Attention all Irish Sea-watchers

With autumn almost upon us and thoughts turning to whats passing Ireland's coasts, Kerry Leonard has asked for the help of all Irish Sea-watchers. Details are on the Birdguides link below and Kerry has summarised the main points to look out for and record.

http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=2188

Important bit is: We are appealing to all sea-watchers to keep a close eye on any Manx Shearwaters they see, and report any sightings of colour-marked birds to SeaWatch SW (http://www.seawatch-sw.org/contact.html).

We are not releasing details of the colours used, or the extent of the marking, as we don't want to bias the results. However, we request that observers note the following details:

Date, time and location
General weather/viewing conditions
Direction of flight and distance from watchpoint
Number of Manx Shearwaters in group
Colour and extent of marking (be as accurate as possible)
Observer name and email/phone number

Kerry Leonard

This Shearwater is actually a juvenile that has lost its fluffy feathers.

Neville McKee

A raft of Manx Shearwater off the Copeland Islands.

Kerry Leonard
A "Pulli" from the Copeland Islands.