Canoe birding paddle on lough oughter

cavan lakes have lots of shoreline and scrub

Recent paddle on the lakes from carrawtraw got the following bird list.

Sand martins.   ;  Nesting in masonry under Carratraw bridge
House Martin
Swallow
Meadow pipit   ;singing outside center
Pied Wagtail   ; feeding on grass outside center  
4 Hooded crows ; possibly this years young
10 (Approx) Lapwing   ;migratory ( finished breeding elsewhere )
3 young great crested grebes  and two adults
chaffinch
greenfinch
heron  1 young  and1 adult
coot probably about 4
9 mute swans non breeding adults
little grebe
dunnock
reed bunting
sedge warbler
water rail
4 buzzard ; likely to have been newly fledged young and adults.

 

Next Paddle is on 15th  August see ecotrails  

 

 

sand martins nesting in masonry

Three sandmartin nests in holes inside archway (see below)

I had not realised how much sand martins were using buildings to nest in.

Main street Killeshandra ,sand martins nest site

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Killeshandra ,Co. Cavan ,main street the sand martins are nesting under an archway. The other sites I know of , so far are:  under Carratraw bridge, the east face of  Butlers bridge, Rathkenny bridge (face) over the Annalee river and the masonry banks of the Kinnypottle river at Water street, Cavan town. 

 

 

birds eye view of cavan

The sunlight was picking out Trinity Island , the Derries and  the lakes of Lough Oughter as we came down Bruse Hill last Sunday. The far distant hills of  Slieve Beagh and hills of East Fermanagh form the horizon.

The billberry is now in blossom attracting the bumble bees. Also some evidence of mammals  droppings on a wall with lots of small bones inside

bilberry blossom early flowers for bumble bees

sunlight picking out lough oughter

Who left this? fox?

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