LEAVE YOUNG BIRDS BE!!


Please, do not hamper a young bird's life by picking it up, and taking it home with you. It is calling its parents to help them in locating it.
After fledgling from the nest, the parent birds will keep feeding it, and look out for it, until it will be able to look after itself.
And the reason you cannot see a parent is because of your own proxomity to the young bird. And while you are ebating if or not you should take the bird home, you keep the parent from giving it well needed nutrition in the form of a meal!


Photos

The photos on this blog are all taken by me. If there is any picture you might want to use for any other than personal use, please drop me a line to the email address shown in the sidebar on the right.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

South West: Rosscarbery

I've been wanting to check out the birding access in Rosscarbery for quite some time. The lagoon next and behind the Celtic Ross hotel, and the estuary in front of the hotel.
Roscarbery is no stranger to nature lovers; if you read the local mouthwatering species list on the town's website you know why I too would love to get there.
I have been here very often. Mostly in the evening for Irish Wheelchair Association committee meetings of the regional branch. A pity that I did not have a camera on me in those days, because there's lots to see.

Glandore:
We went to Glandore first. A lovely little village. It sits nestled in the hill above a lovely natural harbour.
I've been here several times before. It is one of those places where you take visitors. Many UK celebs have the same idea, I think, because lots of these have a 2nd house here, either in Glandore or nearby Union Hall.


Glandore, County Cork, Eire. Looking out towards the Atlantic Ocean.


Glandore harbour. A dinghy race was to begin shortly after our departure, and I love the piling of these dinghies at the pier.

Glandore, West Cork. Ireland.


While going down the steep little road, there is a door inviting you in, and where you do not need to take your shoes off.

Always Open House, in this residence:




It was mostly (and only) Herring Gulls which flew about the village and harbour, hoping for a few scraps from the many visitors and tourists taking advantage of the tourists. So, while watching some kids in one of the dinghies, getting ready to take part in the race, I suddenly spotted a lone Herring Gull a bit further away on the quays, where it was strutting about. Because of the obstacles between us, it was a challenging me to get close. This meant that I had to cross part of these quays which had quite an awkward dip, and somehow I had to scale my wheels over this without slipping, sliding or bumping into the many little boats, resting here.
I ended up above the h. Gull; I decided that I would first get some pictures from here, before risking my life and wheels by dipping down further to get closer and perhaps ending up scaring my new-found friend.
I was pleased with this resulting shot.

Herring Gull, Larus argentatus


Rosscarbery.
The main road, the N71, between Cork--Clonakilty and Skibbereen, follows the coastline of the Rosscarbery estuary, when you reach Rosscarbery. The town itself is built on a hill, overlooking the the estuary.
The Rosscarbery tidal estuary, known for its many birds, is split in two by a causeway. This has created a lovely lagoon. The N71 runs over this causeway.
There are two roads running along the lagoon.. the first (coming from Leap/Skibbereen, is
immediately after the Celtic Ross hotel. This is the road into the the town of Rosscarbery. The second road, to Reenascreena, follows this beautiful lagoon all the way. And its sheltered location means that there's lots of avian life here.
On the south side, there are also two roads. One immediately across the Celtic Ross hotel, which follows the west side of the lagoon.
Along the estuary too, two roads follow the coastline here. Sian and I went down the first one, directly across from the hotel. I only had an hour here, which was way too short, to do some serious birding. So I have to return soon. Most of the waders were in the middle of the estuary, which was quite a bit from the road, and below you can see a picture of the waders I took with my Lumix, using only Extrazoom, of 28x zoom, at 2.5mp.

Curlew, Numenius arquata plus Great Black Backed Gulls, Larus marinus
and Herring Gull, Larus argentatus


In Rosscarbery, we had lunch in the Celtic Ross hotel. It is a lovely hotel with good food, and a beautiful setting. and a too small wheelie toilet. One of those where you cannot close the door, and yet there is space enough in a next-door lobby. I do not understand it whenever I come into an old(er) building, where they really have to juggle the available space, to fit this extra (and larger) toilet in, but where it concerns a newly built building on a large patch of ground, and where they have really compromised on these facilities, where space does not seem to be an issue. I really can get very angry. You might think I'm overdoing things here, but you see, I come upon it everywhere!
And here they do create a one or perhaps two, 'accessible rooms' but downstairs we, wheeling visitors, are forgotten to take part in hotel life in a dignified way. Sometimes I'd love to invite those at the top to go and use this toilet with my wheels. Just as much as I'd like to get those of the Cork county council to go for a little ride over the roads here.

Opposite the hotel, across the causeway, part of the large flock of Mute Swans, Cygnus olor ,was gathering along the road. Waiting for a bit of bread from walkers and visitors to the hotel. It was here, and to the left, to the lagoon, where I wanted to go and see what other birds were about.
Mute Swan, Cygnet olor,



It was difficult to get close to the wall, due to the state of the sides of the road, where there were so many gaps, holes and pieces missing, that I decided I would spare Sian the agony of having to pull me out, and stayed a bit back. at the other side of this little road, I spotted something else I was interested in: the tiny flowers of Ivy-leaved Toadflax.

Ivy-leaved Toadflax,Cymbalaria muralis


I spotted something white, other than Mute swans, further along the road, so this is where we headed. I only had an hour, and we had spent part of this already by talking, and deciding which way to go. Anyway we came upon a Little egret with a Blackheaded Gull.
Little Egret, Egretta garzetta


Blackheaded Gull, Larus ridibundus



Next we spotted two of what looked like a Curlew, with a large flock of other, much darker, larger, waders behind it on the sandbank. These looked very much like Curlew, their beaks seemed smaller than the one in front. And yet on my photos do the flock like Curlew. Strange. Double reason why I should go back.

So, who's who?




OK, so I promised to check out the access to go birding here. Because I was relying on my Wednesday group at Bantry Rehabcare to get here at all, I only had an hour, while the others drove around the lagoon and along the other road along the lagoon. As such you can see enough over the wall from the road, depending on birds (or other marine animals; seals do visit here too, ) Annd I hope that I can return soon to check out the Reenascreena road along the lagoon.




2 comments:

  1. What a good blog some nice photos
    a must visit again blog

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank, you, Life in Egypt, for the compliments.

    we'll see you again.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting Birding on Wheels; All comments left here, will be appreciated and I will answer as soon as possible to your comments.
Yoke.