Abietinus Chiffchaff confirmed in Ireland

Abietinus Chiffchaff, Ross Castle, 23rd January 2015 (photo: Barry O'Mahony).

This is the first confirmed abietinus Chiffchaff 
 for Ireland, recently confirmed by DNA sample and ringed at Ross Castle 23rd January 2015. Not what was expected as we were trying to ring the tritis Chiffchaffs that were at this site over the winter months. In the hand, this bird looked like our nominate collybita Chiffchaff, not the grey and white abietinus birds that we have all been looking for. More to follow, as a paper is in preparation for Irish Birds journal.

Another Kerry record - the first brood of 6 Barn Owl chicks for Ireland

On 11th July the first brood of six Barn Owl chicks ever recorded in Ireland was discovered in a nest box near Castlemaine, Co. Kerry.

The six Barn Owl nestlings, near Castlemaine, 11th July 2015 (M.O'Clery under licence from NPWS).

See more on the Irish Raptor Blog HERE

Ireland's oldest wild Barn Owl discovered in Kerry

The oldest wild Barn Owl ever recorded in Ireland was discovered yesterday, during ringing at a nest site near Castleisland. 

John Lusby, Raptor Officer for BirdWatch Ireland, re-trapped this male Barn Owl and discovered the bird was ringed - by him - as a nestling in July 2007, at a nest just outside Tralee, about 13km away. 

At seven years of age, this makes it the longest lived wild Irish Barn Owl yet discovered in Ireland.

Seven year-old male Barn Owl, near Castleisland, Co. Kerry, 11th July 2015 (M.O'Clery under licence from NPWS).

More info on this can be seen on the Irish Raptor Blog HERE

See also this post HERE about how long wild Barn Owls can live.

Red Grouse, Stack's Mountains

The Red Grouse is a very scarce species in Kerry, with loss of heather moorland habitat to forestry, fires and drainage, compounded by hunting pressure the main causes of a widespread decline. They can however survive for many years in very low densities in areas of suitable habitat. 

Male (left) and female Red Grouse, Stack's Mountains, 4th July 2015 (Michael O'Clery). 

(Click on the photo for a closer look)

Female Red Grouse, Stack's Mountains, 4th July 2015 (Michael O'Clery).

Male Red Grouse, Stack's Mountains, 4th July 2015 (Michael O'Clery).

The Irish race of Red Grouse, despite the name, is also found in parts of Western Scotland, and is generally paler and more buff-coloured, which is believed to have evolved to camouflage them better on bogs with a higher component of grasses. 

This coloration is readily apparent when you compare the birds above, from the Stack's Mountains today, to the male and female below, photographed in Central Scotland last April. There is a lot of individual variation however, and the Irish Red Grouse gene pool has been somewhat diluted by many introductions of Scottish race birds by gun clubs down through the years. Whether it remains a valid sub-species is open to debate but is a question well worth resolving, as Irish grouse, regardless of race, are in serious decline throughout the country and surely deserving of protection.

Male Red Grouse, Cairngorms, Scotland, April 2015 (Michael O'Clery).

Female Red Grouse, Cairngorms, Scotland, April 2015 (Michael O'Clery).

Bumper Barn Owl Bonanza

Things are looking good for the Kerry Barn Owl population so far this summer. Only a few sites have been lost from last year, several new sites have been found, and wherever breeding is taking place, brood sizes are good. 

The first recorded brood of 5 chicks in Kerry for at least 8 years was seen yesterday at a traditional site near Tralee. Many other nests have 4 chicks. Most should survive to fledging if the weather stays at least reasonably good.

A young Barn Owl chick at a nest box near Castlemaine, 26th June 2015 (M.O'Clery Under licence from NPWS).

Five Barn Owl chicks at a nest box near Tralee - the first of this size recorded in Kerry in many years, 26th June 2015 (M.O'Clery Under licence from NPWS).

For more on this, see the Irish Raptor Blog posting HERE

Young Kestrels take to the skies

Young Kestrels around the country are either close to, or starting to, fledge from their nest sites. At this particular site in south Co. Kerry this morning, three young Kestrels were already mastering the fine art of flying, though with mixed results. They are not straying too far from the nest site - a quarry cliff - because the two adults are still bringing prey deliveries to the nest site. All three youngsters are already masters of the air, swooping, hovering and diving with youthful exuberance. Landings are a little more haphazard however, with several wavering attempts needed for landings on rocky outcrops, and on several occasions, an undignified crash-landing onto a patch of heather.

Juvenile Kestrel, South Kerry (All photos: M.O'Clery, under licence form NPWS).

Above, a young Kestrel, having only just fledged in the last week or so, is already mastering the air. The overall shape is subtly different from adult birds, with a shorter tail and blunter-looking wings. The main flight feathers still have a little more growing to do.

Juvenile Kestrel, South Kerry.

Above, a young Kestrel awaits food from the parents. The young are still making no attempt to hunt, though they must learn soon. Instead, they will rely on their parents for another few weeks, even once the family group moves away from the quarry nest site, though of course they will eventually have to learn to fend for themselves.

Juvenile Kestrel, South Kerry.

Above, a young male Kestrel makes a clumsy attempt to land on a post above the quarry.

Adult female Kestrel, South Kerry.

Above, the adult female Kestrel is looking a little ragged, after raising three hungry chicks. She will have another two or three weeks of hard work before the young start to disperse to find their own food.

Adult male Kestrel, South Kerry.

The adult male is also looking a little worn. Both adults will start to replace their worn feathers in the late summer and autumn, when food is plentiful and the young have gone.

If you see any Kestrel family groups in Kerry in the coming weeks, please do let us know - e-mail the details to this address HERE.

Ring-billed Gull, TBWC

First-summer Ring-billed Gull, Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre, 12th June 2015 (David O'Connor).

Wildlife Photography Exhibition, TBWC, 22nd -29th May

You are invited to the Tralee Bay Wetland Centre, Tralee, for the opening of Anthony Dawson's Wildlife Photography Exhibition, on Friday 22nd May at 8pm. It runs until 29th, so be sure to pop in and have a look.

Seen a Curlew - inland?

If you've seen a Curlew inland anywhere in Kerry, we'd love to hear of it.

Curlew, Castlegregory (Michael O'Clery).

Breeding Curlews are down to probably less than 200 pairs in Ireland, and this years' national Curlew Survey is undertaking to find as many nesting pairs as possible. They still nest in Kerry, though there might be fewer than 20 pairs now and most, or all, are nesting on marginal, 'unimproved' grasslands, or raised bog, in hilly areas inland. If you see or hear a Curlew inland, anywhere in Kerry in May, June or July, please let us know. Coastal birds are either on passage or are non-breeding birds, but it is the inland, breeding birds we are trying to survey. Please contact Michael HERE if you come across any. Many thanks.

You can read more about the BirdWatch Ireland 2015 Curlew Survey on their website HERE.

Garganey, Reenroe

Male Garganey, Reenroe, Ballinskelligs Bay, 4th May 2015 (Pat McDaid).

One of two birds present.

Male Garganey, Reenroe, Ballinskelligs Bay, 4th May 2015 (Pat McDaid).