Wildlife at all times has the capability to shock and delight us. Regardless of how lengthy you’ve been watching and finding out wildlife, how acquainted you might be along with your native patch, you by no means can inform what you would possibly encounter on an outing. The potential for the sudden is at all times there… whether or not it’s a totally new species, or a well-known chook or animal exhibiting some uncommon behaviour, that prospect of the unknown is one factor that makes wildlife-watching such an enchanting and thrilling pastime.
Our current spring Uncover Wildlife Weekend was a main instance of precisely that phenomenon.
We’d had a implausible weekend watching every kind of wildlife spanning a number of habitats alongside the West Cork stretch of Eire’s Wild Atlantic Means. We had some nice views of summer time plumage nice northern divers from a coastal vantage level, watched late-staying and resident waders and wildfowl on the estuaries, inlets and tidal swimming pools, listened to our resident breeding birds and summer time guests in full music.
As at all times, one of many highlights of the weekend was venturing out on the North Atlantic with Cork Whale Watch. There we loved some some memorable encounters with actually a whole lot of widespread dolphins, dozens of minke whales, and much of seabirds. Enormous rafts of Manx shearwaters took to the wing as we handed by, whereas auks (guillemots, razorbills, and puffins) dived beneath the floor. Storm petrels danced over the waves as numerous gulls, gannets and the occasional nice skua sailed by.
A go to to a naturalised beech woodland served as a beautiful distinction to the continuous motion of being out on the water. The dappled daylight beneath the cover, the light sigh of the breeze by way of the treetops, offering a welcome calm as we loved a refrain of woodland birdsong and excellent views of a number of woodland residents.
However the spotlight of the weekend was nonetheless to come back.
The cetaceans weren’t taking part in ball on Sunday morning for our shore-based whale watch from a coastal vantage level overlooking Rosscarbery bay. Regardless of very best situations, the bay was quiet. When that occurs, it usually means there’s a big aggregation of forage fish in a single location (both offshore, or additional east or west alongside the coast), and whales, dolphins, gannets and every thing else that eats fish make a beeline for them.
A stunning singing whitethroat, some fly-by chough, and the aerial mastery of fulmars as they wheeled to and from their nesting websites alongside the cliff stored us entertained. We checked an area stream for dippers, and a few had a fleeting view of 1 disappearing into bankside vegetation. Being out in search of wildlife is an satisfying and worthwhile exercise in and of itself, however I couldn’t assist feeling the morning was under-delivering.
Our final cease earlier than ending up for the weekend was the Clogheen/White’s Marsh space, south of Clonakilty. There had been nice and cattle egrets within the space just lately, and whereas they hadn’t been reported for a couple of days, it was effectively value checking.
We made our approach alongside the causeway from the north aspect of Clogheen, heading south in the direction of Clonakilty, periodically stopping to scan the marsh for something fascinating. The very first thing we picked up was a ruff on the sting of the northern pool. Even after they’re not in full breeding livery, ruff are very placing waders. It was a primary for a number of within the group, making for a good-looking addition to the weekend record.
We moved on. As I scanned a channel working east to west by way of the marsh, one thing on the financial institution caught my eye. I finished the scope useless. Absolutely I used to be seeing issues. I checked once more, zoomed in, refocussed.
There, preening itself in my scope view, was a Purple Heron. I may barely comprise my pleasure. What a chook!
I put the information out because the group loved implausible views of this beautiful uncommon chook. As different birders arrived we moved on, and whereas technically we completed the weekend with some very good male Pintail, a male Shoveler and a Cattle Egret in the direction of the east finish of White’s Marsh, I believe it’s honest to say the Purple Heron stole the present.
You by no means actually know what you would possibly see on these weekends. Each one is completely different, and I can’t wait to see what the remainder of 2022 has in retailer.
Should you’d like to hitch me on the West Cork coast for certainly one of these weekends, I at the moment have simply 2 areas obtainable on our summer time weekend working from 15-17 July, and there’s nonetheless loads of house on our October weekend (07-09), which coincides properly with peak autumn chook migration and fin whale season.
For extra particulars on the weekends, and to ebook your home, take a look at our wildlife weekend reserving web page right here.
