Knockataggart 6.20am!!!

Yes - it's that time of year again when I get up ridiculously early,  head off beyond Skibbereen and wander remote lanes and mountains trying to identify birdeens! It was still dark when I left the house at 5.20am, the moon and stars were shining brightly and there was ice on the windscreen. It was still pretty dark and misty when I arrived at Knockataggart and perishing. The birds were awake though - it was all going on, mainly wrens, robins and chiffchaffs and other little beige jobs that are hard to identify. The highlight was seeing a kestrel - not recorded on my patch before - and two herons went over head loud and low. It's cattle country and many wandered over expectantly to see what I was up to. It takes about an hour and a half to do the survey and on the way back the humans were springing into action. A man and his daughter cycled by their cocker spaniel barking in front of them, and an old boy ambled across the road to tend to his cows. If they were surprised to see a strange shivering woman in an orange mac lurking with a clipboard they didn't show it.
I stopped off in Ballydehob on the way home for it was high tide and the reflections were amazing.
Our early evening stroll today was to Trá Beag - small strand. Not that small really and full of interesting pebbles and rocks. We sat on one and gazed out to sea and there in front of us, about 50 metres out was an otter! He was busy fishing in the rockpools and hunting in the seaweed. Very special to see and he didn't notice us for some time. Still sitting there, and the first swallow soared overhead. Lovely.