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Rockabill 2015

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    #62
    tisgrand
    Registered Users Posts: 38 ✭tisgrand


    OpenYourEyes wrote: »
    Another blog update, this time about all of the non-seabird marine biodiversity we see on and around Rockabill:


    http://rockabillterns.blogspot.ie/2015/08/plenty-to-see-in-irish-sea.html

    a very interesting thread, thanks for sharing. Isn't that a shanny rather than a goby in that picture though?


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    #63
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    tisgrand wrote: »
    a very interesting thread, thanks for sharing. Isn't that a shanny rather than a goby in that picture though?


    Thanks for that Tisgrand! Never got great views of it, and our knowledge of rockpool biodiversity isn't what it should be, but Shanny looks correct alright.

    Thanks again! :)


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    #64
    tisgrand
    Registered Users Posts: 38 ✭tisgrand


    OpenYourEyes wrote: »
    Thanks for that Tisgrand! Never got great views of it, and our knowledge of rockpool biodiversity isn't what it should be, but Shanny looks correct alright.

    Thanks again! :)

    I'm no expert lol, but that one i know. They are comical little creatures, taking morsels of food and shaking it terrier like. Another curious habit is their ability to haul out of the water much like a mudskipper. Definitely my favourite rockpool dweller


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    #65
    Falconire
    Registered Users Posts: 238 ✭✭Falconire


    Is Rockabill a protected site all year round, so you require a permit to land there.


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    #66
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Falconire wrote: »
    Is Rockabill a protected site all year round, so you require a permit to land there.

    My understanding is that access is rarely permitted to the general public and then strictly only with prior approval of the Irish Lights.

    You can get sea tours going around it though.


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    #67
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    Going to try and do a few blogs over the next two weeks outlining how each species fared on Rockabill this breeding season. First up are Black Guillemots: http://rockabillterns.blogspot.ie/2015/09/black-guillemots-on-rockabill-2015.html


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    #68
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    Our second end-of-season update, this time on our Kittiwake population - fantastic birds!

    http://rockabillterns.blogspot.ie/2015/09/kittiwakes-on-rockabill-2015.html


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    #69
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    Third end-of-season update - Arctic Terns and Oystercatchers - i.e. the blog with all of the really bad news!

    http://rockabillterns.blogspot.ie/2015/09/arctic-terns-and-oystercatchers-on.html


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    #70
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    Our penultimate species update from #Rockabill - the most numerous (and aggressive!) species out there, the Common Terns!

    http://rockabillterns.blogspot.ie/2015/09/common-terns-on-rockabill-2015.html


    Also, we'll be on TV3 tomorrow at 8.30pm on the programme 'Animal Rescue'!


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    #71
    Bonedigger
    Closed Accounts Posts: 608 ✭✭✭Bonedigger


    OpenYourEyes wrote: »

    Also, we'll be on TV3 tomorrow at 8.30pm on the programme 'Animal Rescue'!

    I was watching this evening - Did they get your names mixed up in the programme?!
    Anyway, fair play, you're doing great work there by the looks of it.


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    #72
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    Bonedigger wrote: »
    I was watching this evening - Did they get your names mixed up in the programme?!

    Haha, they did indeed!


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    #73
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    In terms of mix-ups, it could have been worse!

    When they were out with us filming, we had told them about Gull predation as a problem. Later on, Andrew noticed that the cameraman was getting a lot of footage of the Kittiwakes...... so its a good thing we cleared that up at the time, or the Kittiwakes could have gotten a very bad rep!!


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    #74
    V_Moth
    Registered Users Posts: 1,423 ✭✭✭V_Moth


    OpenYourEyes wrote: »
    In terms of mix-ups, it could have been worse!

    When they were out with us filming, we had told them about Gull predation as a problem. Later on, Andrew noticed that the cameraman was getting a lot of footage of the Kittiwakes...... so its a good thing we cleared that up at the time, or the Kittiwakes could have gotten a very bad rep!!

    Killer Kittiwake Konfusion!!


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    #75
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    It was a very good year for Roseate Terns on Rockabill this year, and there was plenty of good news from their other colonies too:

    http://rockabillterns.blogspot.ie/2015/09/roseate-terns-on-rockabill-2015-good.html


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    #76
    Capercaillie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,732 ✭✭✭Capercaillie


    OpenYourEyes wrote: »
    It was a very good year for Roseate Terns on Rockabill this year, and there was plenty of good news from their other colonies too:

    http://rockabillterns.blogspot.ie/2015/09/roseate-terns-on-rockabill-2015-good.html
    Great stuff:) The summer of 2012 was a bad summer, constant rain and cold. That would have surely have affected productivity of the common terns since they don't use nest boxes. The nest boxes would have protected the roseate chicks. Would these cohorts of chicks (roseates/common) have nested this year? If so it could partially explain why roseates are up and the commons are down?


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    #77
    OpenYourEyes
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,068 Mod ✭✭✭✭OpenYourEyes


    Capercaillie wrote: »
    Great stuff:) The summer of 2012 was a bad summer, constant rain and cold. That would have surely have affected productivity of the common terns since they don't use nest boxes. The nest boxes would have protected the roseate chicks. Would these cohorts of chicks (roseates/common) have nested this year? If so it could partially explain why roseates are up and the commons are down?

    Yeah I'd have to look at the respective productivities to be sure, but yeah we'd be expecting a decent number of 2012 birds in the population this year, so I suspect you're bang on with that interpretation!

    Edit: Common Tern productivity was 0.30 in 2012, which was terrible! So yeah, you're dead right!


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