Introduction.

With Hurricane Katrina battering Ireland during our stay all did not go according to plan, and no whale watching trips happened.

Friday 9th September

Off the ferry and it was straight to Tacumshin, where a good selection of birds had been seen over the last few days however the weather was pretty poor and keeping the scope stable was a chore but we did manage to pick out a few of the waders a buff breasted sandpiper and sharp tailed sandpiper showed reasonable well from one of the viewpoints, a rain shower saw us move to another viewpoint where the American golden plover was located but we could not find any more of the goodies due to the poor conditions so we headed off to Cobh for the house crow which did not show during the few damp hours we spent there, a med gull and a rock pipit the best we could muster. So we headed for our accommodation in Co Kerry.

Saturday 10th September

Our boat trip was cancelled as we had already guessed so the day was spent doing mostly touristy things, but we did have a few incidental sightings of note, a grey seal and a rabbit got the mammal list moving and a cracking male hen harrier caused some screeching of tyres. And we got the news that tomorrows boat trip was also cancelled. As we headed for home at dusk we had a flyby small bat sp and then at our accommodation a large bat was flying round, the detector was deployed and confirmed it as a Leislers.

Sunday 11th September

After a leisurely start we headed down into Co Cork for some touristy stuff in very poor conditions, but an eagle sp being mobbed by hooded crows during our drive was a bonus, but it could be an escape as I am not sure there are eagles in that part of Ireland. A late lunch stop at Rosecarberry produced a few birds and using the car as a hide I even managed to photograph a few of them but not the best one which was quite distant, it was yet another American wader a Lesser yellowlegs. Another small bat sp was seen on the drive home just before the storm really hit. A text gave us the predicted news that tomorrows boat trip was also cancelled.

Monday 12th September

We returned to Cobh in search of the house crow, but after a few hours of fruitless searching nothing, I spoke to a street sweeper who had seen the house crow earlier and I headed to the spot just in time to see it fly off, I also had it again an hour later but by this time we had had enough and headed north to Co Tipperary to our comfy B&B. After checking in we drove the few miles to a farm where I had arranged access to do some small mammal trapping. We carefully set 35 traps of differing shapes and sizes in different areas and hoped for the best.

Sunday 13th September

Our last day and after an Irish breakfast we returned to the farm to check the traps, some of the first ones set around the yard had been tripped but nothing inside despite the bait being eaten, but in the hedgerow it was a different matter the first trap was tripped and heavy and I correctly predicted a wood mouse. Several of the traps were tripped and the next held our target of a greater white toothed shrew. In all we caught 10 GWT shrews, 3 wood mice and a bank vole. We showed our hosts our catch and after tea and biscuits thanked them for their kind hospitality and help and headed back to Tacumshin, for a few hours before the ferry home. The pallid harrier was showing as we arrived but by the time I had got the camera ready etc. it was quite distant but I managed a record shot. Conditions were very tough for birding and no sign of the rarer waders but at least 5 buff breasted sandpipers were located, along with a female peregrine and some distant gannets, at Rosslare backstrand we missed the white rumped sandpiper.

Summary

The weather really did for us mammal wise but we had a few nice birds to make up for it, there is always next year.

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