Royal Tern

Mayo's Royal Tern of last week became Kerry's Royal Tern yesterday(23/8/16) when Davey Farrer located the bird first seen at Roonagh in Co. Mayo on 16/8/16, at Beale Strand in north Kerry.  Davey has a great record with rare Tern finds including the fabulous Elegant Tern in the same area in September 2013.

The bird was easily confirmed as the Mayo bird as it was also a second summer plumaged bird carrying an injured right leg.  It is a third record of the species for Ireland and only the second live bird.

Solitary Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper

Cloghaun Lough, Kilbaha on the Loop Head peninsula came up trumps earlier in the week with two rare Nearctic waders.  The peninsula regularly attracts the less rare trans Atlantic waders like Pectoral Sandpipers, Buff-brested Sandpipers and American Golden Plovers and and has also had scarcer species like Lesser Yellowlegs and even an Upland Sandpiper.  However Cloghaun Lough was more noted for scarcer duck and occasional European waders so the occurrence of the Solitary Sandpiper found by John Murphy last Monady and the confirmation of Least Sandpiper identification. the same day was an exceptional occurrence.  I paid a visit there on Tuesday evening and was pleased to catch up with both birds.

Solitary Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper 

Solitary Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper