Cranes

grassroot1

How rare are sightings of cranes in Ireland?

Del.Monte

The Common Crane is uncommon in Ireland - for recent sightings see here: http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Cranes are very rare but people often, mistakenly, refer to Herons as cranes.

grassroot1

Fairly sure I saw one this evening in Wexford

grassroot1

First I thought it was a heron ,but it as it was gliding in thought it might be an egret as it was whitish but the head was black/dark. My dog ran over to where it was and as it took off it called high pitched not unlike a Canada goose but neither a goose or a heron call. When I got home checked and the Eurasian Crane does seem a good likeness.

Capercaillie

grassroot1 wrote: »

First I thought it was a heron ,but it as it was gliding in thought it might be an egret as it was whitish but the head was black/dark. My dog ran over to where it was and as it took off it called high pitched not unlike a Canada goose but neither a goose or a heron call. When I got home checked and the Eurasian Crane does seem a good likeness.

Wrong time of year for migrant crane. Wexford well covered by birdwatcher (by Irish standards) and no reports of any in Wexford.

grassroot1

Saw him again this evening too dark for a good look. I will ring some of the wardens in the wildfowl reserve tomorrow.

Capercaillie

grassroot1 wrote: »

Saw him again this evening too dark for a good look. I will ring some of the wardens in the wildfowl reserve tomorrow.

Where did you see the bird?

allthedoyles

Is this a crane or a heron ?

grassroot1

heron

grassroot1

Capercaillie wrote: »

Where did you see the bird?

Kilmuckridge area

Bonedigger

I'm utterly convinced I saw a small flock of four or five in number fly over the Curragh one evening in June, 2014. I was standing in a conifer plantation trying to photograph young Long-eared Owls which had just fledged when I heard the whoosh of wings above my head, and unusual calls I'd not heard before. Looking up I saw four or five large birds flying quite low in close formation through a gap in the canopy above; the shape (necks extended fully with long trailing legs) and their size convinced me they were Cranes and definitely not Herons, Swans, Geese or any other large birds. It was one of those caught in the headlight type moments, and happened all too quick for me to get a photograph; I remember thinking "what the hell were they?!" I thought it curious too that they were flying in a westerly direction inland, but there have been sightings of Eurasian/Common Crane in the boglands of Offaly over the years (a booklet released by Lough Boora Parklands suggests they're seen occasionally there, and yet there are no such records on Irish Birding). I know Boora is Whyulittle's local patch, so maybe W may know if this is true or not? It begs the question, if the birds I observed were not Common Crane then what other species of bird were they likely to be? If they were Cranes is it likely they could have escaped the attention of other birdwatchers? The images I've attached below are very reminiscent of what I observed.

Grassroot1 clearly knows what a Heron looks like, so if it's not a Heron then it can't be anything other than a Common Crane surely? I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility that it's a vagrant Crane because sightings have been recorded in Wexford around December in recent years: http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web?task=BasicBirdSightingSearch&offset=50&orderby=latestfirst&keywords=crane

We need photos grassroot1!

Capercaillie

Bonedigger wrote: »

I'm utterly convinced I saw a small flock of four or five in number fly over the Curragh one evening in June, 2014. I was standing in a conifer plantation trying to photograph young Long-eared Owls which had just fledged when I heard the whoosh of wings above my head, and unusual calls I'd not heard before. Looking up I saw four or five large birds flying quite low in close formation through a gap in the canopy above; the shape (necks extended fully with long trailing legs) and their size convinced me they were Cranes and definitely not Herons, Swans, Geese or any other large birds. It was one of those caught in the headlight type moments, and happened all too quick for me to get a photograph; I remember thinking "what the hell were they?!" I thought it curious too that they were flying in a westerly direction inland, but there have been sightings of Eurasian/Common Crane in the boglands of Offaly over the years (a booklet released by Lough Boora Parklands suggests they're seen occasionally there, and yet there are no such records on Irish Birding). I know Boora is Whyulittle's local patch, so maybe W may know if this is true or not? It begs the question, if the birds I observed were not Common Crane then what other species of bird were they likely to be? If they were Cranes is it likely they could have escaped the attention of other birdwatchers? The images I've attached below are very reminiscent of what I observed.

Grassroot1 clearly knows what a Heron looks like, so if it's not a Heron then it can't be anything other than a Common Crane surely? I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility that it's a vagrant Crane because sightings have been recorded in Wexford around December in recent years: http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web?task=BasicBirdSightingSearch&offset=50&orderby=latestfirst&keywords=crane

We need photos grassroot1!

The cranes in Tacumshin spent the winter in 2013. It might well be a crane though unlikely. Cranes have explosive calls far louder than other birds of similar size.

whyulittle

It's not a species I've ever seen or heard of there, but that doesn't mean a whole lot.

What's the booklet btw?

Bonedigger

whyulittle wrote: »

It's not a species I've ever seen or heard of there, but that doesn't mean a whole lot.

What's the booklet btw?

Sorry Whyulittle, I got it wrong! It was not in a booklet or article released by Boora Parklands, but in this attached pdf: https://www.engineersireland.ie/EngineersIreland/media/SiteMedia/groups/regions/west-region/10b-David-Fallon-Sustainable-Peatlands-slides-35-68.pdf?ext=.pdf
Re-reading it again, it looks like only one vagrant was spotted there in the past.
Little Brosna Callows in Offaly has had visits from Common Crane in recent years too it would seem: http://www.offalytourism.com/businessdirectory/little-brosna-ashtona-s-callows

Birdnuts

Bonedigger wrote: »

I'm utterly convinced I saw a small flock of four or five in number fly over the Curragh one evening in June, 2014. I was standing in a conifer plantation trying to photograph young Long-eared Owls which had just fledged when I heard the whoosh of wings above my head, and unusual calls I'd not heard before. Looking up I saw four or five large birds flying quite low in close formation through a gap in the canopy above; the shape (necks extended fully with long trailing legs) and their size convinced me they were Cranes and definitely not Herons, Swans, Geese or any other large birds. It was one of those caught in the headlight type moments, and happened all too quick for me to get a photograph; I remember thinking "what the hell were they?!" I thought it curious too that they were flying in a westerly direction inland, but there have been sightings of Eurasian/Common Crane in the boglands of Offaly over the years (a booklet released by Lough Boora Parklands suggests they're seen occasionally there, and yet there are no such records on Irish Birding). I know Boora is Whyulittle's local patch, so maybe W may know if this is true or not? It begs the question, if the birds I observed were not Common Crane then what other species of bird were they likely to be? If they were Cranes is it likely they could have escaped the attention of other birdwatchers? The images I've attached below are very reminiscent of what I observed.

Grassroot1 clearly knows what a Heron looks like, so if it's not a Heron then it can't be anything other than a Common Crane surely? I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility that it's a vagrant Crane because sightings have been recorded in Wexford around December in recent years: http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web?task=BasicBirdSightingSearch&offset=50&orderby=latestfirst&keywords=crane

We need photos grassroot1!

Interesting that. Loran O Toole of GET fame is doing a major historical study of Cranes and told me at a conference 2 years ago that the Irish name for the Curragh refers to Cranes.

savagethegoat

I imagine there is a chance that at least some sightings are people reporting Herons as Cranes.

In my local Town, Herons are often, nay usually, referred to as Cranes and many are the arguments I've had over it! However, they have got hold of the name Crane from somewhere , leading me to suspect that Cranes must once have been more common locally.

That profile flying over would be unmistakable though, even to a newbie like me.