The Tall Ships returning

Waterford tall ship race details update

More details have been given in Waterford about the Tall Ships Races
2011, which starts six months from tomorrow.

It is expected to attract more than 500,000 visitors to the city’s
quays and the Suir estuary.

The event in the city, which will last for four days up to July 3rd,
attracted half a million visitors when it was a host port in 2005.

Already almost 40 tall ships from 10 countries have registered their
intention to be in Waterford.

Some 12 of these include the largest class A vessels in the world such
the Christian Radich from Norway, Cisne Branco from Brazil, Mir from
Russia and the British Pelican of London vessel.

NICK BRAMHILL writing in the Irish Times

A SECRETIVE bird believed to have become extinct in Ireland more than 150 years ago has returned to our shores and could start breeding here once again.

The bittern, a rare member of the heron family which is famous for its booming call, is believed to have sought refuge here from the bitter cold snap in continental Europe.

The brown-coloured bird, also known as the great bittern, died out in Ireland in the mid-19th century. But over the past week at least three of the well-camouflaged birds have been spotted at Lake Tacumshane in south Co Wexford, suggesting many more could have arrived here undetected because they are notoriously hard to tra

Snow !

This was the view from our front windows a few weeks ago. Wexford has never been this cold in living memory, and certainly not in our time here. It was beautiful, but we were glad when the thaw came - and only one burst pipe.
Some of our expected visitors couldn't make it here because of the weather, but at least we managed to have all the family together for Christmas.
There are more photos of the snow on my new facebook page, Fruit Hill Irish Holiday Cottages.

Red Squirrel

We have had 2 confirmed sightings of a red squirrel this week ! Our Swiss visitors, Damien and Noemi spotted it " playing with the peacocks " yesterday, and Dick saw it today scooting round under the trees. This is brilliant news after years of helping with the grey squirrel eradication programme, and never seeing a red. This year we have seen no greys. Progress.

The other lovely thing is we have a pair of buzzards living in the locality, and see them quite regularly.

That's the wildlife update.

Whale Watching

The latest craze here is for whale watching !
We spotted 4 water spouts off Carnivan on Sunday.


http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0125/whales.html

Birdwatching at Fruit Hill

I just read this in the Irish Times about bird-watching in Wexford :

"See Ireland’s biggest avian tourist influx They often say that Wexford is the ideal place for the opera-loving ornithologist with a penchant for seafood. Certainly, Wexford Festival Opera is world famous, and the town’s seafood restaurants are among the finest you’ll come across anywhere. But it is the presence of thousands of wildfowl that really marks out the southeast as an essential destination. A particular avian A-lister – the Greenland race of the white-fronted goose, one of Europe’s rarest – chooses to winter on the Wexford Slobs and harbour. Many of the 10,000 that choose Wexford as their winter home will have just arrived. And you won’t even need your binoculars. Just stand by the side of the road and open your eyes."

On the farm here ( apart from the peacocks ), we have a pair of Buzzards, and a pair of Jays - I'd never seen either bird before this year. The buzzards are an amazing sight. We've also seen Egrets in recent years, along with our resident Ravens, Goldcrests, Treecreepers, Goldfinches, Yellowhammers, Bullfinches etc etc.
Sometimes we see flocks of Lapwing, Oystercatchers, Geese and other coastal birds. i reckon it's quite a good spot for bird watching, so pack your binoculars if you are heading our way.

We've had a fair few migrating human visitors this year too, with guests from Italy, France, Canada, Isreal, Germany, Poland, USA, Czeck Republic, South Africa and Australia as well as a somewhat reduced majority from the UK, and an increase in Irish people staying at home for summer holidays and weekend breaks. It's been a busy and enjoyable year.

Thanks for looking in on the blog. I hope to do a bit more with it now Ed has got me set up with a new laptop.

Susan

Happy New Year !

2009

Welcome to my new blog, and New Year greetings to all our friends. I've been really bad about keeping in touch with the many people who have been part of our lives here at Fruit Hill, maybe just for a week at a time. My New Year's Resolution is to keep you up to date with what is happening.
Right now I am recovering from the 'flu, and wondering if this blog idea will work.
Dick is about to dig up the yard - again: this time it's water pipes. The children are well and had a great Christmas holiday.
Maybe next week I'll get the hang of adding some photos.

xx

Susan