Hel Hath No Birdies

When this pandemic began, when it became clear that changes in behaviour would be required of us, seeing a number of guidelines for birding being posted in various birding fora, I decided it would be a good idea to do the same in the  Irish Rare And Scarce Birding Group  . Every general birding or forecast post made during the various lockdowns, I made on the premise that people would follow restriction guidelines, but when someone asked whether I really thought people would follow restrictions I had to say no. Obsession does not often go hand in hand with rationality unfortunately and so I knew if the rarity was juicy enough people would run. I could not, however, have predicted that the first notable rule breaker would be a high profile birder in Wexford, traveling to Tacumshin at whim, not even for a rarity, but just to carry on birding as normal, especially after opining on Facebook that we all do our part and do what's being asked of us. What I could have predicted, with ...

I'm really enjoying migration at the moment. We currently have huge numbers of geese constantly migrating over, flocks of Brambling and Chaffinch hundreds strong in fields, and raptors such as Goshawk, Rough-Legged Buzzard and Golden Eagles in the skies. On Sunday I made my way down in late morning to Saltfjarden. It had been heavy rain all morning, but was due to clear, so I figured it would be good for dropping stuff. As I drove in, the first fields had a huge mixed flock of Brambling and Chaffs which were so actively feeding they allowed me to exit the car and scope them.  A large mixed flock of Tundra Bean, Eurasian White-Fronted and Barnacle geese was also present in the fields behind them. Tundra Bean Goose I carried on, taking a look at what I call "The Pallid lane" (ever since my wife found a 2nd cal male Pallid here years back). There was a fair sized flock of Reed Bunting here on the embankment and I was hoping one of the rarer buntings might join them, but no s...

Prime time for Goshawk migration here at the moment, and I've been lucky to be out and about connecting with dozens of the great destructors. Goshawk - Juv The above bird did a close flyby at Saltfjarden. Juveniles are somewhat different structurally than adults, slightly longer winged looking and combined with the brown colouration can often give a harrier-like impression. This was on an evening where I encountered a staggering 25+ individuals pushing through the Porkkala area. Goshawk - adult. Not the most fantastic pics, but instructive in terms of structure. Look at that massive chest and almost Peregrine type vibe. Goshawk - murderous - the hooded crow never stood a chance. It was still alive when the Gos began to pluck it by the way.  Still plenty of Rough-Legged Buzzards moving through. I absolutely adore this time of year, scanning the sky and picking up those white uppertails soaring around. Rough-Legged Buzzard Great Grey Shrikes are also moving in numbers now and quite s...