Birding in Ireland

Among other things, I'm a birdwatcher. I'm also an astronomer, a carpenter, a dog trainer, a writer, a bowler, a snow skier and an inveterate consumer of the written word. I'm probably forgetting a thing or two, but of all the things I am, I've been a birdwatcher the longest.

One of the beauties of watching birds is that you can do it anywhere. I managed to infect my youngest son with the birdwatching bug when he was quite young, and he telephoned me once to tell me he was standing on campus watching a flock of Cedar Waxwings feeding in a nearby tree. While we were talking, he said he found it amazing that so many people were walking past, oblivious to the spectacle so easily observed by the casual passerby. I see birds all the time when I'm out walking my dog or driving down the street, and it never ceases to amaze me, either, when others don't notice.

I worked for many years as a carpenter in and around San Diego County (which hosts more bird species than any other county in the country, I might add), and I always used to keep a pair of binoculars and a field guide in my truck in case I saw something new and/or interesting. One of my fellow dirtbag carpenters caught me looking through my binoculars once and, when he found out what I was doing, began making fun of me to anyone who would listen, laughing at me that I would take the time to notice something like a particular bird. Now, this was back in the day when you could pound a couple of stakes in the ground after work, make a beer run and play a few games of horseshoes before you headed home for the night. One evening, while drinking beer and tossing some 'shoes, I noticed a kingbird perched on a grade-stake. He was hunting. A kingbird is about the same size as a mockingbird and eats insects that it catches on the wing. It will go through some incredibly aerobatic gyrations in pursuit of its next morsel, and when it is caught, will fly back to his perch and wait for the next bug to come along and repeat the process. In short, they put on quite a show if you pay attention. So, while I was watching this Kingbird, I told the guy who days earlier had been so amused by my predilection for birdwatching, "Hey, see that bird sitting on that grade-stake?" He looked over and said he did. I said, "Just watch him for a second, he'll catch a bug." Right on cue, the hunter launched himself off his perch and, after a dizzying array of maneuvers, caught his prey and calmly flew back to his vantage point. The knucklehead said, "WHOA! That was cool!" I told him to keep watching, and he did, for the next few catches. I never said one more word, and within minutes someone asked him what he was looking at. He showed them, and pretty soon there were eight or ten guys standing around watching this kingbird hunt and ooohing and aaahing at his antics. After that, the knucklehead would occasionally stop by and ask me about a bird he'd seen, to see if I could tell him what it was. I suggested he get a pair of binoculars and a field guide to carry in his truck...

Birds are beautiful, amusing, plentiful and easy to notice. So, whenever you're out and about, take a minute to check out the birds around you. You just might see something that'll make you go "ooooh".

I devoted no time whatsoever specifically to birding while in Ireland. While I am always on the lookout for something new, in Ireland I never set out just to see birds, and still I managed to see tons of new stuff. The next time I'm there I will dedicate some serious time to traveling around just to see birds, but here are some pictures and brief descriptions of what I did manage to see and photograph on this trip.

Woodpigeon

I already posted one picture of a Woodpigeon, but I thought I'd throw a couple more up for good measure. HUGE pigeons, very strong fliers and very pretty. Also, very common.

Here's another. I'm pretty sure this was a nesting pair in the neighborhood.















As I mentioned in an earlier post, Kevin and I spent a very enjoyable afternoon having lunch with one of his colleagues and his wife, who lived a good ways outside the city. Their names are Noel and Angela, and aside from being spectacular hosts, they also had some bird feeders set up in their backyard that were attracting quite the diverse bunch of birds.

Goldfinch

This little fella is what they call a Goldfinch in the UK. These things NEVER sit still and, embarrassingly enough, this is the best picture I could get. They are gorgeous and very common.

Godfinch

Here is the only picture you will find in any of my work that I did not take myself. I glommed this off the internet, so my apologies to whoever's work I'm stealing here. I figured I owed you one good look at these guys.

These three pictures are of what they call a Robin Redbreast in the UK. Noel was sure to point out that THIS is the original Robin Redbreast, and that we Americans took the name. And I'm sure he's right. These birds are much prettier than the ones in the U. S.

Chaffinch

Chaffinch

A very colorful little guy, the Chaffinch, and a bit of a backyard feeder bully.

Bue Tit

Blue Tit

Noel was a great asset as I had no idea what I was seeing until he told me. I didn't purchase a field guide until the day after this excursion, so having a human "guide" was handy, indeed,

Coal Tit

As we were sitting there, eating lunch, watching the birds and visiting, Noel was naming all the birds at the feeders. It turns out he was quite knowledgable and a good guy to be hanging out with while watching birds. In addition to the Blue Tit and the Coal Tit, there was also one little guy that showed up called a "Great Tit" that I was unable to get a picture of. Noel kept asking me, "Did you see all the tits? Did you get a picture of the Great Tit? There's a Great Tit at the feeder now!", and on and on. You will find this hard to believe if you know me, but I did NOT make even one off-color joke, but man it was tough, what with Noel lobbing softball after softball after softball. One of the best straight men ever, and out of respect for everyone there, I let 'em all hit the ground. I must be growing up. 

Grey Heron

I saw this guy while walking along the River Corrib one morning. They're supposed to be different than Great Blue Herons, but I don't see any huge differences. Maybe a little smaller and stouter, but a damned big bird and very cool to see on a chilly morning at the river's edge. 

Mute Swan - male

This is a male Mute Swan. The telltale is the nob on his beak.

Mute Swan - nesting male

Mute Swan - feeding

Swans are very impressive birds to see in the wild. Not only are they huge, but they are fearless of humans and will let you get quite close. As I was walking along the river one day, I kept hearing this odd noise, almost like quietly honking geese out on the river, but the noise was moving very fast and when I first heard it I couldn't see out to the water. Later, when I got to an open stretch of river, I heard the noise and looked over, and it was a pair of swans flying by. Their wings make a very loud noise when they fly that is quite pleasant.

Rook

Rook

These are the two best pictures I could get. These guys would not cooperate. Birds are genius about knowing when they're being observed and these rooks kept turning away. It's kind of hard to see, but they have a big white patch on their face right at the base of their bill. These are really, rough, scraggly looking birds with big, thick beaks. Way uglier than your basic crow. 

Magpie

Just a boring, old magpie. Just like the ones you see here, but I figured I'd throw him in here. Just for the record, this picture was taken on a different day many miles from where I got the pictures of the rooks. Just so you know. 

Blackbird

Blackbird

This blackbird was one of the coolest birds I saw. He was very animated, very unaffected by my observing him and would stop occasionally to eyeball me while he was going about his business. A very entertaining little guy. 

Pied Wagtail

The Pied Wagtail was one of the toughest photos for me to get. I saw five or six of them, but they virtually never sat still for more than about .17 milliseconds, and I was beginning to think I'd not be able to get a decent picture of one. This guy shocked me by landing on this concrete and hopping down to the river's edge and standing there long enough for me to get a few snapshots. I was very far off, so this picture is more testament to the quality of my camera than my stalking ability. Very cool bird, and not as small as he looks. He's probably a little bigger than a mockingbird. 

Lesser Redpoll

Last, but not least, the Lesser Redpoll. This was another one that would not sit still long enough to get a decent shot, so I apologize for the focus issues.

Lesser Redpoll - on left

The bird on the right in this picture is a Goldfinch.

This is just some of what I was able to see while out and about in Ireland. Without devoting any time at all to birding exclusively, I was able to get these pictures, and missed at least twenty or thirty others due to not having my camera at the ready or the birds being unwilling to sit still long enough for me to get a presentable photograph. I promise you that anywhere you go there will be birds worth seeing. Whether you're in your own city, out in the countryside somewhere or traveling abroad, you will see beautiful, interesting birds if you take the time to notice. So get a pair of binoculars and a decent field guide for the area in which you live (don't forget to keep 'em in the car) and start collecting your own list of birds you've seen. It will be something you can do for the rest of your life and who knows, you just might enjoy it!

Thanks for following along, I hope you are enjoying my efforts and maybe even learning a little something. It would be a home run for me if I was able to inspire anyone to travel somewhere in particular or, as in this post, take up birding. Please leave any comments you may have, and if you become a member, you will receive an e-mail telling you every time I put up a new post. I promise never to email you otherwise.

Until next time...

Ado