by Dave Suddaby NORTH WEST MAYO Chough Twites Andrew Kelly Tom Cuffe & Mullet peninsula & north Mayo coast 2 Termoncarragh Warblers under cover of darkness. During the autumn, Windswept headlands on the western seaboard have a magical feel. The & Annagh with favourable onshore northwest Mayo coast, which includes the Mullet peninsula, is no Target species: Barnacle winds, Annagh Head can offer exception. Here, extensive machair grasslands, golden sandy beaches, Goose, Lapwing some excellent seawatching. sheltered bays and inlets, cliffscapes and offshore islands provide the visitor with a memorable experience. This spectacular landscape contains an To the west of Belmullet is 3 impressive array of birds throughout the year. Termoncarragh Lake, best Barnacle viewed from the graveyard to possibility of rafting Manx the west of the lake. On Goose 1 Erris Head Skeins of Barnacle Geese can Shearwaters, feeding Gannets and bright mornings the light can be seen flying back and forth Target species: Twite, Chough glimpses of Minke Whale. be against you. During the Situated at the northern tip of the winter, look for feeding from the Inishkea Islands to the Belmullet peninsula from Mullet is the isolated townland of 1 Barnacle Geese along with Glenlara near Erris Head. Driving Twite Whooper Swan, Greenland late autumn until mid-April, over the ‘bog,’ keep a look out for Present on the peninsula White-fronted Geese, when they depart for Merlin in pursuit of Stonechats throughout the year, the small Chough, Rock Dove and Greenland for the summer. and Meadow Pipits. Passing breeding population is confined to Twite. Further to the west is Their favourite feeding areas between the few houses of the heather/bracken cliff-slopes of the BirdWatch Ireland are the flat grasslands around Glenlara, park at the end of the Erris Head. At the car park, singing reserve of Termoncarragh the lake, particularly those en road that looks out into males, feeding adults and family Meadows which is managed route to the graveyard. Broadhaven Bay at Danish Cellar. parties can with patience be seen for breeding Corncrakes, and The area surrounding the car along the fence lines from late to the south is Annagh 4 April through to late August. Lapwing park is the best place to look for Marsh, another BirdWatch From late March, the ‘sky breeding Twite and Chough which reserve. From April to July, dance’ of the males with come here to feed. During the 2 Chough the marsh holds an their distinctive ‘peewit’ song spring months scan the bay for The characteristic piercing assemblage of breeding can be observed over their Great Northern Divers, and ‘chowah’ calls can be heard during waders which can be viewed favourite fields at Annagh as around the car park through the summer as the local breeding from the roadside. A late they display to the arriving summer look for Wheatears, Rock pairs tumble and display overhead evening visit to the marsh in females. From July, moulting Pipits, Rock Doves and Raven. and feed on the short coastal June can provide a surreal adults and fledged chicks Carefully walk out to the grasslands. During autumn, family experience with ‘squealing’ start to gather in their Gubastuckaun headland which parties join together and move to Water Rail, ‘crexing’ wintering flocks. offers good views over the machair grasslands. Corncrake, ‘drumming’ Snipe Broadhaven Bay, with the and ‘reeling’ Grasshopper 8 WINGS WINTER 2006 1 Erris Head North-west Mayo Gubastuckaun Danish Cellar P Broadhaven Bay Glenlara Rossport Sru wa dd ac on B 2 Termoncarragh Lake ay graveyard P Annagh Head Meadows Annagh Marsh Carn Hill BELMULLET Carrowmore Lake Cross Lough R313 Drum Saleem Claggan Harbour Barnacle Geese Area covered (Dick Coombes) by map Elly Bay Mayo R313 3 Blacksod Bay Inishkea Islands Aghleam Bay Nakil Tarmon Surgeview Blacksod Point P Portmore Fallmore 4 0 Distance (kilometres) 5 Map by Cóilín MacLochlainn y h p 3 Blacksod Bay r u M Target species: Great Northern Great Northern Diver N n Diver, Common Scoter h o J Blacksod Bay can be viewed from several points off the R313, with the most productive viewing areas being at Saleen Harbour, Elly Bay, Aghleam Bay and Blacksod Point on the Mullet peninsula, or from Claggan on the east side of the bay. From late September to late April, scan the bay for wintering Great Northern Divers and Common Scoters, along with Slavonian Grebes, Red-breasted Mergansers and Pale-bellied Brent Geese. The beaches also provide favourite feeding and/or roosting areas for Oystercatchers, Golden 5 Great Northern Diver 6 Common Scoter Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwits, Up to 50 birds winter in the bay, with numbers Birds start arriving to moult from July onwards Redshanks, Sanderling and Dunlin, during late April swelling to a maximum of 150 and increase to up to 800 birds for the winter. amongst others. During the summer, birds, many in full summer plumage as they During February, courtship displays start in Little and Sandwich Terns can be seen migrate north to their breeding grounds. On earnest with the males chasing each other feeding in the bay and these can calm spring days their wailing song can be incessantly. attract summering Arctic Skuas. heard as they pair-bond. WINGS WINTER 2006 9 …in Northwest Mayo Tree Sparrow Courting Kittiwakes Christopher J Wilson Mike Brown 4 Fallmore 5 Downpatrick Head Dún Briste 5 Downpatrick Head Target species: Corncrake, Tree Sparrow Target species: Kittiwake, Guillemot P Killa Situated at the southern tip of the Mullet A spectacular headland, alive with the la Ba peninsula are the townlands of Fallmore, characteristic ‘buzz’ of a seabird colony y Portmore, Nakil and Surgeview. Passing during the summer months, Downpatrick through Fallmore, drive to the car park Head is located approximately 5km north seawatch just past the graveyard. of Ballycastle off the R314 along the north point From the car park, walking back to Mayo coast. May Kilcummin Fallmore brings you past the best area to Park at the end of the road and look for R o Way 314 look for Tree Sparrows, while a late feeding Choughs, Ringed Plovers, Wheatears Ballycastle evening walk in May or June anywhere in and Rock Pipits. Walk carefully up to the this area provides some of the best cliff edge and view the ‘seabird city’ with opportunities for hearing singing the impressive Dún Briste stack just Corncrakes. Walking along the beach, offshore. The cliff offers excellent views Ringed Plovers, Wheatears and Rock during the summer of breeding Fulmars, K il Pipits can be seen feeding along the tide Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills, while la la edge, and Black Guillemots and terns can offshore there can be loitering Great Skuas, ‡ be seen feeding offshore. During the passing Manx Shearwaters, Sandwich Terns winter, Purple Sandpipers feed and roost and Puffins. During the autumn, with Downpatrick Head is situated on the north Mayo coast amongst the seaweed-draped rocks. favourable onshore winds, this and the near Ballycastle, 40km east of Erris Head. nearby headlands at Kilcummin can offer e some excellent seawatching with shearwaters, n 7 n Corncrake u petrels and skuas passing close inshore. D e The distinctive rasping ‘crex crex’ song of i d d the Corncrake is most frequently heard E from the meadow grasslands around 9 Kittiwake Fallmore, Nakil and Surgeview. Other Up to 1,000 pairs nest on the cliff ledges. June is areas on the peninsula to listen for it a particularly busy time as the adults constantly include Carn Hill, Drum, Annagh and fly back and forth bringing food for their chicks. Termoncarragh. Occasionally they can be At this time their characteristic ‘kitt-i-waake heard singing during the day, at which kitt-i-waake’ call fills the air. By late July the time they are occasionally seen. colony becomes quiet as the year’s young fledge. 8 Tree Sparrow 10 Guillemot The Mullet’s small isolated breeding Guillemots are the ‘penguins of the northern population is confined to the old hemisphere.’ They are tightly packed onto the outbuildings of Fallmore, Nakil and ledges during the summer as they incubate their Surgeview. During the spring the males pear-shaped eggs standing up. Before fully grown sing from the gable ends of these and encouraged by the adult, the chicks leap into buildings and from late July they form the sea on calm June nights. Look closely for the Corncrake communal roosts in the trees at Tarmon. bridled form. 10 WINGS WINTER 2006.