Blast From The Past - Mighty Mizen Fall - September 2010

At the beginning of September 2010, news came through that Dan Ballard had an Ortolan Bunting in Vireo Valley, Three Castles, Mizen Head.

I headed down pre-dawn the following day (3rd September) and made my way straight to Three Castles.

Walking down the lane towards the Bonelli's Garden, I could see and hear there were lots of birds around. Most of the hedges were flicking with Phyloscs as well as robins and thrushes.

I picked up the Ortolan behind the barn fairly easily as it flicked up onto a fence, however, the bird dropped down into Vireo Valley itself and didn't pop up again in 30 mins. An Icterine Warbler and Woodchat Shrike found previously were showing however. I made my way onwards, picking out a Wryneck on fenceposts further down the valley as I made my way to the car.

As access is restricted in Three Castles, I made my way straight to the Mizen road and started working there. 

Lots of birds were obviously active around the abandoned house garden, so I pulled in there and began to scour.

Lots of warblers, including a couple of Blackcaps were in the trees here, but nothing too special. 

I could see birds along the hedges on the road down to the Orange house, so began strolling down, flushing a Tree Pipit almost instantly.

As I reached the first gate on the right another bird flicked up onto telegraph wires.

Ortolan Bunting!!

Ortolan Bunting - Mizen

This was nuts. There were birds everywhere!

The bunting dropped down somewhere and I didn't immediately refind it.

I checked the donkey field for birds having more warblers of various common varieties but no sign of either of the rarities.

I worked back up the road and carried on towards the lighthouse, having Turtle Dove and Pied Flycatcher for my trouble.

I met up with various twitchers later in the day at Three Castles, where many of the birds from earlier were still present and a fly through Turtle Dove made itself known. 

Several of us then went back to my Ortolan site and did an organized walk for the bird, and it showed briefly for all as it again appeared on wires.

I stayed overnight in the car, assured by the days activity that there would be more birds the following day. 

This worked out well, as a Red-Backed Shrike was found in Three Castles the following morning, with the Woodchat still present and now two Wryneck.

After twitching these I went to check on my own Ortolan. As I rounded the bend of the lane, a hippo made an appearance on the brambles covering the wall on the left. Good views in the bins revealed a Melodious Warbler! Excellent result. 

The bird flew west across the road, gave some more good views on the wall before hopping the hedge, never to be seen again. 

There was no sign of the Ortolan either, so I carried on our to the Lighthouse garden. Here a reed Warbler was quickly followed by finding a juv Barred Warbler in the east brambles! Another excellent result.

I continued to bird around the head all day, seeing much of the same birds/species as the previous day, including Tree pipit, Turtle Doves and Pied Flycatcher.

I again stayed over. There was news still coming in from around west Cork making it evident there had been a decent fall all along the coast (if the results from Mizen hadn't been enough confirmation), so was hoping to dig out some more stuff the following day.

The 5th was a tad quieter however. Three Castles still had a few of it's birds, but the Mizen road had gone very quiet. 

I took off towards Brow and Crookhaven, as I hadn't had a chance to check those the past few days, and it was in Crookhaven that I scored my next find, a somewhat skulky Icterine Warbler in the Barn Owl garden. 

I then got news from my Brother that he had found a Greenish Warbler at Strawtown, near Galley Head, so made a quick dash off to nab that before heading back to Mizen that evening.

The following day, my final find was a the least inspiring, a Lapland Bunting in the Lighthouse Car Park, but that was pretty much all the fall had left in it and I headed back to Cork.

No complaints there.