Sunday 21 February 2016

 Winter Waders and World Wetlands Day

31st January




Our Arkearagh trip proved that this is a very special wetland area for bird life indeed! An amazing overall count of 20 different types of species within this very small stretch of the North Kerry coastline. The Black Rock wetland area encompasses a fresh water stream, large dune system covered with Marram Grass and a tidal foreshore that gets covered in seaweed from time to time. This seaweed bounty is home to thousands of tiny invertebrates which the birds just love to eat.

Thanks to Killian Kelly for sharing his knowledge, l
isted below are what we saw:

Ringed Plover, 
Sanderling (100 - 150 maybe),
Dunlin (1-2), 
Bar tailed Godwit (6), 
Turnstone (15-25),
Cormorant (2), 
Redshank (2-3),
Lapwing (5 - 10 on top of the rock itself), 
Oytercatcher (c 100),
Herring Gull,
Black-Headed Gull, 
Great Black Backed Gull (2),
Chough (10 - 15 in the area), 
Rook, 
Starling, 
Rock Pipit, 
Stone Chat, 
Pied Wag Tail, 
Brent Geese (about 25) 
And a solitary Seal!


Brent 





Chough