The Breeding Birds of Loughs Conn, Carra, and Mask

The Breeding Birds of Loughs Conn, Carra, and MaskAuthor(s): Robert WarrenSource: The Irish Naturalist, Vol. 4, No. 5 (May, 1895), pp. 117-121Published by: Irish Naturalists' Journal Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25520802 .

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[ II7 ]

THE BREOWING BIRDS OF LOUGHS CONN, CARRA, AND MASK.

BY ROB:ERt WARREN.

(A Report laid before the Royal Irish Academy, 28th May, 1894).

TE- results of some former visits to Lough Conn have

enabled me to ascertain that Wild Ducks and Teal breed on

some of the islands and shores of the lake; and the adult

Shoveller has been seen, and a flapper shot in ERrew bay on the

west side of the lough; and in the summer of I892, mny friend,

Mr. H. Scroope, jun., had a nest and twelve eggs sent him

fromn the same part. A colony of Blackheaded Gulls breed on

the low gravelly island off Errew Bay, and also some Common

Terns: and this summer, Mr. H. Scroope obtained a nest and

eggs of the Common Gull off the same island-the first nest

that I have known of this gull to have been found on Lough

Conn, the nearest breeding station being on Lough-na-Crum

pane, a little bog-lake some eight or ten miles away.

The Common Tern also breeds on the stony shores of some

islands near Cloghans, a favourite breeding haunt of Redshanks. Some Dunlins frequent the boggy shore of the southern end

of the lake near the Pontoon road; while Ringed Plovers are

seen in many of the sandy bays. The Common Sandpiper is to be met on every island, as

well as on the shores of the lake, and some pairs of Hooded

Crows have nests in the low trees on some of the isla-nds.

Formerly the Lesser Blackbacked Gull bred in large

numbers on islands in the lake, but of late years, although

some birds are seen during the summer time, no nests have

been discovered. Redbreasted Mergansers also breed on the islands.

Of the Warblers, only the common species are met-White

throats and Willow Wrens, on the islands, while the Chiff-chaff frequents the woods of Cloghans and others along the shore of the lake.

Having been informed by Mr. W. H. Good, of Westport,

that the Lesser Blackbacked Gull, Common Gull, Common and Arctic Terns bred on Lough Mask, and the Yellow Wagtail on tough Carra, I was anxious to verify the statement, and on the I2th of June, I893, I left Ballina for Ballinrobe, being

A3



IT I The Irish Naturalist.

joined at Claremorris station by my friend, Mr. W. Williams, After arriving at Ballinrobe in the evening, we walked on to

Lough Carra (about two miles from the town), to make some preliminary observations, and see about engaging a boat and

men to go up the lake next morning. On reaching the bridge near the foot of the lake, Mr. Williams hearing the call of a

Yellow Wagtail, and looking round, saw a female bird with

something in her bill sitting on the fence of an oat-field, and shortly after we saw the cock bird standing on a thistle in the oats. They evidently had a nest and young somewhere near, but although we searched carefully all rotund, were unsuc cessful in finding it.

We soon after saw another cock bird whose hen nmust have been hatching, for she did not appear in sight; the three birds haunted the oat-field, and a bit of pastture land that

extended from the lake to the road. Next morning when

walking to our boat, we saw the three birds at the same place, and again in the evening when returning. We rowed up the

lake, visiting several islands, on which we saw Redshanks and

Sandpipers; and on a wooded island, having a dense under -growth of brushwood and weeds, situated under Lakeview, we foaund two Wild Ducks' nests containing six, and nine eggs, and three nests of the Redbreasted Merganser having twelve, eight, and two eggs, those with the larger number being

densely lined with down. the Merganser's nest with the twelve eggs was situated in a dense thicket of Meadowsweet four feet high, and so thick and close, that when the female left

the nest we caught her before she could escape to the water. The nests were easily discovered by the beaten path through the grass and weeds leading from the water.

We next landed on a long low island under Brown Hall, about o50 yards long, with a few bushes on it, and on either

end was a colony of Blackheaded Gulls, having eggs and

you-ng, while on a patch of short grassy turf near the centre

were a lot of Terns having eggs and some young in their

nests. We sat down for some time watching them, and

observing a pair hovering over us, screaming in a shriller tone

than the others; one was shot, and it proved to be an ArcHc

Tern. We found a Wild Duck's nest, and a Water-Hen's, on

the end of the island, the former with eight and the latter

with: ten eggs. Visiting some others we only saw Redshanks



The Breeding Rirds oq Long/i Conn. Carra, antd Mask. i g9

and Common Sandpipers; and then on coming to that upon

which Castle Carra stands, we were disappointed at finding that the Great Cormorants were not breeding on the ruins this

season in conseqluence of a great part of the Ivy covering the

walls having been torn down by the winter's storms. We

however saw some birds resting on the highest part of the

castle.

Continuing our course up the lake we came to a large island

at the head of the lough, under Moore Hall. It was covered

with old timber of a great size, Ash, Oak, Elm, and Scotch Fir,

and in open glades formed by storms cutting lanes through

the wood, were large brakes and thickets of Briars over

growing the fallen trees, and in other parts of the island were

dense copses of Black- axnd White-thorn mixed with Hazel,

which appeared to us to be a perfect paradise for Warblers,

but to our great disappointment we only saw the commoner

ones, Willow Wrens, and Chiff-Chaffs, no trace of Wood Wren,

Blackcap, or Garden Warbler. I may here remark that

although one of the chief objects of our visit was to ascertain

if any of the last-niamed Warblers visited the district, yet,

although we carefully searched the woods of Creagh, tle

magnificent demesne of Colonel Knox, situated on the shores

of tough Mask; Cranmore, that of his brother, near Ballin

robe; and the lovely demesne of Lord Ardilaun at Cong on

the shores of Lough Corrib, and the various wooded islands

on Carra and Mask; we were unsuccessful in either hearing

or seeing these birds, or obtaining any information about them.

Next morning when going to Lough Carra we saw the

Yellow Wagtails in their old haunt, and after going to the

island and securing the Merganser's nest and eggs, we took

our boat under the bridge, and down the canal-like drain that

leads for half a mile to tough Mask, and entered it through a wilderness of rocks and stones. We then rowed across to

the Partry side of the lake where the island upon which the

Lesser Black-backed Gulls bred was situated, just opposite to

the monastery; but on our way we landed on a fiat stony island towards the middle of the lake; we saw some Redshanks

and Sandpipers, but found only one nest with eggs of the

Common Gull. The island frequented by the Lesser Black-backed Gulls is

very rocky, and with long grass between the rocks; there



t2o fhe Msh Naturalist.

are also a few bushes. On landing, we found that the nests

had been lately robbed, upwards of twenty being empty, and a few in which the Gulls had begun to lay again. The nests

were large and substantially constructed of the dried grass left by the floods on the shore of the island, and were

generally placed between the rocks and large stones or near

bushes, and when we were leaving a Merganser rose from her

nest, under a bush, containing ten eggs; and standing on the

extreme end of the stony point, we were surprised at seeing

a Turnstone in the dark-coloured immature plumage of

winter, a strange sight at that time of year, so far from the coast, on an inlanid lake.

A heavy thunderstorm with torrents of rain and high wind coming on drove as from the island, and it was with great

difficulty that we gained the B3allinrobe side of the lake under Creagh, taking shelter within the walls of Grace O'Malley's castle on the island. After the storm passed off the wind continuted so high as to raise such a sea on the lough, that it

put an end to any further explorations that day, and we had

to content ourselves with searching the woods of Creagh for Warblers, but as usual only the commoni ones appeared.

Next day we returned to the lake, and although still blowing hard we ventured on a visit to the Terns' island, taking advan tage of the shelter of Cushlough Island until opposite that of the Terns, to which we had a hard puLll against a head wind and

sea. On landing we found a large colony of Terns hovering overhead, for like the gulls, their nests had been nearly all robbed previous to our visit; we saw a large niumber of

empty nests, but in a few they had beguni to lay again,

several having one and two eggs, and but very few having the

fltl number of three, and only three or four nests with newly hatched young birds. We remained for a long time on the

island watching the birds on the wing, and trying to distinguish between the Arctic and Common Tern, but failing to !do so a

few were shot and found to belong to both species. I took the eggs from two nests, which from their being similar in size, and colour to some brought from the Sovereign Isandsa off.,, Cork Harbour, and being a size smaller than those of

undoubted eggs of the Common Tern taken off the In t 0Riialoe, and from an'island in Lough Comn,, I have no dubtv

oftheir being the eggs of the Arctic Tern.



77ze BEreding Birds of Loughi Co"n, Carra, and Mask. 12r

We took the newly-hatched young fromi one nest, which are

certainly A rtlic Terlns, for on comparing them with young

Commoni Terns of about the same age, we found their tarsi so

much shorter, as to leave no doubt of them being the Arctic

species. I found a n-est containiing atn egg of the Lesser Black-backed Gull, placed under a thick bush, and several

empty ones on other parts of the island, while as usual the

Common Salndpipers were oni the islands; indeed on ever-y

island visited these birds were seen. The wind still blowi-ng too hard for any further explorationi of the lake, we returned

and again spenlt some houLrs in Creagh demiesne on our way to

Ballinrobe. Next Imiorninig being ouir last day, and finding it still too

stormy for the lake, we drlove to Cong to visit Lord Ardilaun's

beautiful demiesnie oni the shores of' Lough Corrib, and searched

the woods anid plantations for the Wood WrVen, Garden

Warbler, and Blackzcap, but after walking for hours, saw

nothling of these bircds, and returned thoroughly disappointed

to Ballinrobe, where after dinnier we set out for a walk to

Lough Carra, to have a last look at the Yellow Wagtails, and

haNTe another search for their inests. We met them in their

old hatnt neear the bridge, but although we remained about

the place unitil dusk, failed, as before, in our search.

Returningn to Ballinrobe, about half a miiile from the lough,

we came to a fir-wood that extended from Creagh demesne to

a bog on the side of the road, and just when passing the wood,

Mr. Williamiis hearing the churr ing of the Nightjar, we stopped

to listen to its cu-rios nlotes; here we remained for a time,

but a nloisy cart passinig alolng the road scared the bird, which

went deeper into the wood where we cotuld scarcely hear him.

It was unfortunate the weather turning out so stormy on

our last three days, for it prevenited a thorough exploration

of Lough Mask, especially the Galway side and the lower end,

where tlhere are a numtiber of islanids. HowevTer I was glad to

have ascertained thlat the range of the Yellow Wagtail and

Nightjar extended so far west, and that neither the Wood

Wren, Garden Warbler, nor Blackcap frequented the woods

of the lake district, at least so far as our observations went,

though of course it is not improbable that all these birds, or

perhaps some of them, may yet be discovered in some part of

that district. A 4



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The Breeding Birds of Loughs Conn, Carra, and Mask