Tuesday 22 April 2014

First Evening on Copeland Bird Observatory Island

As you know recently I visited the Bird Observatory Copeland Island for the weekend and in this post I will show you photographs of our boat journey which left Donaghadee at 6.00pm and also of some shots of birds before the light disappeared. There were 11 of us, 7 people were from England and the rest from Northern Ireland.  This is some of the English people as we say goodbye to the Donaghadee Lighthouse.



It was a very cloudy evening although the sea was not rough.





 We passed quite a number of Gulls.


View of Mew Island from the boat.




The light was fading very quickly so I took a couple of shots on landing before setting out to see a little bit of the island before it was dark.



 Both this shots were taken from the only house on the island of Mew Island with its lighthouse.




Further round the cliff were a lot of Lesser Black backed and Herring Gulls that are pairing up to start nesting soon. They were very noisy and I don’t really think they liked my presence!


 Some Oystercatchers in the cliff edge.



 I am showing this view above as this was the distance I was seeing the “shags” and so perhaps you understand with the fading light condition and distance from the sea, how I made the mistake of thinking the birds were Cormorants!  Can you see them?



Looking down from the high cliff I thought I saw 27 Cormorant (as I say in the video) however, on closer inspection they turned out to be 27 Shag.



Fulmar in flight



 Lesser Black backed Gull


Then I found 3 pairs of Fulmar nesting.





This is a ‘”view from the loo”.


The light was now fading very fast and I had to climb up again to the top of the cliff but just before I started the climb I spotted this well that I had never seen before.  Apparently it was where they used to get the fresh water from.  I certainly would not have wanted to carry water up the cliff, it was hard enough getting myself up it!!

You can access the video at

http://youtu.be/Vz4n_is4zVI

If there is a black space below, click it and the video will appear.



I hope you enjoyed this post and instead of showing you an Australian bird tomorrow, I will in show you the Manx Shearwater birds that we saw after dark on the island.

Thank you for visiting. 

Many thanks for your comments on any of my posts.

38 comments:

  1. It looks a great place to spend a few days.

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    1. HI Adrian Yes it is, I think you and your dogs would love it but your could not bring your moterhome! Thanks for comment.

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  2. DANKE Margret
    wundervoll der Bericht und die schönen Bilder

    einen LG vom katerchen

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    1. Vielen Dank für Ihren Kommentar und Iamglad ​​Sie die Post genossen.

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  3. so there was accommodation at the Observatory for you? Look forward to more posts ...I wondered if the site for th e old well might be a fox' lair now?

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    1. Hi Carole. There are no foxes on the island but thanks for comment.

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    2. Hi Carole yes we have a house that can probably house about 16 people, a very large kitchen and a lounge, toilet outside and the other one is down the cliff! No fox is on the island and there is still water in that hole. Thanks for comment.

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  4. The Oyster Catchers are always my favorite, with their big orange beaks and red eyes. They are really a sight to behold. My next favorite is picture 7, the way the fading light is on the water and mountains.

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    1. Hi Ginny. Hope you are well and thanks for comment. Glad you enjoyed the post.

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  5. Wow. Gorgeous - and, as a truly rotten seafarer, I am glad that the trip over was calm.

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  6. I could hear your birds this post just looking at the photos, fabulous shots and what a gorgeous spot!

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    1. Hi Lynn. Yes I love going there and I am glad you like it also. Thanks for comment.

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  7. What a nice weekend getaway! The scenery is beautiful. Pretty gull shots. Enjoy your week!

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  8. Yes it was a getaway and I had another one down at my old caravan last weekend. Peace and quiet, nothing better. Thanks for comment.

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  9. Dearest Margaret;
    Wonderful visit to the Bird Observatory Copeland Island♡♡♡ Oystercatchers is lovely; maybe its long orange beak must for catching fish among the rocks. Thank you very much for sharing gorgeous trip.

    Sending you Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

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  10. Hi. Many thanks for comment and I am glad your enjoyed the post.

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  11. Lovely scenic shots Margaret.

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    1. Hi roy Glad you enjoyed the scenes and thanks for comment.

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  12. I'd love to spend time on that island birdwatching.

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    1. it's a bit to far to come for a weekend for you! Glad you liked and thanks for comment

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  13. Great looking place - reminds of an Island I lived on for six months of the coast of Cork. Island have a special kind of charm.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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    1. HI Stewart What island was that you lived on near Cork? I am not sure I would like to live on this island for 6 months as it does not have many amenities and that stretch of water can be VERY choppy to cross. Thanks for comment.

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  14. Looks like a fantastic place!

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  15. It looks like a wonderful place to go bird watching Margaret? And you can even watch them from the loo!...[;o)

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    1. HI Trevor Never a minute wasted while out bird watching!!! Thanks for comment.

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  16. i love the lichen-covered rocks and cliffs. beautiful gulls, too.

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  17. The boat ride to the island provided you with some beautiful photographic opportunities, and you took full advantage of them. You were able to see quite a bit during your evening walk on the island. I would count myself fortunate if I could see the 27 birds, let alone try to identify them from that distance.

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  18. That must have been a marvelous birding trip Margaret, loved all the photos and video. I'm thinking that boat ride must have been fun too. Thank you :)

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  19. Some lovely and quite dramatic pictures of Copeland there Margaret. it's an island I have yet to visit but I live in hope.

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  20. what great images from your weekend trip... looks like you had a good time... have a great day~

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  21. Late evening is a great time to go birding --but a hard time to see and get good photos. But--you got some great ones. What a beautiful place... I loved the nesting Fulmars. SO beautiful.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  22. What a great location!! Reminds of a setting for one of the adventures in 'The Famous Five'!! Terrific photos. They convey a wonderful mood. The isolation and remoteness of the island. is really appealing.
    Thanks for blogging the pictures and text. Cheers!!

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    1. HI Stephen Ah I remember the Famous Five and the Secret Seven books and loved them and you are right there is a spirit of adventure on the island for me and now I love to let others see it through my photographs. Many thanks for your comment.

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  23. Hi Linda Tex, Naquillity, Betsy, Phil, Denise and George.
    Many thanks for you all for your comments and I am glad you are all enjoying the shots from my time on Copeland.

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  24. Oh, Margaret, where to begin! Such wonderful images from your trip. The sunset shots are gorgeous and the oystercatchers magnificent. Loved the lighthouse images, too. Loved them all.

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  25. Wonderful sky shots, lighthouses--and birds. This is the perfect post, Margaret!

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  26. An amazing series of photos! What a fantastic place! I agree with pattisjarrett ... this is a perfect post!

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