Having been run off my feet for a good month or so it was nice to get away from it all and have a week in the emerald isle. I went over with the wife for some walking, sight seeing, surfing and a bit of birding in between, but nothing too serious. We were staying near the beach in Lahinch, County Clare, with mixed weather, lots of westerly and south westerly winds and bit of sunshine inbetween. Birds of note seen to and from Holyhead/Dublin on ferries, Lahinch and Liscannor, the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Loop Head, Kilbaha and the Bridges of Ross between last Saturday and today (Sunday 31st Oct).

Great Northern Diver 6+ (some still in near summer plumage ) (Lahinch and Bridges of Ross)
Black-throated Diver 15+ (Lahinch and Bridges of Ross)
Manx Shearwater 4 (Irish Sea)
Fulmar (1,000s)
Shag 40+
Common Scoter 70+ (almost forgot, saw lots of these lovely birds too, various locations)
Teal, Wigeon, Shoveller, Tufted Duck, Eider (multiple)
Red-breasted Merganser 20+
Buzzard 3 (all Dublin side)
Merlin 1
Peregrine 3
Snipe (100+, various places, popping up all over the place from your under your feet!)
Golden Plover (1,000s)
Lapwing (1,000s)
Ringed Plover 100s
Curlew 100s
Dunlin 100s
Grey Phalarope (1 adult in winter plumage, Bridges of Ross) (a lifer for me and self found)
Med Gull 3 (Dublin Port area)
Arctic Tern 1 (Kilbaha)
Guillemot 1,000s
Razorbill 100s
Black Guillemot 12
Rock Pipits (100s everywhere on the coast including over 30 on beach rocks in Lahinch most days )
Stonechat 20+
Redwing 20+
Fieldfare 30+
Chiffchaff 3 (Kilbara)
Raven 6
Twite 30+ (The Burren)
Linnet 100s
Snow Bunting (1 Loop Head, 2 Cliffs of Moher)

I didn't visit any of the haunts for the geese or waterfowl, so didn't pick up much in that department, but saw some overhead at distance a few times, but not identified). Also moved a dead otter from the middle of the road one day, such a nice animal and a shame to see it dead, quite a sizable one too .

One sad observation or rather lack of observation was that I saw not a single Chough anywhere, the first time in my life of 33 years that I've not seen them on the west coast and I've been over there almost every year of my life! . I await the new atlas with fear that the bird I grew to love as a lad and always rejoice in seeing playfully spiralling over the cliffs with flightful calls has reduced in numbers in the once thriving western Ireland population!? Maybe I'm wrong and I was just desperately unlucky, but I fear for the worst.

Other than that though I had a cracking time, very relaxing and although not out there birding the hotspots every day I enjoyed the birds I managed to find for myself and would recommend a visit to the west coast to any birder wanting to get away from the crowds Also worth taking your board over as the west coast gets some great waves, had a cracking few hours in the water on Saturday late afternoon/early evening .

-- Edited by Sean Sweeney on Monday 1st of November 2010 10:45:36 AM