GALTY MOUNTAINS 30/11/09

Rumor had it that there had been a dump of snow down the Galty mountains direction. Winter boots takes out and dusted down , crampons and ice axes rudely awoken from hibernation and thrown into the car boot in great anticipation. Arriving at Rossadrehid we were a little disappointed that the expected winter conditions hadn't materialised. Nonetheless the sun was out and the sky was clear so off we headed for a great days walking with clear skies and views second to none from the tops. I was joined by Mick Kelly on this walk and Jimmy Barry from the South Eastern Mountain Rescue Team (SEMRA) and all 3 of us agreed that this was one of those rare days that clear air conditions, snow and sun combine to give perfect views from the hills. Brilliant.

GALTY MOUNTAINS 20/11/09

CROWS out hillwalking ? Surely not. Why would our feathered friends walk up big hills when with a few gentle beats of their wings they could soar over them ?. Further investigation was required. The Birdwatch Ireland website had posted a notice that a rare and very unusual variety of CROW might be observed around the Galty mountains over the weekend of 19th to 21st November. I had been lucky enough on previous occasions to observe a couple of this variety on other mountain ranges ( one has lovely Rab plumage but is more like an ostrich than a crow due to abnormal elongated legs , the other one, Maurice, not so nice orangy/red Berghaus plumage but is proportioned more normally ) so I decided to venture down to see what was going on.

Saturday morning and the crows were flapping around their roosting spot. The weather wasn't being too kind and it was touch and go if they were going to leave their nests. Most of Ireland was under water from torrential rain but then the news broke that the forecast was for an improvement as the day passed. They abandoned the comfort of their nests and flew off in the Glencush direction. Once assembled at Glencush they donned their boots and away with them up the forestry road. Over the Lough Curra stile and up to the Galty ridge past Slievecushnabinna with ease. Now these crows showed their mettle, battling against ferocious wind they fought their way up to Galtymore in the windiest conditions I've ever been out in. Then a hasty return to their cosy nests in the valley to tidy up their tossed feathers and relax their strained wings.
A good day out walking with Eugene and his happy crows. For more on the CROWS look up www.coco-hillwalkers.blogspot.com