less common birds

Isambard

Would someone like to hazzard a list of the birds that aren't too common but which novices like me might come across.?

I'm not talking about real rarities here.

DellyBelly

I would say the following aren't scare but can wouldn't be seen everyday unless you were in the right places

Jay
Crossbill
Treecreeper
Siskin
Redpoll
Dipper
Reed Bunting
Grasshopper Warbler

There are loads more but that is just a sample I think

Isambard

I have glimpsed a Treecreeper locally, Siskin and Redpoll were frequent visitors last summer and Dippers can be found locally too. The rest I have not seen at all, so I'd say your list is pretty good. Any more anyone?

TedR

You could try for Black Redstart around the base of the pier in Dun Laoire, would be a nice 'tick'

dodderangler

Sparrows are a rare ould bird now. Can't remember when I last seen one.

magicbastarder

we get loads in our garden - most common bird in it.

OpenYourEyes

Isambard wrote: »

Would someone like to hazzard a list of the birds that aren't too common but which novices like me might come across.?

I'm not talking about real rarities here.

Wherabouts in the country are you based, and what type of habitats do you find yourself in?

If you havn't got a bird book already I'd recommend something like 'The Birds of Ireland' by Jim Wilson and Mark Carmody. Several clear photos of each bird on each page, and it doesn't bother with the rarities - just the 'Irish' birds you're likely to come across.

magicbastarder

if you want to see a jay, find some oak woodland nearby - if there is any nearby - and have a look.

Isambard

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Wherabouts in the country are you based, and what type of habitats do you find yourself in?

If you havn't got a bird book already I'd recommend something like 'The Birds of Ireland' by Jim Wilson and Mark Carmody. Several clear photos of each bird on each page, and it doesn't bother with the rarities - just the 'Irish' birds you're likely to come across.

I'm in Cork but quite happy to travel. I have a book similar to that, could be that one, don't have it to hand at the moment to check.

Oakwoods, probably somewhere like Killarney I guess would be good. Next on my list. Struggling to find good locations.

Del.Monte

If you're in Cork you should put Cape Clear on your list: http://www.capeclearisland.ie/birdObservatory - great place for a pint too!

How about Choughs? A trip to West Clare could be worthwhile. Lots of sites mentioned here:

http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Birdwatching/WheretoWatch/tabid/392/Default.aspx

magicbastarder

there's oakwoods in glengarriff.

Isambard

the Martin River valley near Blarney has been suggested. I've already sussed the Crosshaven and Cobh areas, also Tralee(Blennerville)

Inland, I visited Lough Gur which was a lot quieter than their website would leave you believe and Doneraille Wildlfie Park which had little or no wildlife.

I'm really looking for places for a nice stroll, half an hour or so, where I might manage a little photography.

Del.Monte

Ah now you're moving the goal posts a bit, and you can't really drop in somewhere for a half an hour and expect to spot something uncommon - unless you visit the Zoo or the Natural History Museum.

diomed

I couple of years ago I arrived at Citywest hotel for a poker tournament. As I walked from the carpark towards the main door I saw a treecreeper(s) on a tree beside the hotel road. First and last time I've seen one.

Isambard

Del.Monte wrote: »

Ah now you're moving the goal posts a bit, and you can't really drop in somewhere for a half an hour and expect to spot something uncommon - unless you visit the Zoo or the Natural History Museum.

I'm not looking for locations to see uncommon birds per say. The post had moved on to good locations, but originally I was asking to have an idea if a bird I might see is out of the ordinary.

gzoladz

Goldcrest. It has a distinctive call too. Siskin, kestrel, buzzard, peregrine, red kite, snipe, sparrowhawk, redwing, fieldfare, kingfisher, waterrail, yellowhammer, stonechat.

These have different levels of difficulty and although many are somewhat common, you are unlikely to see them if you are not looking for them or paying attention.

My first book was Ireland garden birds, by Jim Wilson and Oran O'Sullivan, and what stroke me was the number of relative common species around us that I didn't even know they existed!

I started looking for those.

Edit: Finding birds in Ireland, by Eric Dempsey is very good for locations, and what you are likely to find in them.

gzoladz

Aahhh of you are near a lake or sea, great created greebe, little greebe, teal, wigeon, pochard, shoveler, great northern diver.

Near the coast, chough, ring ozuel.

And always look up, you never know when a sea eagle may appear!

Elemonator

You don't see puffins very often.

Isambard

it's quite surprising how many of the birds listed I have actually seen! for instance , I think this is a Stonechat.



I have a problem with bird books and the net in that they give no idea of scale. It would be a good idea if comparative size were given...related to the size of very common birds.

gzoladz

Most field guides give you bird size or wingspan in cm. What you can do is to check the measurement of the birds you are familiar with and use that as baseline or benchmark, if that makes sense.

Example - from the Collins guide

Magpie 45/50 cm
Robin 13/14cm

You can then derive pretty accurately the size of:

Jay 33/35cm
Fieldfare 24/26cm

Edit: I do agree that even following the above, the first time I see a good it is usually a bird it is a good bit bigger or smaller than I had thought. There is a stuffed male sparrowhawk in the Phoenix Park visitor centre and I could not believe how small it was the first time I saw it.

Del.Monte

The Observer's Book of Birds (1968 edition) - sizes in real money - does it for me. Handy for your pocket too.

diomed

Isambard wrote: »

I have a problem with bird books and the net in that they give no idea of scale. It would be a good idea if comparative size were given...related to the size of very common birds.

Good idea. I would prefer a picture, or silhouette of a common bird beside the image, preferably a blackbird. Saying a bird is 8 cms is not helpful to me.

OpenYourEyes

Comparing to a Blackbird is all well and good until you're dealing with non-garden-bird species, or until someone who is more familiar with Robins complains about how they should be compared with Robins rather than Blackbirds!

A lot of bird books will say if a bird is big or small relative to other species in the same group (e.g. a big thrush, a medium-sized gull, a small wader). Your identification isn't going to be clinched on a centimetre or two in the difference anyway! Like Gzoladz said, you can refer back to the size of a species you're familiar with and get a good idea of the size of other species! It's easier to turn a page or two than have Blackbird shadows on every page of the book!

OpenYourEyes

Just got my hands on a bird book by Peter Hayman and Rob Hume that includes a small box on each page with a picture comparing the bird in question to the size of a pigeon. It's a large hardbook book, so not a field guide, but some might find it useful!