Redhead

The female Redhead that was identified on 25/1/2026 on Lough Yganavan, Cromane, Co. Kerry was my first new tick in quite awhile. It seems likely that the bird had been present since the previous October without being recognised as a rarity, Ireland's second record of the species.  Its an American diving duck and as with most female ducks, its plumage features are fairly muted.  While the males are similar in colouration to Pochard, the females are more reminiscent of a Ring-necked Duck, another more frequent trans-atlantic vagrant.  As it happened, there was a flock of six Ring-neck Ducks, four females and two males, on the lake as well.  The Redhead had been seen loosely associating with them on some previous occasions, however it was very on it's own when I got to see it on the evening of 28/1/2026.

Birding in Clare

I made a trip to Clare with a fellow birder on 19/1/2026 to catch up with some of the scarcer winter visitors and long staying vagrants in the County.

First stop was Seafield where we quickly picked up the long staying Semipalmated Sandpiper. It was in the company of a large but jittery mixed wader flock, including Dunlin, Purple Sandpiper, Sanderling and Ringed Plover on the beach beside the pier.  The large stockpile of rotting seaweed at the top of the beach was attracting a lot of birds including a pair of wintering Snow Buntings and a few Chough. We also took the opportunity to see some of the last few Tree Sparrows remaining in the County, at the usual haunt in the 'Horse Fields' just south of Seafield.

Snow Buntings

Chough

Next stop was Lough Atedaun at Corofin, a really good site for wintering wildfowl and waders and usually a reliable site for one or two White-tailed Eagles as well.  Our final stop of the day was at Ballyvaughan for the wintering 1st winter male American Wigeon.

1st winter male American Wigeon

American Wigeon with Eurasian Wigeon

White-rumped Sandpiper

I found this North American wader on the tide line at Seafield Pier, Quilty, Co.Clare on 14/10/2025.  It's an immature bird, moulting from juvenile to winter plumage.  It's one of about a dozen that arrived in Ireland in the past week or so and is the 13th County record for Clare.

Common Sandpiper

I came across this unusually confiding Common Sandpiper on the Limerick/Kerry border on the shore of Tarbert Bay. 

This bird appears to be in adult plumage. It has a badly disfigured right foot, however it didn't seem to be unduly affected by it.

Black Terns

I came across three Black Terns on a trip to west Clare today.  There has been an unusually large passage of Black Terns around the Irish coast this autumn, with a few birds also showing up at inland sites like this one.  Indeed I came across a single juvenile bird last week (10/9/2025) at another inland site; Lough Gur in Co. Limerick.

At least two of today's birds were juveniles.  The third bird may also have been a juvenile, however I didn't manage to get a clear enough view of it to determine its age. 

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron, first confirmed at Belcarra, Co. Mayo on 26/5/2024, has got to be one of the most spectacular firsts for the Irish list.  It is believed to have been in the area for a number weeks prior to confirmation of its identification.  It has proved to be a most reliable and confiding bird.

The bird appears to be well acclimatised to its new surroundings and has been seen catching and eating crayfish in the Manulla River regularly.  It would appear to be a third calendar year bird based on the presence of a few immature wing coverts.  

Previous records of this species on this side of the Atlantic have been largely confined to the Azores so its very much a new species in north west Europe.  It's largely a migratory species in America, breeding in along the east coast as far north as New England and south to Florida and west to Texas.  It's wintering range extends from South Carolina down to tropical America.  There has been much speculation about its arrival in this part of the world.  It may well have arrived in Europe in mid September 2023 as part of the unprecedented of influx of American vagrants driven by Hurricane Lee.

Common Rosefinch

 The visit to Inishbofin Island on 16/10/23 also provided an opportunity to catch up with some other interesting birds including a Common Rosefinch and an American Wigeon.