Common Whitetroath

Of all the Summer visitors to these shores there are those that I look forward to seeing and hearing more than others.  The Whitethroat is a common widespread Summer visitor and a bird I look forward to seeing every year.

It really is a sight to behold as it flies high into the air singing its little heart out and then dropping to the nearest bush from where it continues to sing.  It just repeats this ritual literally all day during the early days of summer, up and down all the while filling the air with its calls.

male Common Whitethroat

Calling from on high

A very windswept Whitethroat

I've come across a few singing males this Summer in and around Ashbourne, but until last Sunday I didn't have my camera with me to record them.  The two males pictured here were both displaying on the same patch of scrub just off the Baltrasna to Kilbride road.  They were both there three days running (I haven't been back since) and on the third day I spent some time just sitting there watching them compete with each other as they both laid claim to the patch.

Stonechat

A couple of hours to kill over the weekend and I decided to keep it local and headed up towards Ashbourne Rugby Club.  There's an old abandoned building site that would have been a housing estate by now if the economy hadn't collapsed, but over the years nature has begun to reclaim the site and it now has its own small reed bed, and stubble field to go along with the existing stream and mature trees.

On this latest visit I had Whitethroat, Linnet, Redpoll, Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Snipe, Lapwing, and Stonechat, along with all the other usual suspects from the tit, finch and warbler families.

 There were a couple of very obliging male Stonechats at either end of the patch, each as bold as the other.  The Stonechat is a common bird in Ireland, it can be found on most outings, however its abundance shouldn't detract from its appearance, it really is a little cracker.

 

 

Reed Bunting

The Reed Bunting is a common resident species which can be found on wetlands and bogs across Ireland.  The male is a very distinctive bird with its black and white head features sitting on a portly brownish grey body.  As with most birds the female of the species is rather more dull and hence more difficult to spot.

Male Reed Bunting in a typical pose

The contrast in colours between head and body are clearly shown in this shot

You can usually count on the male to perch atop a reed or bush and sing aloud, his call an unmistakable give away to his location.  The female on the other hand tends to prefer to sit much lower down and as she is predominantly quite combined with her natural camouflage she can be extremely difficult to locate.

Typical female pose, low to the ground and well hidden

 

The shots here were all taken around the reed bed at the Bull Wall end of the North Bull Island.  There are two different males in the shots, but as you'd almost expect the female shots are of the same bird.

I've attached a link to Tom Cooneys excellent website dedicated to North Bull Island, its a great reference point for anyone thinking of paying a visit.

http://www.bullislandbirds.com/

Grey Heron

The Grey Heron is a common resident species which can be found throughout Ireland.  It can be found on lakes, rivers, marshes, canals etc, in fact just about anywhere water can be found.

This particular bird was at the ponds in the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, a place I've been visiting with great regularity ever since I was a young boy and grew up a short bus ride away.  The gardens are awash with wildlife and are a good place to get some interesting species if you are prepared to put the time in.  Species like Kingfisher, Dipper, Tree Creeper and Waxwing are just a few of the great birds the gardens have given me, along with all the regulars.  I've attached a link to the gardens below.

http://www.botanicgardens.ie/

This Grey Heron was oblivious to me as it went about its business.  The Herons roost in some of the trees in the gardens and also in the trees that run along the Tolka River on the St Marys School side, so there are usually a Heron or two to be had on every visit.

If you find yourself in Dublin with a few hours to spare I'd strongly recommend a trip out to Glasnevin.  A walk around the gardens is a really great way to pass the day away.

Jackdaws in April

I've been lucky enough to have many birds nest and rear young at very close quarters over the years, there are an abundance of places in and around Ashbourne that offer nesting opportunities.  This year I've taken particular notice of a group of about 5 or 6 pairs of Jackdaw who set about nest building and foraging in and around some farm buildings not far from home.

There have always been Jackdaws in this particular area, what drew my attention to them this year was witnessing them actually removing the hair from the backs of a local beef cattle herd and bringing it back to the units  in the adjoining fields.  I witnessed this over a number of days and have attached some photos.

I don't think he'll miss  just a little bit......

Ah here, now your getting greedy!

I took a casual walk around the farm units and the tell tale signs of Jackdaw nest building were to be had everywhere.  On one building there are a number of industrial roller doors and it appeared the Jackdaws were busy preparing nests between the tops of the doors and the flashing on the actual building.  I witnessed a constant movement of Jackdaws in and out with materials over a period of a couple of weeks.

One of the roller doors being used as nest sites

On my last visit I could clearly hear the calls of young Jackdaws from above at least 2 of the roller doors as the adults went about the business of gathering the food the young would need to fledge and leave the nest.  Alas all was not well as beneath one of the doors I found a freshly broken egg on the ground, it was a very mild day and the egg was still wet, it must have fallen only minutes before I arrived.  The good news was that at least one adult was still moving in and out of the gap above the door and when I returned some days later there were the calls of young chicks to be heard.

One less mouth to feed for the parents....

An adult earlier in the month during the building phase