Bádóirí an Bhlascaoid Teo. Blasket Island Ferries/Eco-Ventures
Dunquin Harbour Booking Office: (066) 9156422
Dingle Marina Booking Office: 066) 9151344
Web: www.blasketisland.com
Email: info@blasketisland.com
Booking is Advised for ferry
Booking is Essential for Eco-Tour
Bird Life
The Blasket Islands have a rich variety of birds, with at least seventeen different species of sea bird breeding on the islands. Some of these colonies are of considerable national and international importance (Manx Shearwaters and Storm petrels).
Immediately on arrival to the Great Blasket Island you will notice the abundance of wheatears, stonechats, pipits, swallows, skylarks, wrens, chough and of course, the old reliable robin. If you venture further back from the village, ravens, peregrine and colonies of fulmers can be seen
If taking the “Island Boat Tour” you will be impressed by the diverse range of breeding sea birds such as puffins, kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, shag, storm petrels, manx shearwaters and most importantly by international standards, roseate terns and arctic terns. In spring and autumn migrating species ie pomeraine, great and parasitic skuas can be seen. Also sooty and great shearwaters may be seen
A black guillemot
The puffins nest at InisnaBro (Inis na Bró)and Inishvickillane Islands (Inis Mhic Uileáin) and can be seen when the Eco-Venture tour stops for a short break there
The magnificent divers of the sea bird world, gannets can been seen all around the islands
During the 1980’s geese numbers dwindled on the islands until there were none to be seen on their wintering grounds on Beiginis Island. Amazingly last autumn, both barnacle geese and pink footed geese were once again spotted on the old haunt. Hopefully this is a good sign for the future.
After an extended period of bad weather (Particularly in an Westerly wind), rare birds can be blown off course and arrive for a well earned rest on the Blasket Islands.
These rarities include grosbeak, rosefinch, myrtle warbler, wryneck, buzzard, black redstart, and even the elusive corncrake. All in all, a birders paradise.
The chick of a lesser black backed gull
A rare rose breasted grosbeak
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