Cromane Spoonbill makes it back yet again

Adult Spoonbill, Cromane, 28th September 2017 (M.O'Clery).

This amazing bird has returned yet again. It first appeared as a juvenile bird at Cromane in November 2005.

Rubbish photos taken in what could, if you were in generous mood, be described as "A difficult photographic opportunity impaired by heavy, wind-borne horizontal precipitation". If not in a generous mood then best described as, "Feckin' pissin' it down." I kid you not, but after briefly winding down the driver's window in the car for this photo, there was rain drops splattered on the inside of the passenger window...

Here's a better photo of the same bird in October last year.

Adult Spoonbill, Cromane, 28th September 2017 (M.O'Clery). 

Little Stint (with Pied Wagtail), Rossbeigh, 28th September 2017 (M.O'Clery).

Semi-useful size and plumage comparison between these utterly different species. Probably not a real identification problem, still, if needed, this photo will help sort it out.

Ruff times

There's a bit of an influx of Ruff these last few days. A couple at Trabeg yesterday (MOC), five at Ferriter's Cove today (J.Crosher), and 11 at this flooded pool near Tralee also today (K. Kelly). 14 were at the Cashen on Monday (D. Farrar). 

Although these are remarkable numbers for Kerry, Frank King had a flock of 74, yes, 74, at Akearagh Lough in September 1968. Extraordinary.

Flock of Ruff, near The Kerries, Tralee, 27th September 2017 (Kilian Kelly).

Ruff, near The Kerries, Tralee, 27th September 2017 (Kilian Kelly).

Ruff, near The Kerries, Tralee, 27th September 2017 (Kilian Kelly).

Ringed Bar-tailed Godwit, Black Rock, 27th September 2017 (Kilian Kelly)

Shortly after the appearance of a Norwegian-ringed Bar-tailed Godwit from Norway at Black Rock (see post HERE) another appeared right alongside it. And what's more, from the exact same place, and ringed only three hours after the first. What are the chances of that? Well... unless they travelled together. Still, pretty amazing that they are both now feeding along a Kerry shoreline. One might well assume they are now here for the winter, but it's possible that these long-distance migrants are just staging before an even longer journey. The bulk of the population winters south of the Equator.

With thanks to Kilian Kelly.

Goodies at Black Rock

White-rumped Sandpiper, Black Rock, 26th September 2017 (Cait O'Neill).

Curlew Sandpiper, Black Rock, 26th September 2017 (Cait O'Neill).

Little Stint, Black Rock, 26th September 2017 (Cait O'Neill).

Eddie the Eagle visits the Kingdom

After no sightings since April, a young White-tailed Eagle has re-appeared in Kerry at several sites over the past couple of weeks. Christened 'Eddie', he was at Rossbeigh, then Inch and yesterday, in Tralee Bay. 

White-tailed Eagle, 'Eddie', Tralee Bay, 26th September 2017 (Liam Doyle).

He was born in summer 2016 in West Cork. The photo below is of the parents, male W (born 2010) & female D (born 2009) near the nest site today. 

'Eddie's' parents, near their nest site in West Cork, 26th September 2017 (Clare Heardman).

Eddie was the first White-tailed Eagle chick to fledge in Cork in over 100 years, and as the pair failed to produce fledged young this summer he is still their only surviving offspring, and the only 'wild-born' eagle from Co. Cork in a century.

White-tailed Eagle, 'Eddie', Tralee Bay, 26th September 2017 (Liam Doyle).

If you do see him on his wanderings, be sure and let us know. He has a blue wing tag on the left wing, orange on the right.

With many thanks to Allan Mee and Clare Heardman.

Buff-breast still at... at... that unpronounceable spot on Valentia

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Beenakryrakka Head, Valentia Island, 25th September 2017 (Cait O'Neill).

Present for two weeks, and now joined by a couple of Golden Plovers.

Little Egrets into triple figures

Little Egrets, Caherfealane, October 2016 (M.O'Clery).

The first Little Egret recorded in Kerry was in  September 1957 at Blennerville and was at the time the 6th Irish record. By the 1990s it was pretty much annual and by the early 2000s - 'the noughties' - was averaging about 10 to 15 a year. The first double figure count was, surprisingly, also the first breeding record - 6 pairs nesting near Inch in spring 2006 - followed quickly by a count of 30 in that area the following August. 

Double figure counts have been regular for several years now at Blennerville/Tralee Bay, and Castlemaine Harbour and occasionally at other sites such as Trabeg and Burnham Lagoon. However recent counts of this species have set the bar higher again, and then again in the space of a few weeks.

A new Kerry record of 70 were at Blennerville in the first days of September this year, but that record tumbled when Little Egret counts finally made into the hundreds. 116 were counted today on the eastern shores of Castemaine Harbour/ River Maine area, during a fruitless search for the Great White Egret. How long before that record count is broken again?

Little Egret, Castlegregory Marsh, June 2015 (M.O'Clery).

(with thanks to Ed Carty).

More video of the White-rumped

The White-rumped Sandpiper at Black Rock continues to give extraordinarily close views, down to 4m (12ft).

White-rumped Sandpiper, Black Rock, 24th September 2017 (Kilian Kelly).
Hit the arrow symbol, top right, for full screen view.

Pectoral Sandpiper, Great Blasket

 

Pectoral Sandpiper, Great Blasket island, 21st September 2017 (Sue Redican).

The first record of this species for the island group.

Pectoral Sandpiper, Great Blasket island, 21st September 2017 (Sue Redican).

Norwegian ringed Bar-tailed Godwit seen in Kerry

Bar-tailed Godwit, Black Rock, 17th September 2017 (Kilian Kelly).

Bar-tailed Godwit, Black Rock, 17th September 2017 (Kilian Kelly).

Thanks to Kilian Kelly for sending us details of a recent finding of a Norwegian ringed Bar-tailed Godwit seen at Black Rock on Friday last.

Ring no: Stavanger 7218386

Yellow flag  NCM (Left tarsus : metal. Left tibia, red colour ring. Right tibia, yellow flag  engraved with three black letters NCM).

Age/sex/ biometric: Male M1K, hatched 2017.

Ringing date: 06.09.2016.

Ringing place: Revtangen (58*45'10''N-005*29'25''E) Klepp, Rogaland, Norway.

Finding date: 17.09.2017.

Observed: Black Rock (52*21'N-009*50'W), Ballinprior, Kerry, IRELAND

Distance: 1270 km WSW. Direction: 236 deg. 11 days after ringing.

Remarks: Photodocumented. Feeding with ca 50 other Bar-tailed Godwits and other species.

Observed  by: Killian Kelly.

A 1270 km journey for our Bar-tailed Godwit.

A most obliging White-rumped at Black Rock

Video of White-rumped Sandpiper, Black Rock, 22nd September 2017 (Kilian Kelly). 
Click on the arrow symbol top right for full screen view).

White-rumped Sandpiper, Black Rock, 22nd September 2017 (Ed Carty).

White-rumped Sandpiper, Black Rock, 22nd September 2017 (Ed Carty).

Curlew Sandpiper with Dunlin, Black Rock, 22nd September 2017 (Kilian Kelly).

Little Stint, Black Rock, 22nd September 2017 (Ed Carty).

Great White Egret, Maine River, near Caherfealane pier, 22nd September 2017 (Ed Carty).

Present now for a third day.

Great White still present

Great White Egret, with Little Egrets and Grey Heron, Maine River, 21st September 2017 (Ian Jones).

A second day for the Great White Egret, on the Maine river bank near the pier at Caherfealane, near Boolteens. It's all looking a bit exotic there, with up to 60 Little Egrets in the area.

Great White Egret, Maine River, 21st September 2017 (Ian Jones).

White-rumped Sandpiper at Black Rock

White-rumped Sandpiper, Black Rock, 22nd September 2017 (David O'Connor).

Possibly the same bird that was at Carrahane a few days ago.

Curlew Sandpiper, Black Rock, 20th September 2017 (David O'Connor).

Curlew Sandpipers are scarce this autumn and though numbers are highly variable each year, this does not look likely to be a vintage year.

Little Stints, Black Rock, 22nd September 2017 (David O'Connor).

Curlew Sandpiper, Black Rock, 21st September 2017 (David O'Connor).

Great White Egret on River Maine - 7th Kerry record

Great White Egret, Maine River, 20th September 2017 (all photos: Michael O'Clery).

This absurdly-lanky-yet-hypnotically-elegant heron was present at high tide along the Maine river bank just to the east of the pier at Caherfealane. At one point, harassed by a local Grey Heron it took an indecisive and leisurely flight upriver for about a kilometre before eventually circling back and landing once more in the original spot. Then the Hooded Crows started having a go, though they barely came up to its knee, and even I wouldn't fancy my chances against a swift stab from that long yellow dagger of a bill.

The seventh county record.

Great White Egret, Maine River, 20th September 2017.

Great White Egret, Maine River, 20th September 2017.

Here, with three of its smaller counterparts, Little Egrets. Next to this fella they do indeed look 'little'.

Great White Egret, Maine River, 20th September 2017.

Great White Egret, Maine River, 20th September 2017.

Numbers in Britain and Europe are on the increase and breeding has taken place annually in England since they first bred there, in Somerset in 2012. Surely we will be seeing more of this majestic bird in the Kingdom and, from the Kerry records (below) kept by Ed Carty, the pace of occurrences is quickening.

2009 (1) Ballyseedy, 30th Jan.

         (1) Akearagh Lough, 1st-13th Oct. 

2012 (1) Castlemaine, 21st-29th Oct.

2015 (1) Smerwick-Ventry, 31st Oct.-12th Nov., presumed same at Ventry, 14th Nov.

2016 (1) near Portmagee, 27th-30th Sept.

2017 (1) near Kenmare, 12th April.

2017 (1) Caherfealane, 20th Sept.

(with thanks to Ed Carty).

Little Stint trio, Derrymore

Three juvenile Little Stints, Derrymore, 18th September 2017 (Michael O'Clery).

Three juvenile Little Stints, Derrymore, 18th September 2017 (Michael O'Clery).

Buff-b. Sand. at unpronounceable spot on Valentia Island.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Valentia Island, 17th September (Pat McDaid).

This bird has been present for several days now and is frequenting the wild, open grassy areas at the tip of Beenakryrakka Head.

You know the spot... just north of Coosnaraka and Coosnalarabaunia... No? ah, for goodness sake. Right by the bay at Coosheennagruhage and the fields at Knockaunadagrean!

Ok then, how about. "NW tip of Valentia Island, near the weather station"?

'Benna... what? 

Ok then, "1km west of Coosgorm Rocks". See HERE for info on that spot.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Valentia Island, 17th September (Pat McDaid).

White-rumped Sandpiper, Carrahane

White-rumped Sandpiper, Carrahane, 13th September 2017 (David O'Connor).

White-rumped Sandpiper, Carrahane, 13th September 2017 (David O'Connor).

White-rumped Sandpiper, Carrahane, 13th September 2017 (David O'Connor).

Sabine's Gulls at Rough Point

Juvenile Sabine's Gull, Rough Point, 12th September 2017 (M.O'Clery).

During a violent gale force wind, there were upwards of 400 Arctic Terns taking shelter in the lee of the headland. This juvenile Sabine's Gull made a brief appearance among them for just five minutes or so, before heading south into Sandy Bay. A second bird - also a juvenile - rounded the headland a short time later and headed west into the ferocious headwind.

Juvenile Sabine's Gull, Rough Point, 12th September 2017 (M.O'Clery).

Juvenile Sabine's Gull, Rough Point, 12th September 2017 (M.O'Clery).

Arctic Terns, Rough Point, 12th September 2017 (M.O'Clery).

Lesser Yellowlegs, tame but elusive

The Lesser Yellowlegs has been absent for long periods from the usual spot on Cappagh Beach, but showed there today in the morning and again in the late evening. Despite much searching, it's not known where it goes when it's not at the tiny patch of beach at Cappagh.

Lesser Yellowlegs, Cappagh Beach, 10th September 2017 (M.O'Clery).

Lesser Yellowlegs, Cappagh Beach, 10th September 2017 (M.O'Clery).

Lesser Yellowlegs, Cappagh Beach, 10th September 2017 (M.O'Clery).