Irish Seabirds and Cetaceans Adventure Tour - Yorkshire Coast ...
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Shearwater Wildlife Tours/Yorkshire Coast Nature
Irish Seabirds and Cetaceans Adventure Tour
18th to 22nd July 2019
Trip Report written by Niall T. Keogh
Trip Organiser: Paul Connaughton and Richard Baines
Tour Leaders: Mark Pearson (YCN) and Niall T. Keogh (SWT)
Shearwater Wildlife Tours Yorkshire Coast Nature
Cover pic: juvenile Wilson’s Storm-petrel © Mark Pearson
Day 1: Thursday 18th July
The 2019 Irish Adventure started at Cork Airport where participants and tour leaders met up, hopped
in a bus and headed west for wind, waves, dolphins and seabirds!
West Cork is well known for its rugged coastline, featuring bays, coves and estuaries aplenty where
excellent sites for waterbirds can be found around almost every bend in the road. Our first stop on
the tour was Kinsale Marsh. Flocks of Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits put on a good show here along
with other early returning waterbird migrants such as Shelduck, Curlew, Redshank, a few Common
Sandpipers, Greenshank and a single Knot.
After that it was on to Kinsale Pier where the rocky shore produced 15 Mediterranean Gulls, some
Sandwich Terns, Shags, Rock Pipits and good views of Hooded Crows! We got our first look at Manx
Shearwater here as a foraging flock wheeled around offshore. House Martins buzzed about before an
excellent lunch was laid on. With the scenic Old Head of Kinsale just down the road we made our way
over to check out the cliff nesting seabird colony there. Even though activity generally winds down at
this stage of the summer, it was still a busy view across the steep cliffs where Kittiwake, Guillemot,
Razorbill and Fulmar could be seen along with Black Guillemots in the water below. Raven called from
the top of the nearby castle while out first Chough of the trip sailed by for nice views of their acrobatic
flight style. Stonechat and Peregrine rounded off the set of clifftop birds.
The estuary at Timoleague was up next, with more in the way of Mediterranean Gulls, Little Egrets,
Curlew, Shelduck, Common Sandpipers, Redshank and Rock Pipits while Swifts screamed around
overhead. A short stop at Ring Pier for gulls added Lesser Black-backed and Common Gulls to the trip
list. A flock of some 30 Sandwich Terns there were viewed while two Stock Doves were noted in flight
over the nearby woodland. Continuing north alongside Clonakilty Estuary we stopped to scan through
more flocks of waders and gulls with Whimbrel seen and views of the heron colony site where 30 Little
Egrets were perched in the trees including many recently fledged juveniles.
After that we retired to our accommodation and were then treated to some fine dining in a nearby
restaurant, followed by a pint in a cosy local pub.
Bird guiding skills of the highest standard!
Day 2: Friday 19th July
The day’s activities started at Rosscarbery, an estuary well known among birders for its ability to
attract a nice variety of waders, wildfowl and gulls. A fine flock of 14 Greenshank stood out among the
Curlew and Black-tailed Godwits, with Whimbrel, several Mediterranean Gulls, Sandwich Terns and
Little Egrets thrown in for good measure. Chough and Peregrine flew over, while searching the nearby
hedgerows and woods added Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Long-tailed Tit and the endemic
hibernicus subspecies of Coal Tit to our list.
We continued along to Owenahincha Beach and Castlefreke Forest Park (where we had nice views of
a family party of Treecreepers) and Rathbarry (where we watched a pair of Spotted Flycatchers
bringing food to a nest site. A beachcombing walk along the stunning Long Strand in brisk salty winds
saw Sandwich Terns and Gannets close offshore plus Wheatear and Sand Martin along the low sandy
cliffs.
After a short land based seawatch at Cloghna Head, we visited the ancient stone circle site at
Drombeg. From there it was on to Baltimore where we caught the ferry to Cape Clear Island for the
rest of the weekend. The ferry crossing through Roaringwater Bay brought close looks at Black
Guillemots, Manx Shearwaters, some inquisitive Atlantic Grey Seals and more typically shy Harbour
Porpoise. Once on the island we settled into our accommodation for the weekend before heading
down to Cotter’s Bar for dinner and a pint.
The group enjoying some refreshments in Cotter’s Bar!
Day 3: Saturday 20th July
Eager to head out to sea we made for the North Harbour on Cape straight after breakfast where we
met our skipper, Michael John O’Cadogan. After a briefing and safety tour we were off, heading south
of the island and into the Celtic Sea for seabirds and cetaceans! We were greeted by bright sunshine,
clear skies and a light southwesterly wind. Foraging flocks of Gannets were seen close to shore and as
we headed out, we passed through flocks of commuting Guillemots, Razorbills and Manx Shearwaters.
After a while we started seeing enough European Storm-petrels to warrant some chumming to try
enticing them in closer. The magic mix went into the water and we set to work. Nice views were had
of the ‘stormies’ plus a small gathering of gulls and Fulmars. A single Sooty Shearwater zoomed past
in the distance and some Great Skuas made a pass of the boat, but it was clear this wasn’t a day for
the birds (mostly due to the light winds).
European Storm-petrel showing the diagnostic white underwing pattern © Mark Pearson
Great Skua © Mark Pearson
The stars of the show however were the Short-beaked Common Dolphins, of which we had prolonged
encounters with several small groups. Playful as always, they came in for a look at us as much as we
looked at them! It was hard to get tired of the dolphins, but our attention was diverted away from
them for a while when an Ocean Sunfish was spotted! Some expert manoeuvring of the boat allowed
excellent looks at this bizzare oceanic wanderer. Sated with showy dolphins and a nice first taster of
what the waters off West Cork have to offer, we steamed back towards the island by late morning.
Amazing close views of Short-beaked Common Dolphin surfacing close to the boat © Mark Pearson
Classic view of an Ocean Sunfish © Mark Pearson
After lunch we toured the west half of the island, taking in the sunshine, wonderful scenery and
legendary birding sites such as Cotter’s garden, the High Road, the Low Road(!), West Bog, Central
Bog, East Bog and Lough Errul. Singing Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats were plentiful along with
some Willow Warblers and a Chiffchaff. We enjoyed nice flight views of Peregrine, Chough and Raven.
Other species typical of rocky and scrubby west coast habitat included Stonechat, Wheatear, Rock
Pipit and a wonderful flock of wild-type Rock Doves were examined at great length around the feeding
station in Mary Cadogan’s garden.
After dinner in Cotter’s Bar we joined up with Steve Wing (BirdWatch Ireland / Cape Clear Bird
Observatory Warden) for some European Storm-petrel ringing. Mist-nets were set up at a small cove
near the observatory and tape lures were switched on. It took a while for the birds to come in but we
eventually got to see four of these wonderful birds up close in the hand as Steve weighed, measured,
ringed and released them safely back into the night. But not before we got a sniff of that lovely, musty,
old book mixed with a slight hint of fish smell! Must be tried at least once in your life!
European Storm-petrel ringed by Steve Wing (Cape Clear Bird Observatory) © Mark Pearson
Day 4: Sunday 21st July
With freshening winds from the southwest, we headed out to sea from Cape early in the morning for
our second pelagic trip of the weekend. A fast approaching weather system from the Atlantic was
heading our way and having hatched a plan with the skipper the night before we aimed to get out
around the Fastnet Lighthouse for a couple of hours while the sea conditions were still ok and back in
before it got too lumpy. The idea was to catch up with seabirds moving ahead of this system…and it
worked!
Straight from the off it was clear more birds were about compared to yesterday, with a steady stream
of Manx Shearwaters heading south past the Fastnet. We placed ourselves in the middle of this stream
of birds and got to work with the chum. In came the gulls, Gannets, Fulmars, a couple of Great Skuas
and no sooner had the number of European Storm-petrels begun to increase when our first Wilson’s
Storm-petrel showed up off the stern! Hurrah!
Juvenile Wilson’s Storm-petrel showing off the characteristic pale upperwing covert bars and long
legs trailing past the tail © Mark Pearson
Fantastic views were had at close range and alongside ‘Euro Stormies’, allowing all salient
identification features to be noted and taken in. The bird made several passes of the boat before
heading on down the chum slick line. We repositioned to get better views when a second Wilson’s
showed up! During all of this excitement three Cory’s Shearwaters (noted as borealis based on
underwing pattern) made some stunning close flybys of the boat along with a Sooty Shearwater, an
Arctic Skua and an Arctic Tern thrown in for good measure. The total number of European Storm-
petrels with us was easily 150 or more. It’s worth mentioning that views of the Wilson’s were so good
that we could age one of them as a juvenile based on the lack of obvious wing moult.
European Storm-petrel (left) and Wilson’s Storm-petrel (right): excellent side by side comparison pic!
© Mark Pearson
Cory’s Shearwater showing a classic ‘borealis’ underwing pattern © Mark Pearson
Sooty Shearwater…considered the best seabird by some! © Craig Thomas
After returning to shore for lunch and with the weather conditions ‘picking up’ in the afternoon a
decision was made to try make the most of it in terms of getting some land based seawatching in from
the island. One part of the group followed Niall off to the headland known as Bullig while the rest
teamed up with Mark for a wander around the island, taking in the views and some more birding.
A three and a half hour seawatch from Pointabullig (aka ‘Bullig’) that afternoon in fresh F4-5
southwesterly winds saw a most impressive movement of shearwaters racing west past the island
close to shore. Some 20,000 Manx Shearwaters logged with fantastic views of 132 Cory’s Shearwaters,
1 Great Shearwater, 9 Sooty Shearwaters and 5 Balearic Shearwaters thrown in for good measure. In
addition to these, two Arctic Skuas, four Great Skuas and 70 Puffins were added to the seabird tally
whilst two Swifts heading west at sea low down in the troughs alongside the stream of Manxies caused
some minor heart issues! With all this seabird action in full flow, it was thoughtful of a Minke Whale
to make an appearance just to remind us it wasn’t all about the birds!
Happy seawatchers at Pointabullig! © Niall T. Keogh
Day 5: Monday 22nd July
With murky conditions and a fresh southwesterly wind forecast to still be in effect on Monday
morning, a few members of the group were up at cockcrow to head out to a vantage point near the
accommodation on Cape Clear where they could peer out across the mouth of South Harbour and see
what seabirds were still passing by after yesterday’s impressive passage. Numbers were certainly
lower but in 75 minutes of seawatching a Great Skua, 32 Puffin, a ‘Blue’ Fulmar, 2 Cory’s Shearwaters,
2 Sooty Shearwaters and 200+ Manx Shearwaters made it onto the day list. Not bad at all for some
pre-breakfast birding!
Group pic on Cape Clear
A flock of seven Chough wheeled around overhead as we said our goodbyes to our guesthouse and
the wonderful bunch of locals who made the weekend so special. It was then onto the morning ferry
for Baltimore where we met up with our tour bus once again and made our way for Cork Airport. A
fortuitous stop along the way saw two Kingfishers pop up in a creek between Baltimore and
Skibbereen. Continuing on for a short stop at Lough Beg lagoon and estuary brought yet more flocks
of Black-tailed Godwits, Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls to look through with Common
Snipe, Eurasian Teal, Moorhen and Common Tern being the final additions to the trip list. After that
it was on to Cork Airport where the tour ended, and we said our goodbyes!
A full species list of birds seen during the trip can be found on the next page.1. Mute Swan Cygnus olor 47. Great Cormorant (Atlantic) Phalacrocorax carbo carbo 2. Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna 48. European Shag (Atlantic) Phalacrocorax aristotelis aristotelis 3. Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 49. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 4. Eurasian Teal Anas crecca 50. Little Egret (Western) Egretta garzetta garzetta 5. Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus 51. Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 6. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 52. Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 7. Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon Columba livia 53. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus peregrinus 8. Stock Dove Columba oenas 54. Common Magpie Pica pica 9. Common Woodpigeon Columba palumbus 55. Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax 10. Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto 56. Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula 11. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 57. Rook Corvus frugilegus 12. Common Swift Apus apus 58. Hooded Crow Corvus cornix 13. Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus 59. Common Raven Corvus corax 14. European Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus phaeopus 60. Irish Coal Tit Periparus ater hibernicus 15. Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata 61. Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus 16. Black-tailed Godwit (Icelandic) Limosa limosa islandica 62. Great Tit Parus major 17. Red Knot Calidris canutus 63. Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus 18. Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago 64. Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus 19. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 65. Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita collybita 20. Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 66. Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus 21. Common Redshank Tringa totanus 67. Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla 22. Great Skua Stercorarius skua 68. Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis 23. Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus 69. Goldcrest Regulus regulus 24. Common Guillemot Uria aalge 70. Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris 25. Razorbill Alca torda 71. Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes indigenus 26. Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle 72. Sand Martin Riparia riparia 27. Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica 73. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 28. Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla 74. Common House Martin Delichon urbicum 29. Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 75. Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 30. Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus 76. Song Thrush Turdus philomelos 31. Common Gull Larus canus 77. Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula 32. Herring Gull (European) Larus argentatus argenteus 78. Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata 33. Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus graellsii 79. European Robin Erithacus rubecula 34. Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus 80. European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola hibernans 35. Common Tern Sterna hirundo 81. Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe oenanthe 36. Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea 82. Dunnock Prunella modularis 37. Sandwich Tern (Eurasian) Thalasseus sandvicensis sandvicensis 83. House Sparrow Passer domesticus 38. Wilson’s Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus 84. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 39. European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus 85. Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii 40. Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis 86. Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis 41. Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea diomedea 87. Rock Pipit (Western) Anthus petrosus petrosus 42. Great Shearwater Ardenna gravis 88. Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs 43. Sooty Shearwater Ardenna grisea 89. European Greenfinch Chloris chloris 44. Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus 90. Common Linnet Linaria cannabina 45. Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus 91. European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis 46. Northern Gannet Morus bassanus
Species List (marine megafauna)
1. Atlantic Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus
2. Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena
3. Short-beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis
4. Northern Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata
5. Ocean Sunfish Mola mola
Mark Pearson (YCN guide) has written up a few great blog posts about the trip with more pics which
can be viewed online via the following links:
Sunfish, skuas and dolphins Click Here
Storm-petrels Click Here
Shearwaters Click Here
Lunch stop in one of West Cork’s many fine pubs!
Review of 2019 trip:
“The YCN and Shearwater Holidays seabirds and whales tour was the trip of a lifetime for me”
David Langley Sept 2019
See our 2021 Trip Details and Booking Click HereYou can also read
