Great Northern Diver

Adult Great Northern Diver, Fermoyle, Brandon Bay, 29th October 2012 (Seamus Enright).

Spoonbill & Lesser Yellowlegs

Adult Spoonbill, Cromane, 27th October 2012 (Ed Carty).

This bird has returned for its 6th winter, and was possibly the same bird seen at Blennerville about three weeks ago.

Lesser Yellowlegs, Ballinskelligs, 27th October 2012 (Ed Carty).

Black Brant, Sandy Bay

Adult Black Brant, Sandy Bay (near Castlegregory), 22nd October 2012 (Screengrabs: Michael O'Clery).

Video of Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs, Ballinskelligs, 22nd October 2012 (Video: Michael O'Clery).

This was the 18th record for Co. Kerry. Of these, 13 were found between 6th August and 28th September with only two previous records from October and one from November. The longest staying bird so far has been 17 days, a bird at Akeragh Lough in 1998.The Ballinskelligs bird is the 4th longest stayer, at 10 days (details courtesy of Ed Carty).

Lesser Yellowlegs still present

Lesser Yellowlegs, Ballinskelligs, 20th October 2012 (Photos: Pat McDaid).

Present now for eight days.

AGP, Cashen estuary

American Golden Plover, Cashen estuary, 18th October 2012 (Davey Farrar).

Black-necked Grebe, Baile an Reannaigh

(Click on the main images for a closer view)

Black-necked Grebe, Baile an Reannaigh, 16th October 2012 (Photos: D.Farrar).

Only the 13th record for Co. Kerry.

Better video of Buff-bellied Pipit

Slightly better video of the Buff-bellied Pipit at Baile an Reannaigh, 13th October 2012 (M. O'Clery). This seems to be the last of its 16 day stay at this site, with much of the seaweed on which it fed being washed off the beach by recent spring tides .

American Golden Plover

American Golden Plover,Cashen estuary,15th October 2012 (Davey Farrar).

Turtle Dove, Dunquin

First-winter Turtle Dove, Dunquin, 14th October 2012 (Killian Kelly).

'Lesser Legs' still present

Juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs, Ballinskelligs, 14th October 2012 (David O'Connor).

Lesser Yellowlegs, Ballinskelligs

Lesser Yellowlegs, Ballinskelligs, 13th October 2012 (Pat McDaid).

Found by Pat McDaid, at Ballinskelligs village main beach, near the beachside cafe (turn right going onto the beach, near the small outflow). A very tame bird. The 17th record for Co. Kerry.

Buff-bellied Pipit

Buff-bellied Pipit, Baile an Reannaigh, Smerwick Harbour, 12th October 2012 (Ed Carty).

Now present for its 15th day.

White-rumped Sandpiper

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper,Baile an Reanaigh, 9th October 2012 (Kerry Birding).

White-rumped Sandpiper, Baile an Reanaigh

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper, Baile an Reanaigh, 9th October 2012 (Davey Farrar).

White-rumped Sandpiper, Reenroe

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper, Reenroe, Ballinskelligs Bay, 7th October 2012 (Pat McDaid).

Yellow-browed Warbler

Yellow-browed Warbler, Glanfahan, near Slea Head, 5th October 2012 (D.Farrar).

The 19th Record for Co. Kerry.

Buff-bellied Pipit once again

Buff-bellied Pipit, Baile an Reannaigh, Smerwick Harbour, 5th October 2012 (D. Farrar).

The bird has now been present for a week, and has been frequenting the same stretch of beach during its stay.

Exceptional migration of Coal Tits

Coal Tit, Dingle Peninsula, 5th October 2012 (D.Farrar).

There was a record number of Coal Tits on the move on the Dingle Peninsula today, 5th October. In the early morning, flocks of 40+ and 10+ were seen near Slea Head, and at Dunquin, close to 200 birds were present. Birds were present in virtually all wooded gardens with small flocks moving freely from tree to tree, but with a tendency for birds to move on quickly, generally in a westerly direction. A single flock of some 200 birds arrived high over the sycamores near Kruger's, looking like they might join another 80 or so already in the trees, but the flock continued on west. By late afternoon the movement had largely subsided, but it was reckoned that at least 500 Coal Tits were involved, possibly a good deal more – by far the most ever recorded in Co. Kerry.

There have been reports of unusual numbers seen elsewhere in Ireland over the past few days with, eg, nearly 60 on Cape Clear in Co. Cork. The origin of the birds is unknown, though all seen well at Dunquin were of the Irish race Periparus ater hibernicus, though intriguingly, 3-4 birds at Glanfahan in mid-morning showed characteristics of the continental race, Periparus ater ater.

Buff-bellied Pipit still present

Buff-bellied Pipit, Baile an Reannaigh, Smerwick Harbour, 1st October (Ed Carty).