Great news from NPWS Ranger Clare Heardman via Twitter: "Mizen Head in today's early morning light saw the end of our Black Guillemot survey of Roaringwater Bay, with more than 200 of these fabulous black & white, red-legged birds counted between here and Baltimore Beacon #NPWS #monitoring #birds" https://bit.ly/2v4bcEy Our tours and pelagics around West Cork and Cape Clear offer a fantastic opportunity to see these stunning seabirds. Book with us today! www.shearwaterwildlifetours.com

While birding the local marshes today in search of Black-winged stilts and Night Herons we managed to find 3 stunning Cattle Egrets in full breeding plumage. This is the second spring in succession that they have been recorded in good numbers near Clonakilty in West Cork. Surely it’s only a matter of time before they breed? The SWT team will be monitoring this site closely.

The BirdWatch Ireland Cape Clear Bird Observatory Annual Report for 2017 has just been published (pdf link below). We are delighted that our records from Shearwater Wildlife Tours pelagics off Cape Clear and around Fastnet Rock have contributed to the database of seabird sightings for the area as detailed in the report. Come join us on one of our Cape Clear Wildlife Weekends in 2018 and enjoy the wonderful array of migrants, seabirds, marine mammals and stunning scenery that this island has to offer! See here for details https://bit.ly/2IrsOfj

While on the subject of Eiders, almost a year ago I got to spend some time with huge flocks of Eiders on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada. Here we had the chance to experience both 'borealis' and 'dresseri' mingling, with a few King Eider thrown in for good measure. Both these subspecies have been recorded in Irish waters, albeit rarely! While watching flocks moving offshore I photographed what could very well be an example of ' V-nigrum' (Pacific Eider') which has only been recorded four or five times in the Atlantic! I only picked this bird up while going through pictures after returning to Ireland. The pictures are far from ideal but do show a very large male with very long, very orange bill and bright orange legs. Cameras can be such a useful tool but also a frustrating one. Have fun looking through the photos. There are King Eiders, White-winged Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks and maybe a Harlequin in there too! Niall Keogh Jared Clarke Alvan Buckley

Quite happy with these pictures of the first-winter type female King Eider in Dunmanus bay on the Mizen Penninsula. This bird was mostly spending it's time 3-500m offshore. When I was there it came to within 100-150m providing a good opportunity for some decent record shots. Dunmanus is a seriously under watched bay as is Bantry close by. With a Pacific Diver a few kilometres away in Crookhaven, I think these areas may be covered a little better in the future. Winter birding in West Cork can be very rewarding! The chances of coming across another birder are slim which makes the potential for finding good birds great! Hopefully the next few posts will involve some signs of spring! It's been a long winter............

Join us for 'Seabirds and Whales: an Irish Adventure' from 2nd to 7th August 2018, a partnership between Yorkshire Coast Nature and Shearwater Wildlife Tours. Features two pelagic trips in search of seabirds and marine mammals, a two night stay on Cape Clear Island and additional birding for waders and migrants at several famous rarity sites in West Cork. Last few places available...book now!

A short clip from last years transatlantic crossing on the R.V. Celtic Explorer in late April where we got to experience Long-tailed Skua courtship in the Central North Atlantic before they head to the breeding grounds in Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia and Northern Russia. Amazing that these birds just hang and pair up so far from any land. A wonderful sight and not experienced by many birders. Great to hear these birds calling as they are generally silent outside of the breeding season. Still blown away that I got to do that trip!

Oh yes! The sun is shining and the SWT team are getting excited about spring migration. One of our guides ventured down to the Beara Peninsula in West Cork today to see what’s on the move. There were good numbers of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests in the Firkeel area, a fantastic sign that spring migration is underway. Here is a photograph of Dursey Island just off the Beara Peninsula. It stands out like beacon for migrant birds. For more information about how you can book one of our tours simply visit www.shearwaterwildlifetours.com or private message us here on FB.

Spring is in the air and it's time to start planning for the arrival of all the wildlife it will bring! Seabirds are already arriving to stake their claim on a nest site, Basking Sharks will be here soon to take advantage of the plankton bloom when the temperature increases, Minke Whales and Common Dolphins with maybe a few Humpbacks will become more regular, Wheatears and Sand Martins are trickling through indicating the beginnings of the mass arrival of bird migrants that will come to breed here and pass through heading further north! There will be scarce and rare birds too as some migrants such as Hoopoe, Woodchat Shrike, Red-rumped Swallow and Black-crowned Night Herons overshoot their European breeding grounds and turn up on our southern shores! There will be no better place to witness some of this mega influx of wildlife than with Paul Connaughton and Niall Keogh from Shearwater Wildlife Tours on our Cape Clear weekends this spring. Click on the link below for more information and become a part of this exciting season! http://www.shearwaterwildlifetours.com/?s=tours&id=6

Plenty of white-wingers around West Cork. At least 9 different Iceland Gulls of various ages around Clonakilty and Timoleague and 5 Glaucous Gulls between Timoleague, Clonakilty, Rosscarbery. A few pics from the last week or so. Glaucous, Iceland and Kumlien's Gulls.

Delighted to team up with our friends at Yorkshire Coast Nature for a fabulous 5 days of Irish Wildlife both at sea and on land.

http://www.yorkshirecoastnature.com/events/61/seabirds-and-whales-an-irish-adventure-2018