Alex Ash found this juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs in the small turlough at Kilmurvey on 5th October. Still a finds tick for me and I drove past the site twice just beforehand. The water levels were extremely low and the favoured pool couldn't even be seen from the road. The pool was no more than ten metres in diameter. This turlough very rarely has any birds in it even when fully flooded. Despite this it was the site of the 2015 Hudsonian Godwit and previously has had a brief Blue-winged Teal in 2008, both found by the Punkbirders (Rich Moores & Dan Brown). The yellowlegs was the only island tick for me during the week and another great American wader for the island list making it the tenth Yank Wader for Inishmore. The Nearctic wader list for the island now includes - American Golden Plover (just one surprisingly), Semipalmated Sandpiper (2 both on Kilmurvey beach), White-rumped Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper (2), Pectoral Sandpiper (2), Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Hudsonian Godwit and Spotted Sandpiper. Can't be too many offshore islands with a comparable list, Inishbofin has only two for example. Anyone know what the Cape Clear Island Yank wader list stands at?
The Lesser Yellowlegs went missing the following day and wasn't relocated again until 8th October at Loch Dearg. It was later seen flying into another small turlough between the Seven Churches and Creig an Cheirín. It was a particularly difficult spot to access due to the maze of small fields with high stone walls and large patches of brambles. Cathal Forkan managed to find a way in and was treated to point blank views.
222Z Common Gull, ringed as a chick on Lough Mask, Co. Mayo, 3rd June 2006. First seen by myself on Inishmore on 7th October 2007. Has been seen on Inishmore several times since and also back on the breeding colony on Lough Mask.
Harbour Seal, looked nice and fat, no need for "rescue".
Blackpoll Ridge, Seven Churches with Niall Keogh and Joao de Brito.
Loch Dearg, Seven Churches where the Lesser Yellowlegs spent its time later in its stay.
Bun Gabhla Willow patch where my Red-eyed Vireo resided. The water levels rose from nothing to two or three foot in depth overnight on the last day.
Back from my annual October trip to Inishmore. Thankfully there were a up to seven other birders out on the island vary in stay from one to five days. Things got off to a good start when Alex Ash found a juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs on the first day 5th October, more on that in a following post.
Two days later I began my day up at the extreme west side of the island as I usually do at Bun Gabhla village. I scanned the mixed Willow/Fuchsia/Bramble/Ivy patch for a few minutes but didn't see anything of note. I then walked in closer to the Willows and began to give a short blast of Red-eyed Vireo and Blackcap alarm calls through my small speaker, still nothing. After a while I left the patch and headed up the road to check a nearby patch of Brambles. After this I was passing by the original patch and gave it one last check and quickly picked up a grey warbler type making its way through the Willows. My initial thoughts were Lesser Whitethroat. Thankfully it hopped out into the open onto Brambles and revealed itself to be a Red-eyed Vireo! Rain quickly came in so I decided to round up the troops. I brought out my car out the island for the week as we were based halfway up the island at Gort na gCapall. The car made life a lot easier in the evening when going for pub food and generally getting round the fifteen kilometre long island.
The vireo proved to be rather elusive for the next few hours but when the rain stopped and the sun came out the bird became much more active. It remained until the following day when I managed to obtain these shots. It was particularly active on the second day and seemed to be easily getting food amongst the vegetation. It also flycatched by flying vertically up into the air after flying insects.
This is the fifth county record, all coming from Inishmore and Inishbofin. Previous records as follows;
One, Inishmore, Aran Islands, 3rd 1995 (Tony Mee)
One, Inishmore, 15th and 16th October 2000 (Sean Doherty).
One, Inishbofin, 26th and 27th September 2005 (Steve Dodgson).
One, Inishbofin, 29th September to 3rd October 2016 (Anthony McGeehan).
This wasn't the end of the story with Red-eyed Vireo however. During the last few hours on the island on 11th October John Murphy and myself decided to give Kilronan Woods one last look before heading back to the house to pack up and leave the island. Hugh Delaney had a calling Yellow-browed Warbler earlier in the day in the woods. While looking for the YBW John had a Red-eyed Vireo fly across the pathway and land only metres away from him in a Sycamore. I managed to see it with him a minute later in the same tree. It then disappeared for a few minutes. I then had it in an Ash tree and subsequently John had had it in an Ivy-clad Sycamore. Despite coming onto the scene in rapid order Hugh missed the bird and it was never seen again. We all left the island shortly afterwards at 1700hrs. Unfortunately both John and myself didn't have our cameras with us when we first had the bird and it proved too quick for us in the subsequent sightings.
There's already been one REV in County Kerry and two in County Cork so far this Autumn.
I was down in county Wexford earlier in September to give a talk on the Merlin of Connemara to the Wexford Naturalist's Field Club on the evening of the 7th September. While I was down in that part of the country it would have been a shame not to have a look at the excellent Tacumshin Lake. I rarely get down to Wexford these days. It's a good ten hour round drive from Clifden. Tacumshin never fails to disappoint in September as it now has a long established reputation for produced vagrant American waders. There was a great selection of species present when I was down. Surprisingly the numbers were very low with just under 100 each of Dunlin and Ringed Plover present. There had been much better numbers present earlier in the week but thankfully most of the specialities hung around. My totals included an adult moulting Semipalmated Sandpiper (found by Killian Mullarney that very morning), juvenile Baird's Sandpiper, juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper, juvenile Little Ringed Plover, juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, 3 Ruff, juvenile Marsh Harrier, ringtail & adult male Hen Harrier. In all I had seventeen species of waders at the site. It was nice also to see the Little Ringed Plover as I've definitely don't see many in Ireland especially since I'm based in the west of Ireland. I think I've seen more Semipalmated Plovers than Little Ringed Plovers in Ireland! After Killian left the site around midday on the 7th I had the whole place to myself. Incredible really that for one of Europe's premier for rare American waders, it would just have the one observer on site in early September but that's Ireland for you. If this was the UK I would imagine that would be a whole lot different!
Adult Semipalmated Sandpiper with juvenile Dunlin, Tacumshin Lake.
Adult Semipalmated Sandpiper with juvenile Dunlin, Tacumshin Lake.
Adult Semipalmated Sandpiper, Tacumshin Lake.
Adult Semipalmated Sandpiper, Tacumshin Lake.
Adult Semipalmated Sandpiper, Tacumshin Lake.
Adult Semipalmated Sandpiper with juvenile Dunlin, Tacumshin Lake.
Juvenile Baird's Sandpiper with juvenile Dunlin, Tacumshin Lake.
Adult Semipalmated Sandpiper with juvenile Dunlin, Tacumshin Lake.
Juvenile Baird's Sandpiper, Tacumshin Lake.
Juvenile Baird's Sandpiper, Tacumshin Lake, Co. Wexford.
Juvenile Dunlin, Tacumshin Lake, 7th September 2017.
Juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Tacumshin Lake, Co. Wexford.
Juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Tacumshin Lake, Co. Wexford.
Juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Tacumshin Lake, Co. Wexford.
Juvenile Little Ringed Plover, Tacumshin Lake, Co. Wexford, 7th September 2017.
Juvenile Little Ringed Plover, Tacumshin Lake, Co. Wexford, 7th September 2017.
Juvenile Little Ringed Plover, Tacumshin Lake, Co. Wexford, 7th September 2017.
Juvenile Little Ringed Plover, Tacumshin Lake, Co. Wexford, 7th September 2017.
