9th April

I was on tory for the day yesterday with Gerard Murray. The easterly winds continue but a good day with fine weather and a ferry/island total of about 55 species. The best birds  were a single flighty Lapland Bunting with some Meadow Pipits and two candidate Northern borealis Eiders in the harbour. At Magharoarty we had a first winter (Kumlien's)Iceland Gull.

 Sandwich Tern

Reasonable numbers of birds on the crossing from Bunbeg including 2 Sandwich Terns, Great Northern and Red-throated Divers, 2 Puffins and 80 Razorbill. 65 Manx Shearwater were feeding midway between Tory and Bloody Foreland.

Common Gull

There were good numbers of Common and Great black-backed Gulls (80 of each) around the harbour and at the lake. Other birds included 2 Purple Sandpiper in the harbour and 3 Teal near the lighthouse along with a single Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan (foreground)

There are still a good numbers of migrants around with at least 5 Chiffchaff, 7 Robins, 4 Goldfinch and 1 Dunnock  present. 9 Redwing and a few Song Thrush and Blackbirds were also evident.

Redwing

A single Merlin was in the harbour along with a pair of Peregrine. Breeding birds were much in evidence with several singing Skylark, Wren and up to 90 Wheatear present.

Wren

Skylark

Wheatear

 We got the 4pm ferry back to Magharoarty. There were 12 Eider in the harbour and I managed a few photos as we passed. One of the males had an orangy bill and one of the females appeared to have sails.

Candidate Borealis Eider

On the homeward leg we had 80 Barnacle Geese on one of the other islands and the other good birds were 10 Black Guillemots and a 1st winter Iceland Gull in the harbour.

Kumlien's Gull

Kumlien's Gull

1st Week of April; Anton Meenan

I rang Anton today to see what was around as I am making my first visit of the year tomorrow with Gerard Murray.

 According to Anton passerine numbers are well up with good numbers of Blackbirds (10-20 last week) and 2-3 Fieldfare. 5 Redwing seem to have wintered.One Song Thrush has been present in the garden for about a month.  Also 2 Chiffchaff and 2 Reed Bunting present yesterday. He had nine grey geese flying north yesterday and 4-5 Whooper Swans on the east end lake last month.

Kumlien's Gull ;30th March

A report of a first winter Kumlien's Gull, Merlin,Wheatear, 3 Purple Sandpipers and 5 Manx Shearwaters from Tory on 30th March (A.McMillan and M.Boyle) per Irish Birding.

It would appear that Kumlien's Gull is new for Tory.

 Manx Shearwater and Wheatear are new for the year

7th March; Chris Ingram

I recieved an e mail from Chris Ingram who was on Tory yesterday. He reported the following;

Went to Tory yesterday, here is the list:

Red-throated Diver 1 on crossing
Gannet
Fulmar 1 on crossing
Cormorant
Shag
Mute Swan 2 on east lake, 2 on west lake
Whooper Swan 2 on east lake
Greylag 5 in east end - these are some of the 7 geese that Anton mentioned.
Mallard
Wigeon 2 on west lake
Teal male on west lake
Eider 14+ offshore
Sparrowhawk 1 female which has eaten Anton's resident blackbird!
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Lapwing 6+ with birds displaying
Turnstone
Redshank
Curlew
Snipe 2
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black Back
Lesser Black Back
Iceland Gull 1- 1st winter
Rock Pipit
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Wren
Stonechat 1 male on lighthouse road
Starling
Chough
Raven
Hooded Crow

34 Species

Regards Chris

Stonechat is new and was not recorded in 2011 and 2012 on Tory. It was a scarce migrant between 1959 and 1964 -the last time there was a Tory island bird report.

Chris Ingram; 14th February

I had an  email from Chris who was on Tory for the day on the 14th February;

"I went to Tory yesterday.  The sea was very rough but nothing was seen except a few Gannets and Kittiwakes, and single Fulmar and Guillemot.  There were 12 Tree Sparrows, 2 Blackbirds and a Redwing in Anton's garden and a Chiffchaff around the Generator building.  In the harbour were c.15 Purple Sandpipers and c.20 Eiders with another flock of c.30 offshore.  On the lake was a Whooper Swan and 2 Mute Swans.  Also a 1st year Iceland Gull on the beach.

Anton told me that single Chiffchaffs have wintered in the graveyard (presumably the one I saw) and in Grace's garden.  He says there have been 2 Glaucous Gulls around and a flock of geese he can't identify in the East End.  Apart from that, nothing else much."

The 2012 Tory Bird Report will also come in a printed form. Contact Chris Ingram if your interested in buying a copy. All proceeds will go to charity.

chrisingram43@hotmail.com

2012 Tory Island Bird report

Available here along with the 2011 report

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=2658464#post2658464