Long-tailed Ducks

Long-tailed ducks are a scarce winter visitor to a few select sites in Kerry each year. Most records are of ones and twos, but they occasionally reach double figures at a few sites, such as Rossbeigh and Ballinskelligs Bay.

Female Long-tailed Duck, Cromane, 27th December 2014 (Seamus Enright).

Female and first-winter Long-tailed Duck, Ballinskelligs Bay, 25th December 2014 (Michael O'Clery).

Glaucous and Iceland Gulls

First-winter Glaucous Gull, near Cromane, 24th December 2014 (M.O'Clery).

First-winter Glaucous Gull, near Cromane, 24th December 2014 (M.O'Clery).

Adult Iceland Gull, Reenard Pier, 24th December 204 (M.O'Clery).

Water Pipit continues to be seen at Black Rock

Water Pipit, Black Rock, 23rd December 2014 (David O'Connor).

Water Pipit, Black Rock, 23rd December 2014 (David O'Connor).

Black Brant, Sandy Bay

Adult Black Brant, Sandy Bay, Castlegregory, 21st December 2014 (Seamus Enright).

Water Pipit still at Black Rock

Water Pipit, Black Rock, 15th December 2014 (David O'Connor).

Glaucous Gulls at Reenard

2 Glaucous Gulls were at Reenard today.

First-winter Glaucous Gull, Reenard, 14th December 2014 (Michael O'Clery).

First-winter Glaucous Gull, Reenard, 14th December 2014 (Michael O'Clery).

Hybrid Glaucous Gulls X Herring Gulls make occasional appearances in Kerry most years, e.g., the one HERE, and are commonly referred to as 'Viking Gulls'. Another in Reenard today is quite coarsely marked.

First-winter Glaucous Gull X presumed Herring Gull hybrid, Reenard, 14th December 2014 (Michael O'Clery).

First-winter Glaucous Gull X presumed Herring Gull hybrid, Reenard, 14th December 2014 (Michael O'Clery).

Greylag Goose, Lough Gill

Greylag Goose, Lough Gill, 10th December 2014 (M.O'Clery).

Greylag Goose with Whooper Swan, Lough Gill, 10th December 2014 (M.O'Clery).

Although overshadowed by the two quality rarities at Lough Gill at the moment (American Coot and Lesser Scaup), this Greylag Goose at Lough Gill today, present since 6th November, is a pretty scarce bird in Kerry. Sightings of this species also have to overcome the shadow of suspicion of having escaped from wildfowl collections, or having straggled from a nearby feral population from e.g., Limerick or central Cork.

However, this individual, and most others which occur in Kerry in winter - such as the occasional small flock at the Cashen and individuals elsewhere - are often very wary and would, superficially at least, seem to be of wild stock.

Up close with a Common Scoter

Scoter in Kerry are often viewed at distance through a telescope. Below, photos of an adult male Common Scoter which succumbed last night, after being found moribund at a beach near Camp, on the Dingle Peninsula.

Adult male Common Scoter, Camp, 4th December 2014 (M.O'Clery, with thanks to Cate Mulcahy and Kilian Kelly).

The deep orange and yellow on the bill is particularly striking up close.

Adult male Common Scoter, Camp, 4th December 2014 (M.O'Clery).

Adult male Common Scoter, Camp, 4th December 2014 (M.O'Clery).

Declaring National Water Pipit Day

Water Pipit, Black Rock, 3rd December 2014 (Davey Farrar).

Following one found yesterday - (see post below) - this is the fourth record for Kerry and the third to be found on the 3rd December. The coincidence continues with the discovery of another at Kilshannig this afternoon. 

What are the chances of four of the five Kerry records occurring on 3rd December? Today should now be nominated 'National Water Pipit Day'.

Water Pipit, Black Rock, 3rd December 2014 (Davey Farrar).

American Coot (with Whooper Swans), Lough Gill, 3rd December (M.O'Clery).

Meanwhile, the American Coot and Lesser Scaup continue their stay at Lough Gill.

American Coot (with Coots), Lough Gill, 3rd December (M.O'Clery).

Water Pipit, Carrahane

Water Pipit, Carrahane, 2nd December (David O'Connor).

Only the third record for Kerry, following two at Black Rock, both coincidentally found on 3rd December 1995 and 3rd December 2010.

Ring-necked Ducks, Ross castle

Male & Female Ring-necked Duck, Ross castle, 2nd December 2014 (Davey Farrar).

Grebes and Geese

Slavonian Grebes, Rough Point, 30th November 2014 (M.O'Clery).

A total of 16 Slavonian Grebes were present from Rough Point, SE to near Aughacasla, equalling the county record set in the same area in November 2013.

Barnacle Geese, Magharees, 30th November 2014 (M.O'Clery).

 Barnacle Geese used to frequent the Blasket islands in winter, but the regular flock of up to 200 birds stopped using the site in the late 80s, and thereafter they were only occasionally seen on the Magharees, sometimes feeding around Lough Gill. In each of the past four winters, the Barnacle flock has once again become a regular sight on the Magharees. The above photo shows 102 individuals, the second highest count in recent years, since the peak of 105 birds in January 2014.

During last years' national census, a total of 31 sites in the Republic held 17,500 Barnacle Geese, just under a quarter of the Greenland-breeding population, and an increase of 43% compared with the previous survey in 2008. The combined Scottish, Welsh and Irish total of 80,670 Barnacle Geese is the highest ever recorded.

Black Brant, Barrow Harbour

Adult Black Brant, Barrow Harbour, 27th November 2014 (M.O'Clery).

American Coot and Lesser Scaup, Lough Gill

 

American Coot (right), Lough Gill, 18th November (M.O'Clery).

(Click on any of the images for a closer view)

American Coot (right), Lough Gill, 18th November (M.O'Clery).

American Coot (left), Lough Gill, 18th November (M.O'Clery).

Male Lesser Scaup (centre), Lough Gill, 18th November (M.O'Clery).

Male Lesser Scaup, Lough Gill, 18th November (M.O'Clery).

Male Lesser Scaup, Lough Gill, 18th November (M.O'Clery).

American Coot & Black Redstart

 American Coot (second from left), Lough Gill, 11th November 2014 (Kilian Kelly).

This is about as good a  view that pretty much everyone who has gone to see this bird has managed since it was found. Often frustratingly distant, often in windy and/or rainy conditions, or sometimes seemingly absent, presumably feeding or roosting deep in the reed beds which fringe the lake. The small Coot flock of 8 to 10 individuals roams the lake, but is now being seen more often at the east end (from the jetty), but a calm day seems to be one of the requirements for at least some kind of decent view.

Black Redstart, Fahamore, 11th November 2014 (Kilian Kelly).

Black Redstart, Fahamore, 11th November 2014 (Kilian Kelly).

 Black Redstart, Fahamore, 11th November 2014 (Davey Farrar).

Not a photo of the American Coot

Bonxies are easy to tell apart from American Coot. Note the large size, white wing flashes and lack of white undertail coverts. And it's flying 400m out to sea. Actually it might well eat an American Coot if it got the chance, though that may not be a diagnostic field characteristic.

Great Skua, Brandon Point, 7th November 2014 (Michael O'Clery).

We would love to be showing full-frame, HD quality photos and video of the American Coot here, but instead you'll have to make do with this. With driving rain, wind, distance and a rather annoying habit of feeding in the inaccessible areas of Lough Gill, the American Coot has only been giving the most distant and unsatisfying of views since its discovery. A calm day and a fair degree of luck will be needed to get decent views.

Black Brant, Barrow Harbour

Adult Black Brant, Barrow Harbour, 6th November 2014 (David O'Connor).

This adult was present at Barrow Harbour at the same time as another adult at Spa.

Another Siberian Chiffchaff

Siberian Chiffchaff, Finian's Bay, 5th November (Michael O'Clery).

American Coot, Lough Gill

American Coot (right), Lough Gill, 5th November 2014 (Davey Farrar).

(You can click on any of the images for a closer view)

The first record for Kerry, and only the fourth for Ireland, following one each for Cork, Mayo and Galway.

American Coot (centre bird), Lough Gill, 5th November 2014 (Davey Farrar).

American Coot (centre bird), Lough Gill, 5th November 2014 (Davey Farrar).

American Coot, Lough Gill, 5th November 2014 (Davey Farrar).

Yellow-browed Warbler, Tralee

Yellow-browed Warbler, Tralee, 3rd November 2014 (David O'Connor).

Do they know it's tristris time at all... ?

There's been a rash of sightings of 'tristris', or Siberian Chiffchaffs in the country these past days, and Kerry has seen at least 5 of these, 4 on headlands, but one (see below) in a garden near Tralee in the company of a Yellow-browed Warbler.

A pale Chiffchaff with a wing bar in autumn is not always a 'Siberian', as there is a wide range of variation across Scandinavia and Russia, with a tendency towards paler birds the further east you go. A 'classic' Siberian Chiffchaff is always pale, and has a lack of yellow tones to the underparts, a lack of rich green on the mantle, and (usually) fairly bright green fringes to the wing and tail feathers. The pale wing bar is usually apparent though not prominent, but is sometimes very faint or absent in some.

The final box to be ticked, for anything but the most clear cut 'Sibe', is the call – a loud, piping call with just a hint of down-slurring at the end, very different from the more typical up-slurred, 'hoo-eet' Chiffchaff call.

Trouble is, there are other races of Chiffchaffs from eastern regions which have some or all of those suite of plumage characters. Of the 7-8 Chiffchaffs present in the Finian's Bay/Bolus Head area yesterday, there was much variation, from at least two showing all the above characters of Siberian Chiffchaff, to 3 others showing most, but not all characters. The borderline between classic Siberian Chiffchaff and an eastern pretender can be a slim one, especially if the bird doesn't call.

'Siberian' Chiffchaff, Bolus Head, 31st October 2014 (Michael O'Clery).

Very different to our own typical Chiffchaffs in autumn which are often suffused with rich yellow, buff and green tones. This individual did occasionally call, a piping, slightly down-slurred, 'hleeep'. Note the lack of yellow anywhere on the underparts (except the area around the 'bend' of the folded wing), 'frosty' edges to the tertials and greenish tinge to the edges of the secondaries.

Chiffchaff, Bolus Head, 13th October 2014 (Michael O'Clery).

Although showing a fairly obvious short wing bar, the yellow and green tones mean it is not a Siberian, but perhaps has at least some eastern genes.

Chiffchaff, Bolus Head, October 2014 (Michael O'Clery).

A typical autumn Chiffchaff, olive above and suffused throughout with yellow and buff.

'Siberian' Chiffchaff, Finian's Bay, 31st October 2014 (Michael O'Clery).

This bird seems to show all the pertinent features of Siberian Chiffchaff but, rather unhelpfully, didn't call for quite a while. Have a close look at the photo below of the same individual (you can click on the image for a close-up). There seems to be a little patch of yellow or buff in the centre of the breast and perhaps a hint of yellow in the supercilium?  Does this rule it out as a Siberian Chiffchaff? It might have, except it finally gave a Siberian Chiffchaff-type call.

'Siberian' Chiffchaff, Finian's Bay, 31st October 2014 (Michael O'Clery).

Interestingly, the eastern type Chiffchaffs, including the two Siberians, spent a lot of time feeding on the ground, in one case in an open grassy field, in another, hopping and flitting through sedge tussocks. Our more typical autumn Chiffchaffs are rarely seen away from bushes and trees, though of course, on migration, birds must occasionally feed wherever they can.

'Siberian' Chiffchaff, Kerries, Tralee, 31st October 2014 (David O'Connor).

This bird shared the garden with a Yellow-browed Warbler.

'Siberian' Chiffchaff, Kerries, Tralee, 31st October 2014 (David O'Connor).