Sunday 17 March 2019

Aughrusbeg Richard's Pipit

I was out at Aughrus Beg beside the inlet at Rossadillask on the 16th October my colleague Cameron Clotworthy to check up on a rather out of place Grey Seal pup that I had seen sat up on a rock in the inlet the previous day while carrying out an Irish Wetland Bird Survey. There was no sign of the pup but while walking along the shoreline I heard a Richard's Pipit calling at close quarters on two different occasions. I couldn't see the bird unfortunately.
I returned the next day and eventually managed to see it mostly in flight and just once well on the ground. It was extremely timid and generally wouldn't allow close approach when on the deck.
I managed to get some record flight shots and a few when it briefly landed on a bramble patch. Nearly all of these are fully cropped.
It was later seen by Eamon Larrissey and Aonghus O'Donaill on the following day. I don't think anyone else looked for it.
The only previous county record was a fly-over which Ciaran Cronin picked up over Nimmo's Pier on 29th October 2015. This was a long overdue county first. Odd how they haven't been picked up on Inishmore or Inishbofin to date.














1 comment:

  1. They're great shots all the same! Brief clarification - the bird I found at Nimmos was indeed only seen in flight, but was actually flushed from the flooded playing fields nearby. I only noticed it as it flew up, up and awaaaaaaaaaay! Not sure if that makes it a flyover or not!

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