After a break of three years, the West Cork Branch of Birdwatch Ireland will once again hold its annual dawn to dusk bird race on Sunday, January 29. Teams of four will spend the day driving around an area of West Cork trying to record as many bird species as possible. This is always an exciting and enjoyable day, with the potential to record more than one hundred species of bird.
The race area stretches from Ring Pier in the east to Rosscarbery Pier in the west and all south of the R600 and the N71. It is open to everyone, from the very experienced birder to the very inexperienced, and all have an opportunity to win the coveted trophy! All-in-all this is a fun day out and a great opportunity to see lots of bird species and get familiar with one of the best birdwatching locations in the whole country.
If you are interested in taking part in the Bird Race, please register your team by email or text/WhatsApp to Nicholas Mitchell (details below) or on the morning of the race before 8:15am at the starting point. Registering your team beforehand will help greatly with catering after the event. For those who do not have a team of four, but want to take part, register your name and the Branch will try to put you with a team.
Race entry is €10 per person. This includes finger food in O’Donovan’s after the Race and any surplus will be donated directly to Cape Clear Bird Observatory.
A checklist of birds with a list of the rules and a race area map will be provided on the day.
Race start: 8:30am sharp at Scally’s SuperValu car park, Clonakilty
Race finish: 6pm sharp at O’Donovan’s Hotel, Clonakilty
Contact details for registration and enquiries: Nicholas Mitchell. Email: treasurer@birdwatchirelandwestcork.ie. Mobile: 087 121 5256.
