Our Summer Visitors

OldRio

Working on the farm this morning and stopped for a mug of tea. Looked up and our first swallow of the year. Makes you feel good.
Co. Leitrim.

vistafinder

1 Swallow passed over on Thursday.

A nice few Willow Warbler's singing this evening.

Plenty of bumble bees on the tips of the willow tree's collecting pollen.

And a bit of heat off the sun today.

Del.Monte

A couple of Martins - viewed a long way off - here today. Spring has finally sprung - hopefully.

Birdnuts

Everything very late - only had Chiffchaffs late last week while had first Swallow 2day

recedite

vistafinder wrote: »

1 Swallow passed over on Thursday.

A nice few Willow Warbler's singing this evening.

Plenty of bumble bees on the tips of the willow tree's collecting pollen.

And a bit of heat off the sun today.

Is this a Haiku poem?
You're a poet, even if you don't know it!

whyulittle

Heard and saw my first Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs of the season today, yay!

vistafinder

Chiffchaff here too yesterday.

Might have another poem by the end of the week at this rate.

Half-cocked

Have had a Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler visiting the bottom of the garden for the last 2 weeks. I just can't tell which it is and it won't sing for me to identify itself.

Bsal

Spotted a couple of swallows in Swords on Monday morning

magicbastarder

the hedgehogs in the garden decided to wake up this week.

Graces7

Looking forward to this my first summer here on an Atlantic island . Already the seals are back from deep fishing waters, following the ferry to watch us. A friend is sending me binoculars

Seen puffins and shags ..lark going utterly rapturous

wexandproud

hadn't seen either swallow or terns up to the first of April , was away for a week then . Lots of terns have arrived around the kilmore and wexford harbour in that week , still no sign of a swallow
saw a pair of sea eagles while away , thrilled with that

OpenYourEyes

A few Swallows in Roscommon over the weekend too!

magicbastarder

Again, not a visitor per se, but we're standing on the bank of the nore directly below kilkenny castle and there are bats hunting overhead. First I've seen this year.

magicbastarder

Heh. 30 seconds after I posted that, my wife spotted what was the first of two otters swimming down the river.

Del.Monte

The Sand Martins are back today inspecting their stone wall nest site. They managed two broods last year so here's hoping! I really must try to get some better footage this time.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=103793561&postcount=295

Tiercel Dave

Thought I might have vaguely sensed a Cuckoo in the distance yesterday but definitely heard him this morning! East Galway

OldRio

Heard the cuckoo this morning. Loud and very proud. And he's brought something with him. Sunshine.:-)
Leitrim.

Graces7

Will miss the cuckoo; I get the impression we will not get cuckoos, swallows etc out here?

Tiercel Dave

Graces7 wrote: »

Will miss the cuckoo; I get the impression we will not get cuckoos, swallows etc out here?

Whereabouts are ya Graces?.....

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Not a sign of any summer migrants here in the North East. Swallows usually arrive between 1st and 6th April and the latest I have in my records was 20th April.

whyulittle

First Swallows and Sand Martins here today.

ThunderCat

Katie Hundreds Gladiator wrote: »

Not a sign of any summer migrants here in the North East. Swallows usually arrive between 1st and 6th April and the latest I have in my records was 20th April.

We have Swallows here just south of Drogheda so depending on how far North in the North East you are it shouldn't be long before you see one.

Graces7

Tiercel Dave wrote: »

Whereabouts are ya Graces?.....

Offshore island West Mayo. Very exposed

Yester

Just spotted the first one arriving. Deligted to see it (tempered by the fact that my shed will soon be covered in ****e again)

pawrick

My first swallow arrived back to my shed about 2 weeks ago near Athlone, still no sign of any others yet. They performed really well last year rearing two broods in my shed.

vistafinder

Heard the Cuckoo twice today from two different directions but not at the same time so hopefully there are at least 2 around.

Happy out now. Always worry that that beautiful sound will vanish from our countryside.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

It has now set a new 39 year record for the late arrival swallows here. I have yet to see one.

DBB

Katie Hundreds Gladiator wrote: »

It has now set a new 39 year record for the late arrival swallows here. I have yet to see one.

I've been gazing at the sky for several weeks, wondering where on earth they could be here in North Offaly. An hour ago, a pair landed on the phone line outside my sitting room window! Delighted... Summer is finally here too!
Heard the first chiffchaff earlier this week, and keeping an ear out for the cuckoo.

griffin100

Firat swallow of the year here in Carlow today. Also had first sighting of a bat over the weekend. Won't be long until my house is mobbed by both depending on the time of day

pawrick

pawrick wrote: »

My first swallow arrived back to my shed about 2 weeks ago near Athlone, still no sign of any others yet. They performed really well last year rearing two broods in my shed.

2 more appeared in the garden yesterday. Only one in my shed at night however when i checked.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Finally a swallow. 25th April!

The_Outsider

Our first one has arrived, at last !
Doing laps of the house and fields this morning.
All on it's lonesome though.... odd
great to have them back

jones 19

Heard the cuckoo on Wednesday. Lovely sound from an amazing bird.

Graces7

Heard the faintest echo of a cuckoo early today, probably drifting across the ocean from the mainland. We shall see.

Definitely a cuckoo this morning and getting nearer. Very mobile.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Grasshopper Warbler calling constantly in front of the house this evening.

Snowc

Spotted which I think are two cuckoo s under my bird feeder today but flew off before I could get a picture and landed on a telephone line and made a cuckoo sound but sounded a bit different than normal but I'm gone slightly deaf so hopefully will show again tommorow so I can get a picture, I am delighted anyways

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Snowc wrote: »

Spotted which I think are two cuckoo s under my bird feeder today but flew off before I could get a picture and landed on a telephone line and made a cuckoo sound but sounded a bit different than normal but I'm gone slightly deaf so hopefully will show again tommorow so I can get a picture, I am delighted anyways

I'd love to see the photo. I've only ever seen them singly. Naturally they pair up for breeding but I've only seen them singly myself.
Had a male in the garden in 2016.

New Home

I was having a "chat" with one that was perched on my neighbours' aerial, this afternoon. Yes, I'll admit it, I'm LITERALLY for the birds.

Graces7

Graces7 wrote: »

Heard the faintest echo of a cuckoo early today, probably drifting across the ocean from the mainland. We shall see.


Definitely a cuckoo this morning and getting nearer. Very mobile

DBB

Cuckoo calling a few moments ago in north Offaly! Didn't hear any here last year, this one chose a beautiful morning to reveal itself

Pretzill

jones 19 wrote: »

Heard the cuckoo on Wednesday. Lovely sound from an amazing bird.

Heard him yesterday for the first time this year.

Pretzill

There are three swallows here they look to be very happy in each others company - at first I thought it might that one of two pairs didn't make it back but now I think it might be a male courting two females - do they do that?

Day Lewin

I haven't yet, but look forwards to hearing it soon, in the rural location where we often visit and the cuckoos always call. Near, far, the quintessential sound of early summe.:
Hoping, too, for the rare sight of the male cuckoo, flitting swiftly, low from hedge to hedge.

Graces7

And early today saw two swallows having an aerial ball overhead.. There is a big open boatshed near by so maybe that is where they are headed. I have opened the shed door here just in case...

OpenYourEyes

Had my first Swift on Great Saltee island over the weekend. Large numbers of Willow Warblers moving through, and smaller numbers of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, with two Garden Warblers, a Whitethroat and a Reed Warbler too. One of the Blackcaps had a French ring on it, so I'll be interested to hear where it was originally ringed. Two of the Willow Warblers had BTO rings too, likely to have been ringed at the same site (not Great Saltee though).

Graces7

Nearly got a black eye when as I was going outside, a small bird erupted from inside the stone wall of the old cowshed opposite. Second time this week and I have a vague memory of this when i arrived here last September .The place was empty for 5 years. Wondering what? was too fast and alarmed

Graces7

Day Lewin wrote: »

I haven't yet, but look forwards to hearing it soon, in the rural location where we often visit and the cuckoos always call. Near, far, the quintessential sound of early summe.:
Hoping, too, for the rare sight of the male cuckoo, flitting swiftly, low from hedge to hedge.

One place I lived, in Leitrim, the cuckoo used to fly past where I was sitting. I was amazed to see him being attacked by a crowd of smaller birds more than once.

vistafinder

Grasshopper Warbler here too yesterday.

whyulittle

First Swifts of the season here today.

Del.Monte

Thought I heard one this afternoon and checking my post on their arrival here last year https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=103423345&postcount=397 it was on the 5th May.

Summer is really here at last.