HOME PAGE EVENTS SIGHTINGS RECENT SIGHTINGS BIRDS TO LOOK FOR SIGHTINGS ARCHIVE BIRDS SURVEYS BIRDING SITES CONTACT US LINKS
© BirdWatch Mayo
2010
 Inishkea Islands - Report by David Cabot, Alyn Walsh, Larry Griffin & Maurice Cassidy
22nd March - 8th April 2009

3,000 Barnacle Geese on the islands, this is the highest total for many years also 2 Greylags.
21 Barnacle Geese caught (with cannon and mist nets) and ringed with colour + alphanumeric coded darvic rings.
Two adult males (Corman and Rory) also fitted with satellite transmitters donated by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.
Cormac migrated suyccessfully to Icelend on 19th April attaining speeds of 111 kmph, some 35m above sea level.
Rory moved to Duvillaun Beg, Falmore, on the Mullet and then to an island in S Clew Bay.
Oisin, satellite tagged spring 2008, who successfuly returned to Inishkeas after summering in NE Greenland, departed for Iceland on 19th April reaching flying speeds of 89 kmph some 29m above sea level.
Movements of these satellite tracked geese can be viewed online at http://www.wwt.org.uk/research/tracking/maps.asp

Also seen on the islands:
1 Gyr-X-Saker Falcon hybrid (confirmed by Killian Mullarney and Dick Forsman) - prob an escape, feeding on and terryfying the Barnacle Geese.
1 Icelandic (1st winter) and 4 Glaucous Gulls (2 adults and tow 2nd winter).