwings than Fieldfares.
To see the trees and shrubs filled with these large, impressive visiting Scandinavian / Icelandic/ Eastern European thrushes was such a treat.
I really wanted a good look at them, well as good as the weather would allow, so I pulled my telescope out from the boot and in the pouring, freezing rain with numb, not working cold hands, I set myself up at the roadside and zoomed in on the Fieldfares.
Madness to onlookers, a complete delight to me.
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| You can't really see, but the Fieldfares were on every branch of every one of those trees in the photo, especially up in the trees on the right. Welcome, Welcome, sorry the weather's so shit, but better than where you've just come from eh? Fieldfares- Corracramph, Lough Eske, Donegal |
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| Cropped and lightened, just to show the Fieldfares. |
So as well as the Christmas lights going up everywhere, the Fieldfares are also in town.
Winter is here.
There was one Redwing in there too, just for the record.
I could have stayed watching these Winter visitors all day.
Text message received "Where are you?'
I headed back to a full fry up breakfast being served, got to appreciate times like these.
In the afternoon, we went for a drive out to Mountcharles, St John's point, Killibegs and Ardara, the scenery was stunning, as was the china collection in Nancy's bar.
The following day we took a trip out to Pettigo and then onto Rossnowlagh beach. Again - the views and landscapes in all these areas were soul stirring. I love Donegal's textures, colours and rugged wildness. I'd like to spend more time exploring this county, take it all in.
In Pettigo I spotted 2 Dippers on the river Termin, bobbing away on the rocks and flying under the bridge.
On a great little straight long lane (the L2225?) out to Rossnowlagh beach we
passed several small loughs, one of them had some more winter visitors - this time, 10 Whooper swans honking away, I
think it was Shivanagh Lough looking at google maps.
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| 2 Dippers on the Termin river, Pettigo, Donegal |
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| Some of Donegal's long coastline -Rahan Far, St John's point, Donegal |
Didn't hugely have much time to explore here, only saw a solitary Oystercatcher, but there was obviously lots more I didn't manage to see.
That goes for the whole weekend really, the 2 hours I had to myself when I saw the Fieldfares was perfect, I haven't had much time to be out birding over the last few months, so that treat was extremely welcome. Can't wait to go back to explore more of Donegal's landscape - and a trip to Tory Island is beckoning.
