Saturday 6th. January 2018. Out first club outing for 2018 was an exceptional event, greatly appreciated by all members, with it's continuoues bright sunshine that alleviated the effect of a cool north-easterly breeze. The overall atmosphere suggested the the great festival of Spring was preparing it's entrance in the not too distant future. ..... This lovely day of excesses began in the area known as the Big Isle, near Manorcunningham, where the underfoot conditions were to say the least a bit on the sodden side due to the heavy rains of the past while, and the low draining and flat layout of the region. But the display's of the massive flocks of birds soon overcame the underfoot problem. ........... With an estimate of over one thousand White Fronted Geese recorded, and the many hundreds of Greylag and Brent, and flocks of Lapwing displayed their shimmering flight in the bright morning light, while great numbers of Golden Plover added to the enjoyment. ...... On the heavily berry laden hedges and bushes Redwing, Fieldfare and Blackbird gorged on the bonanza of ripe fruits, among the smaller birds were the prominent colours of the male bullfinch. Also spotted was a peregrine, feasting on what appeared to be it's kill of a Golden Plover. ...... It was our intention to explore more of this amazing place, bur someone suggested we should have a look at the Glossy Ibis discovered a few days ago by our member Brian in the Lifford area, which we duly did, and to our delight, like any celebrity it presented itself for a photo shoot. ..... After our fortifying tea and the usual tit-bits, we made a few more stops along the banks of the Foyle. A highlight at the last stop before setting off home was to note twenty Golden eye, and record the sixteen Buzzard seen through our most enjoyable day. |
