Mournes Wildlife

[Binnianboy]

Was up over Cock Mountain last Sunday and saw 3 Red Kite together, it was a pretty amazing moment, and literally 2 hours before this I had said to my friend that we never see wildlife in the Mournes, I have saw Grouse, Kestrel and Red Kite, but never even a deer. Just wondering about other hikers wildlife experiences in the Mournes.......

[twentyclicks]

3 red kite - wow! Have never seen them in NI.

Have seen red squirrel and deer in Tollymore. Fox, peregrin falcon up on the hills, as well as frogs, newt, ravens and smaller birds (not sure exact type, but like linnets / pippets.

[Mourneman]

found this lizard last year

DSCN3255 by paul surginor, on Flickr

[Binnianboy]

The Red Kite were incredible, we stood for nearly half an hour just watching them, they seemed to be circling a dead sheep that was in the stream between cock and rocky mountain. The pic of the lizard is incredible, thanks

[Eamonn]

I.ve seen a few Mountain Hare's, Lizards, Red Grouse, frogs....not to good at spotting birds, i'm a bit short sighted.

[Fred]

In over twenty years hiking in the Mournes, I have only seen a lizard once. Apparently the biggest lizard population here is in the Mournes so they must be hardy creatures. However, the prize for the toughest creature in the Mournes must go to the mouse that was living under the summit building on Commedagh.

Fred

[Fred]

This was outside meelmore lodge a few years ago!


Fred

[Are we there yet?]

Please note that these routes are wholy unsupported and you use them at your own risk. Some may have been created from reference material rather than experience so paths may have changed or become unpassable.

If you get eaten by bears it's totally your own fault!


« Last Edit: January 08, 2010, 12:40:12 pm by admin »

[LandyLiam]

RED KITE TALK THIS THURSDAY NIGHT @ TOLLYMORE

http://www.mournelive.com/news/news/viewdetails.asp?newsID=593

RED KITE TALK BY ADAM MCCLURE, RSPB RED KITE OFFICER
THURSDAY, 28TH FEBRUARY 2013

Over the past 200 years the Red Kite population in Britain and Ireland dwindled, largely due to human persecution, until only a small population remained in mid-Wales. Since 1989 a number of reintroduction projects have begun to restore the red kite to its former range across the UK.

Due to the momentum and experience gained from these sucessful reintroductions in England and Scotland, the stage was set for this large-scale species recovery project to be rolled out into Ireland in 2007.

As part of this project RSPB NI began a reintroduction in the South Down area in 2008 and Red Kite Officer, Adam McClure, will be giving an illustrated talk on the highs and lows of bringing these majestic birds of prey back to Northern Irish skies.

A charge of £5 will be payable at the door. This includes £2 for tea/coffee and traybakes, with the remainder going to Northern Ireland Red Kites.

and one i spotted this week (in wales)

[LandyLiam]

Went to the talk tonight, excellent, even if your not a twitcher. The Tollymore Traybakes were also excellent as usual, but i think i ate too many  .  Coincedentally, we saw a red Kite fly past Hen Mountain today  .

[Kayakgirl]

Don't forget we saw that huge nest on Hen too.

[Glenn B]

Don't exactly know what we saw on Saturday there up at the Splinkwee river. The son saw it first "look there's an otter" but it was too small it was jet black we reckon it was either a stoat a weasel or a mink maybe someone could shed a bit of light on this. We got a photo but its not great its like one of those Nessie or Bigfoot photo's. 

[Spud]

Don't exactly know what we saw on Saturday there up at the Splinkwee river. The son saw it first "look there's an otter" but it was too small it was jet black we reckon it was either a stoat a weasel or a mink maybe someone could shed a bit of light on this. We got a photo but its not great its like one of those Nessie or Bigfoot photo's.

Did he look like this?

[Glenn B]

Don't exactly know what we saw on Saturday there up at the Splinkwee river. The son saw it first "look there's an otter" but it was too small it was jet black we reckon it was either a stoat a weasel or a mink maybe someone could shed a bit of light on this. We got a photo but its not great its like one of those Nessie or Bigfoot photo's.

Did he look like this?

No thats not him he looks abit like him though. Our wee critter would have have been quite small and was jet black!!!

[Glenn B]

Just googled our wee critter and have come to the conclusion that he was a black mink, didnt now you could get black ones i have only ever seen white mink before up at Ballykeel Lough Erne many years ago.  So if anyone is up around the Spinkwee keep your eyes peeled.