Ring-neckeds, Twite and Green-winged Teal

Ring-necked Duck, Lough Yganavan, 29th November 2019 (Cait O'Neill).

The three males and three females at Lough Yganavan make this the largest recorded flock of Ring-necked Ducks in Kerry.

Ring-necked Ducks, Lough Yganavan, 29th November 2019 (Cait O'Neill).

Ring-necked Duck, Lough Yganavan, 29th November 2019 (Cait O'Neill).

 

Part of a flock of nineteen Twite, near Fenit, 29th November 2019 (David O'Connor).

Twite, near Fenit, 29th November 2019 (David O'Connor).

Twite, near Fenit, 29th November 2019 (David O'Connor).

 

Green-winged Teal, Cockleshell Road, Tralee, 29th November 2019 (Cait O'Neill).

Green-winged Teal and Little Stint

Green-winged Teal, Cockleshell Rd., Blennerville, 25th November 2019 (David O'Connor).

Green-winged Teal, Cockleshell Rd., Blennerville, 25th November 2019 (David O'Connor). 

Green-winged Teal, Cockleshell Rd., Blennerville, 25th November 2019 (David O'Connor). 

Little Stint, Black Rock, 26th November 2019 (David O'Connor).

Little Stint, Black Rock, 26th November 2019 (David O'Connor).

Little Stint, Black Rock, 26th November 2019 (David O'Connor).

Great Spotted Woodpecker at Ross Castle

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker, Ross Castle, 20th November 2019 (David O'Connor).

Fantastic to see photos of this much anticipated colonist to the county. There have been a few tantalising reports of this charasmatic species in woodland areas in recent winters, at eg, Castleisland, Ballyseedy, and, yes, Ross Castle, but surely this beautiful bird will eventually become a feature of well-wooded areas in the Kingdom in coming years.

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker, Ross Castle, 20th November 2019 (David O'Connor).

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker, Ross Castle, 20th November 2019 (David O'Connor).

Cromane Eileen

I actually met a woman who lives in Cromane, called Eileen.

I didn't actually burst into song when she revealed that, but I did have that 1982 Dexy's Midnight Runners song rattling around my head for the next three days. Dammit.

Below, the veteran Spoonbill is back again for another winter, but also good to see some Long-tailed Ducks there too. Cromane was formerly one of the most reliable sites for this most dainty of ducks in winter in Kerry, but numbers have dropped here in the last two decades. Three is the highest count at this site in recent years.

Long-tailed Ducks, Cromane, 18th November 2019 (Cait O'Neil).

Long-tailed Ducks, Cromane, 18th November 2019 (Cait O'Neil). 

Long-tailed Duck, Cromane, 18th November 2019 (Cait O'Neil). 

Spoonbill, Cromane, 23rd October 2019 (Michael O'Clery).

Now enjoying - if that's the right word - its 14th winter at Cromane, this is one of the longest-lived returning rarities of any kind in Ireland by now. May it continue to brighten the Cromane shoreline for many more years.

Spoonbill, Cromane, 23rd October 2019 (Michael O'Clery).

Baird's Sandpiper at Ballinskelligs

Baird's Sandpiper, Ballinskelligs, 4th November 2019 (Pat McDaid).

Baird's Sandpiper, Ballinskelligs, 4th November 2019 (Pat McDaid).

Baird's Sandpiper, Ballinskelligs, 4th November 2019 (Pat McDaid).

 

Baird's Sandpiper, Ballinskelligs, 4th November 2019 (Pat McDaid).

Baird's Sandpiper, Ballinskelligs, 4th November 2019 (Pat McDaid).