Risso's Dolphins

During the last week a pod of 8 to10 Risso's Dolphins have been feeding off shore of Skellig Michael Island. I got a few shots of a mother and calf that came close to the south side of the island last Wednesday evening. The mother has lots of what looks like propeller scaring on her dorsal fin and back. Someone suggested it might be attacks from giant squid but I'm not convinced.

 

Mother Risso's Dolphin John N Murphy

 Calf and mother Risso's Dolphins John N Murphy

 Calf Risso's Dolphin John N Murphy

Risso's Dolphins John N Murphy

 

 

Black-browed Albatross

Here are a few shots of the Black-browed Albatross from Skellig Michael on 30th May.

Adult Black-browed Albatross on Skellig John N Murphy

Spotted Sandpiper on the Rock

I work on Skellig Michael Island (The Rock) during the summer monitoring seabird populations, especially Storm Petrels.  Last Wednesday 31^st August, I came down from the scaffolding on the south west part of the island where we are doing maintenance work to the lighthouse walls, to return to my hut for a tea break. After taking off my high visibility vest and helmet and exiting the hut to go down to the Helipad to make a phone call, a small wader flew from the drain outside my hut doorstep.  At first glance and as it flew away from me down the roadway, I thought it was a Common Sandpiper. But as the bird rose high to fly over the wall, I noticed it looked dainty and had a small narrow wing bar.  I grabbed my binoculars and camera from the hut and pursued the bird to a flat slab rock below the Helipad.  As I watched it feeding, I noticed very bright yellow legs, white body, short tail a pink based lower mandible and plain looking tertials. I recognised it at this point as being a SPOTTED SANDPIPER.  I took some shots, and once again photographed the images on my mobile from the back of the camera to send to some friends and birders. Dermot Breen was my first port of call and then Ed Carty, Gracer and few others. The bird stayed around for the remainder of the day and was confiding for a short period of time.  The following day the bird was still along the road to the landing but a little wearier.  As the 1^st of September brought dire weather with high winds and persistent rain, I did not manage to get any additional photos.  By late afternoon on 1^st September the bird had vanished. Ed subsequently informed me that this was the 7^th Kerry record of Spotted Sandpiper and that the Fea’s Petrel I had off the south of the island the day before was also a 7^th Kerry record. Not bad for my week on the rock.

 Juvenile Spotted Sandpiper on Skellig Michael Island John N Murphy

 Turnstones on Skellig Michael Island John N Murphy

Lapland Bunting

This Lapland Bunting was feeding around the Bee-hive Monastic settlements on Skellig Michael Island for the last few weeks.

 

Lapland Bunting on Skellig Michael John N Murphy

Puffin'd Out

I have spent most of this summer working on Skellig Michael Island in Kerry surveying seabirds and encounter Puffins everyday. There are somewhere between 7-10,000 of these beautiful looking birds on the island, and very colourful they are, but at this stage I have encountered enough to last a lifetime.  Looking forward to finding something unusual on the island as we creep closer to autumn. 

 

  

 Puffins, Skellig Michael, County Kerry John N Murphy