Raptor Presentation by John Lusby on 20th November in Cavan County Museum.

 

                                              Kestral Chicks. Photo by John Lusby

 

"All About Raptors" A Presentation by John Lusby, will take place in The Cavan County Museum, Ballyjamesduff at 8:00pm on Thursday 20th November.

 John is Birdwatch Ireland's Raptor Conservation Officer. He is a bird of prey expert and features regularly on the Mooney Goes Wild Show on RTE. He holds a ringing and filming licence for raptors and coordinates several conservation projects involving Barn Owl, Kestral, Long eared owl and Merlin.

 His last talk to the Branch back in 2012 in Bailieborough on his conservation work with Barn Owls was a great success and we are delighted to welcome him back to the County,this time to Ballyjamesduff.

 This event is hosted in conjunction with Cavan County Museum. All are welcome to attend and admission is free!

 

Outing to The Bull Island,Dublin on Sunday 9th November

Brent geese at Bull Island

An outing to The Bull Island Nature Reserve and other North Dublin Birding sites will take place on Sunday next 9th November.  To Car share meet at the Market Square, Bailieborough at 9am sharp. For those car sharing a contribution towards petrol costs would be appreciated.

  If you wish to travel independently please contact Andrew  on 085 7137983 prior to the event for details of meet up times and locations in Dublin.

The event should last 3/4 hours. Event leaders Andrew Carlton and PJ Byrne. It is recommended to wear warm waterproof clothing and to bring along a packed lunch.

Click here to visit the Dublin Bay Birding Blog
Click here for a site map of Bull Island Nature Reserve.


Upcoming Event on Thursday 20 November: 

A presentation entitled "All about Raptors" by Birdwatch Ireland’s Raptor Conservation Officer John Lusby will take place in   Cavan County Museum, Ballyjamesduff at 8:00pm.

Dundalk Bay Sunday 12th October

Joint Cavan and Monaghan Branch Outing.

 Dundalk Docks photo Heather Bothwell

Report by Heather Bothwell.

We met at 11 am at the docks, Dundalk . The tide was low at this time and birds were still feeding as the tide rose. Flocks of golden plover, lapwing, redshank,  greenshank, black-tailed godwit., curlew, dunlin, cormorant, teal and mallard , could be seen in their full glory,  as the light could not have been better and the water as still as a mill pond.

Teal photo by Clare Donoghue

Lapwing photo Clare Donoghue

Black-tailed godwit photo Clare Donoghue

Redshank Photo Clare Donoghue

Golden plover flock photo Clare Donoghue

 On leaving the Docks we moved on to inspect the new hide at Lurgangreen.

 The hide at Lurgangreen by Heather Bothwell

 As we sunbathed !!!! eating our lunch, the tide came in . This moved the birds away from the hide, so at high tide few birds were to be seen. Despite this lack of numbers we did get views of the newly arrived Brent geese,  little egret, oystercatchers and a kingfisher put in an appearance in front of the hide .  The high-light of the day was when a female Merlin came in from behind the hide and landed on the other side of the Fane river.   We all delighted in excellent views of a very accommodating  little falcon . The height  provided by the new hide  helped this. Thank you  Louth, Birdwatch 
Ireland, we wish you  many long years in the comfort of the hide. 

Click here to visit the Louth Birds Blog
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Upcoming events in November.

Sunday 9 November: Outing to the Bull Island Nature Reserve and Rogerstown Estuary, Dublin. (More details on the blog closer to the date).

 Thursday 20 November: A presentation entitled "All about Raptors" by Birdwatch Ireland’s Raptor Conservation Officer John Lusby will take place in   Cavan County Museum, Ballyjamesduff at 8:00pm.

 

Dundalk Bay Outing Sunday 12th October

little egret at Dundalk Docks

 

An outing to Dundalk Bay will take place this coming Sunday 12th of October. 

Meet at Dundalk Docks at 11am. If you wish you can park at Lidl, which is situated across the road from the docks. The group will car pool from here and visit a number of sites in the Dundalk area. Of special interest, will be a visit to the new bird hide at Lurgangreen.

The event should last a couple of hours. Bring along a packed lunch and it's recommended to wear warm waterproof clothing.Beginners very welcome!

The event will be lead by Heather Bothwell. Contact number of the day if needed is 087 669 9681,

 To visit the Louth Bird Blog for updates on sightings,click here

Upcoming Branch Events

Tuesday 19th August

The Branch will have a stand at the family community show day at Esker Lodge Nursing Home, Cathedral Road,Cavan from 1.30pm to 5.30pm. 

 Sunday 12th October - Outing to Dundalk Bay

Sunday 9th November - Outing to The Bull Island, Nature Reserve and Rogerstown Estuary, Dublin.
 
Thursday 20th November - A presentation " All about Raptors" by John Lusby, Birdwatch Ireland Raptor Conservation Officer, will take place in the Cavan County Museum, Ballyjamesduff at 8pm.

More information re events will be posted closer to the date.
Beginners and new members very welcome!

Outing to Loughanleagh on 12 June

Information board with maps at the picnic site

An evening walk around Loughanleagh Mountain took place on Thursday 12th June, led by committee member and local walking guide P.J. Byrne. The walk lasted for approximately one and a half hours, commencing from the parking area and finishing up at the Cairn on the mountain top.

 We stopped along the way to listen to birdsong and enjoy the lovely views of the surrounding countryside.

 

 From the mountain top we enjoyed clear views of the Co. Louth coastline and the Mourne mountains.

 meadow pipet

  We also spotted some meadow pipits displaying and it appears that this species, which is a species of conservation concern, is successfully breeding in the area. However, it was disappointing to find no evidence of breeding skylark: a species that has bred here in the recent past.
Loughanleagh mountain is a lovely location for a walk at any time of year and there is the possibility of seeing snow bunting while walking in the area at migration time or over the winter months.

On our return to Bailieborough we carried out a swift survey to help us locate breeding sites for this species and we hope to erect some nest boxes in the area for the next breeding season.

To read more about the Swift Conservation project click here

To become a member of Birdwatch Ireland click here

We will be taking a break over the summer and details of Autumn events will be posted in September.