Wexford Natural History Diary October 2009

Iron oxide staining on newly arrived Whooper Swans

Wildlife Items to Note:

Greenshank

November is traditionally a quiet month for the events calendar – well one has to save up one's health and wealth for the Christmas period. However there is plenty of time to reflect on an excellent, though short, Wexford Festival and also to take up the winter 'wildlife challenge'. During winter Co. Wexford really does fill up with wildlife visitors. All one needs to do is head along to places like Bannow Bay, Tacumshin Lake, Our Lady's Island Lake, Rosslare Bay, Rosslare Back Strand, Wexford Harbour, The North Slob – Wexford Wildfowl Reserve – Curracloe and Ballinesker to name but a few. All these areas really do fill up with birds in some quite spectacular numbers, and it isn't just waterfowl.  There will be flocks of Starlings, finches, various birds of prey – you name it, winter is the time to look. So why don't 'YOU' try visiting one or more of these locations and see just how many different species of bird you can identify.  If you prefer larger species to challenge your observation skills, how about trying Hook Head on a cold still bright day in early January and see if you can see some of the Fin and Humpback Whales that visit our County in those first few weeks of the year – they will be there, but do make sure you pick a day with as little wind as possible – it greatly increases one's chances of a sighting.

Blair's Shoulder-knot

DON'T FORGET: All-Ireland Mammal Symposium. 6^th to 8^th November 2009 being held at Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford, and the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Waterford. For late bookings contact: Dr. Ruth Carden, AIMS 2009, National Museum of Ireland, Natural History Division, Merrion Street, Dublin 2.  Web site: www.allirelandmammalsymposium.org/

Sweet Chestnut

WILDLIFE RECORDS: Once again very many thanks for all those wildlife records. This month's wildlife summaries are made from your records. They have either been communicated to Wexford Wildfowl Reserve on 053-9123129 or received 'On Line' at www.wexfordnaturalists.com. Records can also be sent to our Records Officer: Simon Collins, Records Officer W.N.F.C., c/o Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, North Slob, Wexford. So please keep them coming as they are all collated and are used to enhance our knowledge of our County's biodiversity.

'THE LEPIDOPTERA OF COUNTY WEXFORD: A good idea for a Christmas filler, so if you have not availed of this recently published Guide published by the Wexford Naturalists' Field Club (WNFC) do please remember it is only €10 and is available from Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, North Slob, Wexford, and in The Book Centre in Wexford Town. All proceeds go towards the running of the WNFC. Many thanks for all your support.

HEDGEROW RECEPIES:  As most of you will be well aware the Sloe is the fruit of Blackthorn (the Sloe is the ancestor of all cultivated plums) - and this year there is an excellent crop of these green fleshed, black berries on the many Blackthorn hedges around the County (you may remember last year was poor for the this particular fruit). Sloe berries make a rather nice, clear jelly; however on this occasion it is the recipe for Sloe Gin that is provided. The best time to collect the berries is just after the first sharp frost. This has the effect of breaking the tough skin (one can cheat and pick the berries and place in a freezer – this does the same thing and has the added advantage that one can leave in the freezer until there is the time to prepare the liqueur). Ingredients: 1lb of fruit and 7oz of caster sugar are required for 1 standard bottle of Gin. I have found that there is a 'distinct' advantage in doubling (or tripling) the quantity and placing the fluid in a large wine demijohn. The reason – it is a lot easier to shake – and this is the key to a good brew. Place the thawed berries into the demijohn; add the sugar and then the Gin. Make sure the demijohn is safely sealed and then shake the mixture – as mentioned above the shaking is the key so shake it thoroughly once every day for at least a month - the instruction – shake baby, shake. Keep the liquid for two months (from time of making) and then strain the fluid carefully back into the empty Gin bottles. It is now ready to drink – a quite delicious liqueur that once tasted will become an annual ritual. Took me many years before I decided to 'risk' a bottle of Gin – best thing I ever did……

General Wildlife News and Views:

MIGRATION: You will notice from the report of bird sightings below that there is a lot going on at this time of year. Birds and Insects (amongst others) are migrating into, out-of and through Ireland.  Our location on the west coast of Europe makes Ireland a particularly attractive place for birds to winter. An added advantage for us, here in Co. Wexford, is that we are in the South-east corner of the Country and that gives us the added advantage of being able to witness this amazing phenomenon of the natural world as birds arrive and leave, on and from our headlands and shores. Whether it is our geese and winter swans arriving or our swallows and warblers departing, it is a particularly special time of the year. Also for the birds it is very much a stressful time – the perils of travel, with many lost on the way. Even a quick look at the list of species in the Birds listed below shows many species that 'normally' never make landfall in Ireland. Migration is a fascinating study in its own right and each year more and more aspects of the story are discovered. One more piece of the jigsaw is shown below (Birds can 'see' the Earth's Magnetic Field).

BIRDS CAN 'SEE' THE EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD: Last year published research by Dominik Heyers and colleagues  at University of Oldenburg, Germany found that  specialised neurons in the eye, sensitive to magnetic direction, connect via a specific brain pathway, to an area in the forebrain responsible for vision.  Known as cryptochromes, magnetic sensing molecules in the eye, appear to stimulate photoreceptors depending on the orientation of the magnetic field. This work was based on laboratory studies of Garden Warbler. In a new paper, just reported by researchers, led by Dr Henrik Mouritsen at the same University in Germany further work has been completed on the European Robin. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6455338/Robins-can-see-Earths-magnetic-field.html. Magnetic fields are ''seen'' via the eyes using a complex light-sensitive mechanism. ''The results of the present study specifically suggest that cluster N* is an essential part of a circuit processing light-dependent magnetic compass information for night-time orientation. As Dr Mouritsen says ''The exact role of cluster N within this circuit has not been determined, but the present results raise the distinct possibility that this part of the visual system enables birds to 'see' magnetic compass information.''  (* Cluster N is a cluster of forebrain regions found in night-migratory songbirds that shows high activation of activity-dependent gene expression during night-time vision. We have suggested that Cluster N may function as a specialised night-vision area in night-migratory birds and that it may be involved in processing light-mediated magnetic compass information).

DEAD ALBATROSS CHICKS: If you can look at the following web-page it really is worth a visit:   http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=11 . The photographs of albatross chicks were made a few weeks ago on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting chicks are fed plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. Every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking. To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of chicks in one of the world's most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.

THE STATE OF THE UK'S BIRDS: As the rare birds become commoner and the common birds become rarer – we also seriously need to watch that trend!!! The report, completed by a coalition of conservation groups which include the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) states that almost 60% of Britain's rarest birds, including once-extinct species, have seen their numbers increase over the past decade. However widespread declines have been reported in a number of more common species that include Starlings, Nightingales and Cuckoos. Only 28% of the 63 bird species with fewer than 1,000 breeding pairs in the UK have seen numbers fall. This compared to four out of every 10 common bird species. The report - now in its 10th year - is an assessment of 210 native breeding bird species and is published by the RSPB for the BTO, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the Countryside Council for Wales, Natural England, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). However it is not all good news for rare birds, with some species, such as the Common Scoter (and look below in our BIRD SIGHTINGS at the huge number of this species wintering off Curracloe Beach) being at risk of becoming extinct in the UK in the next decade. Many common birds - which are not the subject of targeted conservation action - are in decline, including many farmland birds. Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB's Conservation Director said "Over the last decade we've enjoyed some cracking conservation successes, including removing some threatened species from the Red List and increasing populations of Red Kite, Bittern, Avocet, Osprey, Stone-curlew and Cirl Bunting, however these triumphs are countered by continued declines of some widespread species like the Skylark, Kestrel, Willow Warbler and Grey Partridge."

And so to the known wildlife highlights of the month: ............................................................................................. 

WILD BIRD SIGHTINGS. Grebes: A Slavonian Grebe was on South Slob on 11^th. Divers: 4 Red-throated Diver in Rosslare Bay on 11^th with 38 noted at Ballinesker on 15^th. There were 2 Great Northern Diver at Ballinesker on 15^th. Herons and Ibis: There was a Little Egret at Duncormick on 8^th with a count of 61 Little Egrets at Bannow Bay on 15^th.  There was a Glossy Ibis at Tacumshin through the month. A Bittern was at Tacumshin on the evening of 26^th. Swans: 20+ Whooper Swans noted on North Slob on 5^th with 52 counted on 7^th, 58 on 9^th, 72 on 16^th, 104 on 22^nd, 143 on 26^th and 253 on 29^th (Note: the yellow  iron oxide staining on some of the recently arrived Whooper Swans - pictures in Gallery). There were 4 Whooper Swans at Tacumshin on 11^th and 17^th with 6 present at that location on 31^st. A juvenile Mute Swan was seen in the middle of the Irish Sea, wave hopping and heading in a northerly direction on 31^st. Geese: There were 84 Greenland White-fronted Geese were on North Slob on 9^th with 97 present on 11^th and 107 on 12th increasing to 250 by the 21^st. On 22^nd over 550 arrived bringing total birds on North Slob to 800+. This total was over 1200 by 29^th.  There were 2 Pink-footed Geese on North Slob on 22^nd.  A Brent Goose was at Tacumshin on 4^th. There were 84+ Brent Geese at Rosslare Back Strand on 11^th. One of the Brent at Rosslare Back Strand on 11^th had two yellow rings '3' on Left Leg and 'X' on Right Leg (Ringed in south-west Iceland on 12^th May 2007 –  a male, it has been noted over the past two years in Strangford Lough, Anglesey and the Dee Estuary). Ducks: There was a Blue-winged Teal at Tacumshin on 4^th and a Blue-winged Teal was shot on the North Slob on 24^th. A Long-tailed Duck was at Our Lady's Island Lake on 31^st. There were 8261 Common Scoter at Ballinesker on 15^th. Partridges: There were 2 Red-legged Partridge at Ablintown on 6^th. Rails and Crakes: Water Rails were heard calling on North Slob through the month. Birds of Prey: There were 2 Buzzard at Fethard-on-Sea on 1^st. 1 Buzzard was on North Slob 1^st, 8^th and 12^th.  There were 2 Buzzard on South Slob on 11^th. 2 Buzzards noted at Tacumshin on 12^th. A Buzzard was seen eating on a road kill in Crossabeg on 18^th. There was a Buzzard at Holdmanhill and Woodgraigue on 17^th, 2 at Churchtown on 18^th,1 in Gorey on 22^nd, 1 at Woodgraigue on 24^th, 1 was at Churchtown on 26^th and 28^th and one in Templeshambo on 30^th.  A Hen Harrier was at Nethertown on 17^th. Up to 3 Hen Harrier were on North Slob through the month. 1 was on the South Slob on 11^th and 1 was noted in Gorey on 20^th. Hen Harriers were noted at Tacumshin through the month with 4 on 23^rd, 3 present on 25^th, 4 on 26^th and 7 on 31^st.  There was 1 Hen Harrier at Hook Head on 17^th with 2 present on 22^nd, 1 on 29^th and 1 on 31^st. A Hobby was at Hook Head on 26^th. A Sparrowhawk was noted in Gorey on 20^th. A Peregrine was noted at Tacumshin and in Wexford Town on a number of dates through the month. A Peregrine was also noted in Woodgraigue on 24^th and 1 was at Hook Head on 31^st.  A Merlin was at Tacumshin on 18^th with 1 at Churchtown also on 18^th and 1 was at Hook Head on 31^st. A Merlin was present on North Slob through the month. Waders: 3 Ruff were at Tacumshin on 4^th with 7 Ruff on the North Slob on 11^th increasing to 11 on 26^th to the end of the month. 60 Turnstone were noted at Hook Head on 8^th. 3 Greenshank were at Rosslare Back Strand on 11^th.  4000+ Golden Plover were at Rosslare Back Strand on 11^th. Flock of 1000 Black-tailed Godwit on North Slob on 22^nd increasing to approximately 1750 on 26^th. A Whimbrel was at Churchtown on 18^th and 26^th. A Spotted Redshank was at Tacumshin on 4th, 18^th and 25^th. A Buff-breasted Sandpiper was still at Tacumshin on 4^th. A Curlew Sandpiper was at Bannow Bay on 15^th. 2 Little Stint were at Tacumshin on 4^th.  Skuas: A Great Skua was noted at Kilmore Quay on 14^th with 1 at Hook Head on 23^rd. Gulls: There was a Mediterranean Gull at Tacumshin on 4^th with 4 present on 18^th and 1 at Churchtown on 18^th and 26^th. A Yellow-legged Gull was at Tacumshin on 11^th. Terns: 4 Sandwich Tern were noted at Hook Head on 21^st. Owls: A Short-eared Owl was at Hook Head on 17^th. A Long-eared Owl was at Hook Head on 20^th. Pigeons and Doves: A Turtle Dove was at Hook Head on 10^th. There were 30 Collared Dove at Churchtown on 28^th. Kingfishers: A Kingfisher was seen on South Slob on 11^th. Kingfishers were noted on the North Slob a number of times through the month – migrating into the Slob for the winter. Larks: There were 100 Skylarks at Hook Head on 7^th. Swallows and Martins: 1 House Martin on North Slob 10^th with 1 also noted at Hook Head on 21^st.   200+ Swallows and 1 House Martin flew into roost on the North Slob 5^th. Good passage of Swallows on 7^th and 8^th with 100 noted at Hook Head on both dates. There were 12+ Swallows on North Slob 10^th and a single Swallow noted at Lacken on 26^th. 65 Swallows were at Carne on 26^th. 14 Swallows were noted at Tacumshin on 23^rd. There were 100 Swallows at Churchtown on 18^th with 8 noted at same location on 28^th. There were 10 Swallows seen at Carnsore Point on 28^th with 25 there on 31^st.   17 Swallows were also noted at Coolcotts on 28^th. Pipits: Up to 100 Meadow Pipits at Hook Head on 7^th. Flycatchers: A Red-breasted Flycatcher was at Carne on 25^th and 26^th. A Spotted Flycatcher was at Hook Head on 31^st. Thrushes: A Black Redstart was at Churchtown on 18^th. There was 1 Black Redstart at Hook Head on 20^th and 21^st. There were 2 Black Redstarts at Hook Head on 22^nd and 23^rd with single Black Redstarts at Carne Harbour and Churchtown on the same date and 3 at Tacumshin on both 23^rd and 30^th. 7 Black Redstarts were noted at Hook Head on 28^th with 5 present on 29^th. There was a total of at least 30 Black Redstarts counted in the County on 31^st with 15 at Hook Head, 8 at Rosslare Harbour, 6 at Carne Harbour and 1 at Carnsore Point. There were 2 Wheatear was at Churchtown on 18^th with 1 also present at same location on 26^th. 2 Wheatear were at Carne on 31^st with 1 at Rosslare Harbour on the same date. A Mistle Thrush was noted on North Slob on 10^th. 2 Ring Ouzel at Hook Head on 17^th. A Fieldfare was seen on North Slob on 14^th and there were 27 at Holdmanhill on 29^th.   There were 2 Redwing at Woodgraigue on 24^th with 12 on North Slob on 29^th. Continental Song Thrushes have been seen on North Slob in 3^rd week (larger and darker individuals). A Song Thrush was heard singing at Holdmanhill on 29^th. Dippers: 2 Dipper were noted in Gorey on 2^nd. Warblers: A Reed Warbler was seen on North Slob on 1^st. A Blackcap was also noted on North Slob on 1^st, 5^th and 8^th. There were 2 at Hook Head on 10^th increasing to 6 on 20^th with 1 on 21^st, 2 present on 22^nd and 23^rd and 2 also noted at Carne on 26^th. A Garden Warbler was at Hook Head on 20^th and 21^st. There were 2 Lesser Whitethroat was at Hook Head on 20^th with 1 still present on 23^rd. A Willow Warbler was at Hook Head on 10^th with 1 seen at Churchtown on 26^th. There were 2 Wood Warblers at Carne on 28^th. 1 Chiffchaff was at Coolcotts on 4^th and 1 was on South Slob on 11^th. There were 8 at Hook Head on 10^th with 5 seen at Carne on 26^th, 15 at Hook Head on 22^nd, 25 on 20^th, 20 on 28^th, 8 on 29^th and 10 on 31^st.  A Yellow-browed Warbler was on Hook Head on 28^th and 29^th. Sparrows: There were 2 Tree Sparrow at Churchtown on 12^th with 1 on 15^th and 3 present on 18^th. 4 Tree Sparrows were at Hook Head on 31^st. Buntings: A Yellowhammer was noted at Churchtown on 18^th. Crows: A Chough was noted at Hook Head on 8^th and 1 also noted at Carnsore Point on 12^th.  2 Carrion Crow on North Slob through the month and a Hybrid Hooded/Carrion Crow was seen at Rosslare Back Strand on 11^th. A Jay seen on North Slob on 12^th was only the second record of that species ever seen on the Slob. An Eastern Jackdaw was seen at Ring Marsh on 31^st. The Leucistic Magpie (reported last winter) was seen on North Slob on 16^th. Magpies were building in a Scots Pine in Coolcotts in the later part of the month. Finches: Redpoll noted over the North Slob on a number of dates in the month.

MAMMALS: 4 possible Harbour Porpoise were noted at Blackwater on 16^th. There was a Grey Seal at Hook Head on 8^th and 79 were noted in Wexford Harbour on 15^th. A Red Squirrel was seen at Newtown Road, Wexford on 4^th. A dead Pygmy Shrew was found on North Slob on 6^th.

BUTTERFLIES: Small Tortoiseshell:  North Slob 7 on 8^th. Coolcotts 1 on 10^th, Tacumshin Lake 1 on 28^th.  Red Admiral:  Coolcotts, 2 on 1st, 1 on 4th, 12th, 18th and 27^th. Raven Nature Reserve 5 on 17^th and 1 on 31^st.  North Slob 5 on  9^th, 12 on 12^th, 3 on 22^nd, 3 on 26^th. Jamestown 2 on 27^th. Woodgraigue 1 on 13^th, Holdmanhill 1 on 24^th, South Slob 3 on the 11^th. John F Kennedy Arboretum 3 on 24^th. Camolin Park 1 on 4^th. Hook Head 6 on 11^th, 27 on 8^th. Small Copper:  Woodgraigue 1 on 13^th, Raven Nature Reserve 2 on 17^th. Common Blue: Raven Nature Reserve 1 on 17^th. Painted Lady: Hook Head 2 on 8^th, Camolin Park 1 on  4^th, Ballyharty 3 on 26^th. Coolcotts 1 on 12^th, Woodgraigue 1 on 13^th, Raven Nature Reserve 3 on 17^th and 14 on 31^st.  North Slob 1 on 22^nd. Speckled Wood: North Slob 1 on 8^th, John F Kennedy Arboretum 7 on 10^th. Coolcotts 2 on 4^th, 1 on 10th, Camolin Park 17 on 4^th. Raven Nature Reserve 5 on 17^th.

DRAGONFLY: Migrant Hawker noted on North Slob on 10^th and 11^th with 3 present on 12^th. One was also noted on North Slob on 23^rd.

MOTHS: The following moths were recorded in various numbers through the month: Light-brown Apple Moth, Green-brindled Crescent, Lunar Underwing, August Thorn, Feathered Thorn, Black Rustic, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Red-line Quaker, Common Marbled Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet, Spruce Carpet, Rosy Rustic, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Straw Dot, Small Square-spot, Large Wainscot, Common Wainscot, Smoky Wainscot, Blair's Shoulder-knot,  Silver Y, Straw Dot.

OTHERS: Plants: Flowering Three-cornered Leak on North Slob on 29^th. Invertebrates: Necrodes littoralis identified on North Slob on 11^th. Land Snails: Clausilia bidentata was identified at John F Kennedy Arboretum on 10^th. Fish: A Trigger Fish was washed up on Rostoonstown Beach on16th.