Black Reds & GWF's

A selection of different species from the last fortnight or so. I had two Black Redstarts on the roofs of the Trident Ballyconneely Holiday Homes on Monday. These are actually the first "Black Reds" I've seen at Slyne Head. The last record for Slyne comes from 1893! The species has always been relatively scarce compared to the south of Ireland and even adjacent county Clare. While like many scarce species, records have increased during the last decade or so, they are still years where none are recorded at all.

I was delighted to see a flock of 23 Greenland White-fronted Geese flying into Mannin Bay near Ballyconneely on 27th October. They were flying east just offshore presumably after following the coastline south. When I last saw them they were heading into Roundstone Bog but I doubt they stopped. Sad to say that these were the very first "GWFs" I've seen in my ranger area since I started in 2008. Historically there were several different flocks in what is my area (west of Maam Cross). Roundstone Bog held one of the last remaining flocks up until around the late 1990's. All gone now. There is (was?) only one flock numbering in the single figures left in Connemara which I've written about previously http://dermotbreen.blogspot.ie/2014/03/the-very-last-greenland-white-fronted.html I suspect this flock may have been heading onto Rahasane Turlough. I had a flock of 15 birds there on 24th October and this had increased to exactly 50 birds on 1st November. Nice to see around three pairs with juveniles although there were 60 there last winter. The results from 2014/2015 International Census of Greenland White-fronted Geese was only just recently published. The long-term future of Greenland race of White-fronted Geese doesn't appear all that great in contrast to most geese species.The full report can be seen at the link below and I've pasted the summary here.

The global population of Greenland White-fronted Geese in spring 2015 comprised 18,854 individuals, a very sharp 9.6% reduction on 20,797 in the previous spring. This is the first time the population has fallen below 20,000 individuals since 1985. Half of the decline could be accounted for by the loss of 1000 geese on Islay between years, and another 500 from elsewhere in Britain; 10,266 were counted in Ireland, 8,588 were counted in Britain. Reproductive success was very low at only 6.1% in Ireland, but 12.9% in Britain.

 http://gwfg-conservation.wikispaces.com/file/view/Greenland%20White-fronted%20Geese%20in%20Britain%20%26%20Ireland%202014-15.pdf/564727409/Greenland%20White-fronted%20Geese%20in%20Britain%20%26%20Ireland%202014-15.pdf

Yellow-browed Warbler, Slyne Head.

1st win male Black Redstart, Slyne Head.

1st win/ad female Black Redstart, Slyne Head.

Reed Bunting, Slyne Head

 

Reed Bunting, Slyne Head

Icelandic Redwing, Slyne Head.

Greenland White-fronted Geese, Mannin Bay.

Greenland White-fronted Geese, Mannin Bay.

Greenland White-fronted Geese, Mannin Bay.

 

Greenland White-fronted Geese, Rahasane Turlough.

Great White Egret, Rahasane Turlough.

 

Armenia; Dilijan to Yeghegnadzor

So onto Armenian. We collected Paul in Tbilisi on the way South. We had a singing Nightingale in no man's land while walking between the border of Georgia and Armenian, not countable on either country list?
We had our first encounter with close proximity of the Azerbaijan border, the first of many. A lot of houses were abandoned in the area due to previous conflict and ongoing sniping from each end. Several military are killed yearly on each side still, not the best areas to bird in!

Near Voskepar (I  think) with Azerbaijan in the background.

Our first real stop and overnighter was at the beechwoods of Dilijan. We stayed in some ex-Soviet holiday homes which had all seen better days. Some of the dwellings we encountered both in Georgia and Armenia were so dilapidated it was often hard to make out if they were occupied. Another odd feature of some of the two-storey houses was that only the ground floor would be live in with the first floor just being a complete shell.
Anyway the beechwoods at Dilijan were excellent with a large selection of woodland species. The main target here was Green Warbler. They were without doubt the commonest warbler present in the woods that evening and the following dawn. We had managed to miss them at Kazbegi, possibly a little early although Paul had a few the previous week there. Other good species seen included breeding Lesser Spotted Eagles, Middle spotted Woodpecker, Red-breasted Flycatcher (no Semi-collared Flycatcher though), samamisicus Common Redstart, Hawfinch and Common Rosefinch.

Dilijan, nice spot for Middle spotted Woodpecker...

Next day we continued on South and spent a few good hours around Sevan Lake, one of the largest high attitude (1900m) freshwater lakes in the world. It's also home to a large proportion of the world population of Armenian Gull.

Black-headed Wagtail

Adult Armenian Gulls

Adult Armenian Gull



Adult Armenian Gull

Adult Armenian Gull

Adult Armenian Gull (head & bill structure vaguely cachinnans-like)

Third-summer type Armenian Gull.

Glossy Ibis

Male-type Red-throated Pipit

Female-type Red-throated Pipit

caspia Reed Bunting, nice thick bill and pale rump area.

Female Ortolan Bunting

Armenian Gull colony in the background.

Azerbaijan border with the defensive structures (Hesco-like bastions) along ridgeline.

Further South we jammed in on a male Finsch's Wheatear. Just on the far side of Yeghegnadzor the following morning we had a great selection of birds in a semi-arid valley which included three lifers for myself - Levant's Sparrowhawk, White-throated Robin and Eastern Rock Nuthatch. also here were Western Rock Nuthatch, Black-eared Wheatear, Rock Sparrow and Black-headed Bunting.

Valley between Yeghegnadzor and Vayk.

Eastern Rock Nuthatch

White-throated Robin

Lesser Kestrel colony.



Spandarian Reservoir

Finsch's Wheatear

Sunday 18th March

Headed out Rahasane Turough to have a look at the reported Russian White-fronted Goose. Had good views of about 50 birds from the middle gate but there were another few birds feeding further back along the river but were mostly hidden by the bank. Could well have been in there along with the Pink-footed Goose that was present last weekend.

Also had the drake American Wigeon again. A little distant for shots.

 Greenland White-fronted Geese

 Spot the American Wigeon.

Went out to Loughrea for that grebe. Even less birds out there with no sign of the grebe. A few Reed Buntings and Pied Wagtail were knocking around.

 Male Reed Bunting, Louhrea.

 Female Reed Bunting, Loughrea.

 Pied Wagtail, Loughrea.

 Pied Wagtail, Loughrea.

Came across three Stock Doves feeding in an old maize field just before Oranmore. There was a group of Cranes reported in this area earlier in the winter, this would have been a perfect spot for them. Stock Dovesare a fairly scarce bird in Galway which is mainly down to the decrease in cereal crops being planted. I haven't come across any cereals being sown in Connemara since I started here in 2008.

 Stock Doves, Oran Beg.

 Stock Doves, Oran Beg.

A quick look in at the slipway produced the usual suspects of about seven Icelands and one of the adult Ring-bills. There has been amazingly very little turnover of Icelands at this site this winter with the same individuals seen week in week out. Nice comparison with the small dark first-winter Iceland with a normal faded first-winter. Also a very short-billed individual. First-winter Herring Gull with a very retarded plumage. Nice white-head contrasting with a dark body making bad impression of a Yank Herring.

 Second-winter Iceland, Nimmo's Pier.

 First-winter Iceland Gull, Nimmo's Pier, enjoying a quick nap in the March sunshine.

 First-winter Iceland Gull, Nimmo's Pier, extremely short-billed bird.

First-winter Iceland Gulls, Nimmo's Pier - ebony and ivory or should that be ivory and ebony?

First-winter Iceland Gulls, Nimmo's Pier - or should that be ivory and ebony?

 Adult Ring-billed Gull, Nimmo's Pier.

 First-winter Herring Gull, Nimmo's Pier. Nice white-headed bird with most of its juvenile scapulars still retained.

 First-winter Herring Gull, Nimmo's Pier. Same individual as above.

Female Mallard, Nimmo's Pier.