Wed 3rd,Jan.2007.  A  Atlantic White Sided Dolphin was washed up this morning on the beach at Buncrana. It was reportedly alive when spotted by workmen on a nearby site, who informed our club member Dermot Mc Laughlin, who together with fellow club member Martin Moloney, and Andrew Speer, of the N. P.& W.S. tried to get the Dolphin back to sea, but regrettably it died a short time later. ( Click thumbnail image at top of page ).

Sat. 6th.Jan.2007. What a beautiful day, a harbinger of Spring, with birdsong echoing through the woods and hedgerows of the peaceful pastoral setting of Bogey. Three Bullfinches, two of which were male, were observed perched on the branches of an old apple tree basking in the warm rays of the sun, while high above a Sparrowhawk was performing an elaborate display of aerobatics to a female much lower down, and skulking in the nearby shrubbery were a few Jays, a little later our attention was drawn to the call of a buzzard, and a pair were soon located circling over the tops of the tall trees which form part of the Bogey House Estate........... Under the expert guidance of club member Dermot Mc Laughlin, who has a intimate knowledge of this region, we were able to record a large flock of approximately Five hundred Greylag Geese, and forty eight Whooper Swans feeding in a lush looking pasture....... As evening approached the reality of the season became evident, with dark clouds casting their lengthening shadows together with a cool breeze approaching from the south west, we wound up our outing with a brief visit to Blanket Nook where we noted large flocks of duck mostly Wigeon, Teal and Mallard, with a few Redshank and fewer Greenshank .

Sat.13th. Jan.2007. After the false dawn of Spring last Saturday, to the grey murkiness of today, with the very high water in Inch Lake being atomized by the gale force wind and the incessant rain, visibility was very much restricted,  adding to the gloom was the absence of birds in any large numbers on the Lake, and the traditional feeding grounds devoid of all bird life which in part may be caused by people as we witnessed to day , a couple walking five unrestrained dogs through the area. Surely it's time some one in authority intervened.........A ray of metaphoric light brightened up our day when we shared our lunch break with a group from the Derry branch of the R.S.P.B. in the company of Richard Smith . With a very brief respite from the rainfall we all headed back to our transport.......... In retrospect we agreed that the outing was enjoyable, and having also been to the Farland Bank, Blanket Nook areas, and observed Whooper and Mute Swans, Greylag Geese, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Lark, Shelduck, Goldeneye, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Great Crested and little Grebe, Sparrows, Goldfinches, Robins, Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Fieldfares, and a Gold crest, watched over by a crafty Sparrowhawk, who would disagree ?

Sun. 14th Jan.2007. The monthly winter count of the Culdaff Estuary by our club was taken today and showed a marked decrease in the number of birds compared with the same period last year............A sighting today of approximately one hundred Barnacle Geese at Quigley's Point confirmed by member Boyd Bryce. This is the first time Barnacle have ever been reported in this area .

Tuesday 16th. Jan. 2007. Our club member in Inch Island Boyd Bryce reported that a young seal was  found near  Ross Cottages at mid day today . The animal looked rather undernourished and distressed as might be expected as the animal was a considerable distance from the sea . Boyd contacted the Wildlife Service who had the seal dispatched to the Dublin Seal Sanctuary, where it's expected to make a full recovery

Sat.20th. Jan.2007. A bright calm morning saw our club members make the first stop  at the parochial hall car park Malin Town where with an ebbing tide good numbers of Teal, Mallard, Wigeon, together with Redshank, Greenshank, and Curlew, were noted, and even greater numbers were observed from the lay-by near Dykes's Corner. Further out the bay, Brent Geese, Red- Breasted Mergansers, and Eider Duck, were added to the list, and as we were about to move on there was an  eruption of birds  including Curlews, Jackdaws, Rooks, Choughs, Oystercatchers, and numerous small birds from the fields near the Prespeterian Church caused by the appearance of a Buzzard over head......... On our approach to the car park at Knockamany the weather took a turn for the worse, and  deteriorate further as we drove to Malin Head,with heavy snow showers that obliterated our view. When the driving conditions became perilous, and with discretion being the better part of valour, we decided to call it a day.

Sat. 27th. Jan. 2007. The weather today did not live up to our expectations, or as predicted by the forecasters, but undaunted we pursued our intent to monitor the number of geese on the peninsula and were rewarded with a recording of a few hundred Barnacle on the Isle of Doagh and later at Glasha we observed just under three hundred Brent, also in the area were Dunlin, Redshank, Eider, Mallard, Wigeon, an estimated thirty Red Breasted Mergansers, Golden Plover, and large flocks of Curlew......At Malin Head the number's of Barnacle were not as we had hoped, which was disappointing, but at Bree we saw a Glaucous gull...... .....The other news of the week was the finding at Ballymoney, south of Inch Island the partially decomposed body of  a Rissos Dolphin which is a offshore Species, and may have been washed into the Lough by the high tides of the past Weeks.

Sat. 3rd. Feb.2007.Our visit to the Eastern side of the Peninsula, saw a sun caressed countryside with the overnight frost retreating to the shaded refuge of north facing hedges and plantations. At the coniferous woodland near the crest of Aught Hill, blackbirds and robins were prominent both in flight and vocal renditions, while good numbers of Brent geese, Oystercatchers, Wigeon, went about their daily routine  on the silvery surface of the Foyle at Quigleys Point. The next stop was at Tullyally Forest, where the mandatory cup of tea and sandwich was consumed, which together with the beautiful day and camaraderie of the fellow enthusiasts  makes you realise how wonderful our hobby of studying wildlife and nature is. Here we recorded five male and one female Bullfinches feeding on unidentified seed heads, it is not often that so many of these birds are seen together. On the other side of the road Blue tits, and Coal tits were picking through the pine cones on nearby trees, and further along perched on a fence post a Buzzard was having a confrontation with a couple of cheeky Jackdaws   ..........Our outing concluded at Inishowen Head with the observation  of Seagulls in their hundreds having a feeding frenzy on some unknown food source in the shallow translucent waters that covered the offshore sand banks. On shore our attention was drawn to the call of Choughs that were then seen performing their aerial artistry, against a blue cloudless sky.