Stilt Sandpiper

I struck it lucky on Friday (5/9/14) when business took me to Dublin and I got a chance to pick up a new life tick with the Stilt Sandpiper at Broadmeadows on the Swords Estuary.  The bird was first seen on the previous day (Thursday), hot on the heels of another Stilt Sandpiper found by Killian Mullarney in Wexford on Tuesday.  Assuming the Swords bird is a new bird, it is the 14th Irish record of this rare North American species.

The bird was very active and a bit nervous and it moved around quite a bit. The light conditions were not great making photography a bit of a challenge.  However the bird was quite well marked and seemed to be  in transition from adult summer to winter plumage.

Broadmeadows is good spot for getting close to waders and there was good selection there on Friday. Lapwing and Redshank are often very nervous and difficult to approach but these birds below were a bit more relaxed and approachable than normal.

Lapwing

Adult Lapwing

More Gulls

The exceptionally stormy weather brought large numbers and a good variety of Gulls to coastal areas in Ireland from Arctic regions this winter.  Smaller numbers penetrated further in land including a first winter Glaucous Gull in mid January here in Limerick City and a second winter Iceland Gull in early February. Glaucous Gulls have been relatively scarce in Limerick over the years, being out numbered over two to one  by Iceland Gulls.

First winter Glaucous Gull

Second winter Iceland Gull

The bad weather also brought in larger than normal numbers of Herring Gulls and a first winter Ring-billed Gull to the City, joining the long staying adult Ring-billed Gull.

First winter Ring-billed Gull (above) and first winter Common Gull (below) for comparison

The long staying adult Ring-billed Gull has spent at least the past five winters in Limerick City and it is most often found near the slipway at O'Callaghan's Strand.

Adult winter Ring-billed Gull

  

On a recent trip to Dublin I got an opportunity to see one of the rarer gulls that turned up in Ireland over the winter and pick up a new tick in the process, the second year Caspian Gull at Sean Walsh Park in Tallaght. It paid two short visits to the park while I was there but proved a bit tricky to photograph.

 Second year Caspian Gull

Ruff

I paid a quick visit to the Swords Estuary in Dublin last Saturday evening hoping to catch up with the juvenile Ruff that was giving good views there earlier in the week. I found the birds feeding along the southern shoreline at high tide.  It was quite confiding and did not seem to be bother by the constant stream of walkers close by.

Juvenile Ruff  ©Tom Tarpey

The inner estuary is a great place to get close to waders especially at high tide.  There were large flocks of Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit present as well as smaller numbers of Lapwing and Dunlin.  I also came across a juvenile Common Sandpiper and a lone Snipe keeping close by a boulder protruding through the mud.

Snipe ©Tom Tarpey

Common Sandpiper ©Tom Tarpey

Lapwing ©Tom Tarpey

Common Sandpiper

I was in Dublin last Friday (17/5/13) and paid a visit to Rogerstown Estuary in the afternoon. I was hoping to see the Short-eared Owl that was seen there the previous evening but it did not show up.   I had distant views of Red Kite and Buzzard but neither were in photo range.  There was a steady passage of Whimbrel through the area and a flock of about 25 Common Terns were roosting on the mudflats.  I also came across a Wheatear that had the curious habit of taking to the trees when flushed.

I then moved to the Swords Estuary at Broadmeadows. Here many of the birds were in photo range and I got good views of a lone Common Sandpiper, a nervous species that I have always found difficult to get close enough to for a good shot.

Common Sandpiper ©Tom Tarpey

There was also a flock of Black-tailed Godwits feeding close to road, a few of which were in summer plumage.  A few Common Terns were roosting near the Gull flock in the middle of the estuary. Resident birds included several pairs of Shelduck.

Black-tailed Godwit   ©Tom Tarpey

Common Terns  ©Tom Tarpey

Shelduck ©Tom Tarpey