October seemed to be petering out quietly until this Isabelline Shrike popped up in front of me at Knockadoon Head. Less than 15 Irish records I guess.

No Nearctic passerines or waders on Mizen Head today, this juvenile Rosy Starling was some consolation.

It took several hours of searching to connect with one of the juvenile Bairds Sandpipers at Ballycotton yesterday. So to find an adult shortly after was surprising. 1980 seems to be the last time 3 were at one site in Ireland. Finishing the day on Dursey Island merely seems bizarre by comparison.

Epic seawatching off the Bridges of Ross today. 2 South Polar Skuas, 2 Desertas type Petrels - one self found (video by Brian Mccloskey). 6 Wilson’s Petrels, ‘000s Cory’s, small nos Sootys, & Great Shearwaters etc, a Sunfish, leaping Tuna, Bottlenose Dolphins

The Cork Bird Report 2019-23 is published today at doi.org/10.5281/zeno... and will be here birdwatchcork.com/publications/ also. Plenty of photos, charts and tables. Cork Ringing Report and urban breeding gulls in Cork etc. Free to all, enjoy

This looks like well worth catching up with in February.

Mark Lewis@fatpaulscholes.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Christmas can be an expensive time of year, so how about something for free? The @scottishbirding.bsky.social and Scottish Birds Records Committee are hosting a FREE online conference over the evenings of February 24th to the 26th. Three talks per night and some real belters among them.

The view from Seven Heads, Cork. Sadly I messed up the digiscoping effort for the Soft plumaged Petrel past Seven Heads, Cork at 10.52 this morning but thrilled the lads on Galley Head got it nearly an hour later. Persistence pays off for seawatching

Ireland’s third Isabelline Wheatear was showing very well over the border in Dungarvan this morning. Hopefully have something more colourful to post tomorrow from west Cork.

Currently looking at research on Woodpigeons in Ireland. They are the most commonly struck (by aircraft) large bird at Dublin Airport. Strikes generally occur in the evening and hit the starboard engine mostly. An interesting added complexity to consider when choosing your flight and seat.

In the absence of many birds I’ve gone to the dark side and started moth trapping as part of the Farmer moth monitoring program with the NBDC. One of the more striking species is Blood Vein of which I seem to have a good population of.

A great June seawatch off Galley Head today with 13 Wilson’s storm petrels. The 2nd highest count from land in Cork I think. Also good numbers of Cory’s and one of 7 Great Shearwaters below.

Russian White fronted Goose at Kilcolman fen in north Cork a few days ago. About the 7th county record per The Birds of County Cork.

An incredible arrival of Hoopoes into Co Cork today with at least 30 new birds being found, so far. I saw 4 of which this was the most obliging.

Finally got in on the Hoopoe action today with this bird at Guileen village.

Currently writing the Stock Dove account for the forthcoming Birds of Ireland, so this obliging bird today was a nice reminder of how underrated the species is. And as I’ve discovered how little studied they are in Ireland.

Possibly up to 1000 Barn Owls are killed on roads in Ireland every year. This one this morning near Midleton. A female I’m guessing though open to correction.

Both male Northern Harriers that had been in Wexford earlier in the autumn turned up in east Cork, a movement of over 100km, during November and December but have now moved on. I wonder where they will breed next summer.

The Yellow crowned Night Heron in Mayo last May was lucky to find a river with Crayfish as they are rapidly disappearing from rivers countrywide due to plague. An Ark population has now been established at Fota wildlife park to hopefully secure the species’ future in case they go extinct in the wild

Corn Bunting went extinct in Ireland in the mid 1990s with only a handful of records since then. I took this photo at Ballycotton in 1992. Incredibly I can only find one or two other photos of a Corn Bunting taken in Ireland, which is one reason why this photo is so bad.

An incredible Harrier fest at Ballyvergan marsh this evening with four species present. Juvenile Pallid, male Northern and Marsh Harriers pictured. Pics by Michael Jones. #Harriers

There has been a noticeable uptick in Marsh Harrier numbers in Ireland this year, especially of males which have always been far scarcer than females. Presumably they’re from the expanding UK population. Hopefully more breeding attempts might be imminent since the last in 2020

BC_Gemma@bcgemma.bsky.social · 2y ago

Delighted to spot this stunning male Marsh Harrier near home recently. #birds

I found this 2cy male Northern Harrier yesterday and confirmed today. Always distant I suspect it’s a returning bird after a presumed juvenile last winter which was even more distant (the only photo taken of that attached). Possibly it’s even one of the birds from Wexford earlier in the autumn.

As reported by others for Dark bellied Brents there wasn’t a single juvenile amongst C120 Pale bellied Brent’s this morning at Youghal. I’ve seen very low numbers of juvs in the past but not sure I’ve ever seen zero

Challenging conditions at Ballycotton this morning but with arrivals elsewhere it wasn’t a complete surprise to come across this juv White rumped Sandpiper. A juvenile American golden Plover 100m away may have been new also

The long staying American golden Plover at Clonakilty was having trouble staying upright during Storm Ashley this morning, as indeed was I. Seawatching was a bit disappointing off Galley head earlier with about 40 large Shearwaters

Iberian Chiffchaff (pictured) Dusky Warbler and 4 or 5 Yellow broweds in west Cork today and what looks like a still from The Usual Suspects

A nice treat at Ballycotton today with this sleepy Long billed Dowitcher sitting tight when everything else flew off. Only the second I’ve found, the first was about 50 metres away in, gulp, 1993.

My first Yellow browed warbler in two years checking me out. One of 10 on Mizen Head today. All of them very skulking.

An immature White tailed Eagle on what seems to be a favourite perch for the species on Capel Island off Knockadoon head east Cork

Some of the thousands of Great Shearwaters passing the Bridges of Ross last Tuesday. Uncountable numbers passing at times and almost all gone by 9 am. It’s thought they were a huge flock that roosted overnight, maybe in Galway bay, and moved off after dawn.