Looking for a Curlew

During my trip to Ireland (Sept 19 through Oct 3, 2010), I had hoped to see many new bird species, including those most associated with the Emerald Isle, as the Curlew. At the time of my trip, I didn't realize that there are eight species of curlews, with bills ranging in length from 3 to 8 inches. Nor did I realize, as reported by BirdWatch Ireland, ". . . that around 80% of the Curlew breeding population [in Ireland] has been lost since the 1970s alone, and perhaps only a few hundred pairs remain."

While you can still find migrant curlews from northern Europe wintering in Ireland, those indigenous to the country are becoming scarce as their habitats disappear. Again, as reported by BirdWatch Ireland " . . . destruction of peat bogs, afforestation, more intensive management of farmland . . . . drainage of wetlands and intensive management of grasslands have destroyed much of their habitat." Given these statistics, it's difficult to say if the curlew shown here (wading in an estuary of the Shannon River) is a resident or migrant.

Also, as it's not the best photo (an understatement), I'm not sure which species of curlew I was lucky enough to glimpse, though I'll take a gamble and bet on the Whimbrel, which is a grayish-brown bird with a dark crown (though the over exposure makes this difficult to see).

So, to answer the question I posed in my Nov 2 blog entry--Yes! I saw a Curlew while in Ireland, yet probably not a Irish Curlew, given their drastic decline.

Till next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne

Project FeederWatch

Do you have a backyard bird feeder? Do you love to watch the winter birds that thrive on your seeds and suet? If so, you might want to join Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Project FeederWatch. It's a data collection program that enlists the help of people like you and me.

Read all about the program within Cornell's Web site:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/

This year the program runs from November 13 to April 8, 2011, but it's not too late to join. I just did a few days ago and will definitely be sharing some of my experiences here on the Bird Blog. For example, here's a photo of a male Dark-eyed Junco, waiting his turn at the feeder with black-oil sunflower seeds.

Here's hoping you can help. But if you don't feel quite ready or if you need more experience identifying birds, maybe you can learn with me through my Bird Blog. Then next year, you'll be ready to go!

Till next time ... Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne

The Usual Suspects

Allow me to interrupt my review of Irish birds to bring you three of my backyard favorites. These three species are year-round residents and so will cheer me through the long, cold winter. To repay that favor, every day I'll feed them black-oil sunflower seeds. Here are photos taken at my feeder just a couple hours ago. In quick succession each came for a seed, beginning with the Tufted Titmouse (top), the White-breasted Nuthatch (middle), and my favorite, the Black-capped Chickadee.

Treat these birds to some black-oil sunflower seeds through the winter, and they'll treat you to their company. I can't think of a better trade.

Till next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne

About that Oystercatcher . . .

Before leaving for Ireland, I posted on my birding expectations for the trip:

"I'm eager to see such Irish birds as the Oystercatcher, the Lapwing, and, of course, the Curlew!" (September 18, 2010)

Home already a month, I've yet to report on whether I saw any or all of the three birds mentioned. So let's start now, beginning with the Oystercatcher.

In that prior post, I shared a US Fish and Wildlife image of an American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus). See the beautifully crisp, up close image? Now see my distant, blurry photo of a black and white bird on a grassy mound in the Shannon River. And answer me this: Is it an Oystercatcher? (Haematopus ostralegus, a European cousin)

I don't know.

Both birds have a "tab" of white in the shoulder area. And the position of his head (turned left and downward) would explain why you can't see a long orange bill. Still . . . I don't know.

If you have a view and want to share it, please post away. Meanwhile I'll share my photo on an Irish listserv, though it's not a birding listserv. And I'll be sure to let you know what I find out.

Now, on to the Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus). Here's a bird I should most definitely have seen--but didn't. You might well ask, "Why not?" And I'd have to confess that pursuits other than birding (sightseeing, Castle-touring, visiting my ancestor's homestead, seeking my book's setting) competed for my attention. Still, there's always the next time, right? Besides, you can learn a bit about the Lapwing right here and right now:

http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Default.aspx?tabid=319

Finally, what of the Curlew? Did I see or photograph this unusual bird? To find out, check back next week!

Till then . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne

Mute Swans at Castle Ross

These beautiful Mute Swans (mature and immature) might be from a Pennsylvania lake, but this photo was taken at a marshy inlet of Lough Leane, the largest of the three lakes in Killarney (Co. Kerry, Ireland). In fact, Mute Swans, natives of Europe and Asia, were introduced, in the 1800s, to this country for their beauty. And you can see why.

I saw this graceful pair near the shore when visiting Castle Ross, one of hundreds of stone "tower houses" built by the Normans during the middle ages. Often during my visit to Ireland I saw Mute Swans. These birds are highly territorial and so a small lake will support only one mated pair. The parents will raise their chicks, called cygnets, until young adults and then send them away to find their own territories. However, Mute Swans will colonize in larger lakes. Lough Leane, which is a huge lake (five miles long by two miles wide) supported many colonies.

Check back soon for more birds of Ireland!

Till then . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne

Pied Wagtail

Before traveling to Ireland, I read a book called Shore Birds of Ireland (text by Jim Wilson; images by Mark Carmody), which bestowed honorary shorebird status to this garden bird who "will sometimes feed on insects on seaweed." The authors conveyed the honor rightly so, I think, because wherever water met shoreline, I found this spunky white and black bird scouting. In fact, so often did I see (and photograph) the Pied Wagtail that I found a friend in him and felt less a stranger.

Of course, the Atlantic Ocean now separates us, so I must confine my encounters to online sources like British Garden Birds--

http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/piedwagtail.htm

--which describes the differences in plumage between males and females and provides various photos. From the descriptions provided I think (but am far from sure) that the "seaweed" wagtail is a female and the "water" wagtail a male. But why not check out the resource for yourself and decide what you think?

Until next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne Butler

The Jackdaw: First bird to greet me in Ireland

Driving from the Shannon Airport (on the River Shannon), I noticed a range of shorebirds wading in that river's estuary. Trying to get a knack for driving on the "wrong" side of the road--not to mention the roundabouts--I didn't take the opportunity to see what waders dotted the not too distant landscape. Instead, I kept my hands gripped to the steering wheel and eyes glued to the road and its signs written in both English and Gaelic.

I didn't dare look anywhere else other than to dart appreciative glances at the lovely landscape through which I drove. Not until arriving at my first destination, the village of Kinvara in Co. Galway, did I take a deep breath and open my eyes to the surrounding sights.

Parked opposite Castle Dunguaire, a small castle known as a "tower house," I stopped to look up at the ruins of stone wall and there saw a shiny black bird with pale blue eyes looking back at me. Noting my interest, he withdrew his head farther into the hole but not so far that I couldn't catch a photo of his handsome face and pretty blue eyes.

Later in the week, when at an Irish pub, I asked a couple local men what bird in Ireland I should choose as my main bird character (for book 3) in the trilogy Of the Wing. One gentlemen was quite insistent that it be the jackdaw "because he's a good thief." I must say the quality of being a thief is an attractive one to me for my bird character. Too, I've read that jackdaws are good mimics, even of human speech, yet another intriguing characteristic.

Hmm . . . I think I'm convinced.

Until next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!

Georgia Anne