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www.dingle-peninsula.ieThe complete visitor's guide to activities, attractions and accommodation in the Dingle Peninsula |
BIRDWATCHING
Eanealaíocht
The Dingle Peninsula is one of the best birdwatching areas in Ireland, particularly famous for its seabird colonies.
The Blaskets and the Maharees together have tens of thousands of nesting birds each summer, including Storm Petrels, shearwaters, terns, gulls and auks, including the colourful Puffin. The cliffs fringing the peninsula also hold good numbers of Chough and Peregrine Falcon.
Lough Gill is one of the best lakes to see waterbirds, including Whooper and
Mute swans and a variety of duck, and the mudflats at Tralee Bay and Castlemaine
Harbour host a huge number and variety of wading birds and wildfowl. Large numbers
of Brent Geese winter in these areas, along with Pintail, Scaup, Wigeon and waders
such as Curlew, Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit. The shallow bay east of
Castlegregory is also one of the best places to see rare grebes and divers.
In early summer, the reeling song of the Grasshopper Warbler and is commonly
heard on calm evenings, while Little Egrets are now nesting at several sites on
the peninsula alongside Grey Herons.
The whole peninsula has a growing reputation, in Ireland and abroad, for attracting
very rare North American species, particularly in September and October.
Each autumn birdwatchers are scouring the estuaries and bays for these storm-blown
strays, and are often rewarded with seeing Buff-breasted Sandpipers,
Lesser Yellowlegs or Pectoral Sandpipers among the hordes of other migrating waders.
Suggested reading:
Finding Birds in Ireland - The Complete Guide
by Eric Dempsey and Michael O'Clery
ISBN: 9780717139163
Gill & Macmillan
To find out more detail on the bird species you can expect and where to find them the West Kerry Branch of BirdWatch Ireland has published The Dingle Peninsula Bird Report and Birding the Dingle Peninsula.
The latest
Dingle Peninsula Bird Report
The West Kerry Branch of BirdWatch Ireland has published the fourth Dingle Peninsula Bird Report 2008-2010.
Using all the data from surveys and roving records the report gives the status of all the bird species recorded on the peninsula.
The author is Michael O'Clery, whose wildlife art work and professional publications are well known.
Top Irish and British photographers including Eric Dempsey, Anthony McGeehan, Ian Jones and Michael O'Keefe
have contributed stunning illustrations.
Articles describe the branch's
Barn Owl conservation programme, an off-shore survey by Anthony Mc Geehan and an
update on the White-tailed sea eagle project by Allan Mee.
The cost of printing was generously supported by MFG, Brian de Staic, Dingle Benners Hotel,
The Skellig Hotel, Emlagh House, West Kerry News and Bambury and Moriarty's.
The proceeds from sales all go to the support the branch Barn Owl and Kestrel conservation work and survey work.
The Dingle Peninsula Bird Report 2008-10 is on sale at EUR 12.00 in Ventry Post Office;
The Dingle Bookshop, Green Street, Dingle;
and the Castlegregory Information Centre,
Ballyferriter Museum (Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne) and Café Tig Áine in summer.
A brief guide to some top birding spots Birding the Dingle Peninsula
can be downloaded as a PDF document from here
Dingle Peninsula Bird Reports are available by post from
Lucie Hankey,
Monaree, Dingle
Tralee
Co. Kerry
Ireland
Email ldhankey@utvinternet.com
Phone: +353 (0)66 915 9904
Cheques made payable to The West Kerry Branch of BirdWatch Ireland. EUR 14.00
includes P and P Europe and worldwide or via PayPal to Lucie's email.
Also available at Ventry Post Office are 2011 Dingle Tide Timetables
Visit the events page at www.birdwatchireland.ie for details of free birdwatching events.