Red breasted Flycatcher

With this juvenile Red breasted Flycatcher being small and elusive in a no entry garden, Drizzle and showers & 4 kids in the car I didnt believe I would see this bird let alone get a photo or two .Fifteen  patient  minutes watching and I spotted it from the road just in the area where John Murphy said I would see it
 Gerry the owner of the field next to the garden gave me permission to to use the field to help me find the bird, a few psshts and the bird showed a bit better..
Gibsons garden ,Kilbaha

Redwings at the lighthouse

For a few days masses of Thrushes came down on islands and Headlands throughout Ireland and the UK.
Loop head was no different, Always a day late I took to searching the walls of the lighthouse.
Redwings,Fieldfare, Mistle thrush and Blackbirds were tired and injured birds were using the walls and thick grass for shelter.
Feathers were all over the headland...There must of been a lot of birds here a day or two ago...evidence that the Raptors came aswell , plus I did not see a Merlin today, id say they`ve fed well.

Great northern Divers

Two Great northern Divers were feeding up in the shallows at Seafield beach.. Our winter birds arriving to there feeding grounds.
The juvenile was calling to the adult bird...A small howling to listen too on a quiet beach...

A west swell

With minimal surf on the westside for the last 8 months ..A strong west swell lets you know where your fitness is..Aches and cramps after that sesh.

Spotted Sandpiper

The Spotted Sandpiper at Moyasta was found the same date as my last blog...for a few days i had been wondering where i was going to find time to see this bird.
So a 97 km detour on the way to work it was, with 30 mins of time to hopefully find the bird..
I came up trumps and i went to work with a clearer mind and wet feet!

AGP at Loop Head

An early morning start at and around the lighthouse before the storm was quiet, just a fly over honking Barnacle goose and a Peregrine were to be seen . Murf and Finbar arrived and a tame Snow Bunting gave a show.A walk and search across the bog on the south side of the headland produced my first American Golden Plover of the year than had joined a flock of about 40 Golden Plover..

Snow Bunting

A very tame Snow Bunting was near the entrance to Loop Head lighthouse, the bird kept moving around us and wasnt bothered a bit ,sometimes hoping just passed our feet

Sunrise at Seafield

First light at Seafield had a wet autumn feel..a few waders were along the shoreline, but again not the one im looking for.
A Merlin was around and a fine pair of Choughs.
Just before the rain storm a surprising Gyr falcon buzzed the Turnstones next to the harbour, the bird had what seemed to be a tassle trailing from talons ..fast and gone ..Probable escaped bird ,

Works out the bird has been seen a few times over the last  4 years.

Chough

Dunlin

Merlin

Shorebirds

Birds from the boat

guillemot

Great Skua

Inisheer

gannets

It was good to be at sea , I tend to function better. Off the Aran island , plenty of Guillemots, Shags ,Black guiellmots and Kittiwake, we saw 3 Great skua and 2 Pomarine skua which was a bonus  , Dusty the  Dolphin was in Doolin harbour

The road to Dun Aonghus

Off the ferry on the Isle of Inishmore , we have 3.5 hours till the return ferry, we collected our bikes and cycled over to Don Aonghus  , the cycle back was nice with a pub stop off at Joe Wattys , ..hense not much luck on the bird finding.

Crab Island waves

Crab doing its thing on a fresh Sw swell , Photos are taken from the Aran ferry

Snow Bunting

A few hours of hanging in the gales around the headland fields I came across a pair of Snow Buntings among the stones of the Fodry headland , they were busy birds picking seed from small patches of heather and grasses , a very fitting habitat for these Buntings .

Windy Headland Birding

Loop Head

Kittiwake (juv)

Meadow Pipit

Rock Dove (leaucistic)

Wheatear

 Walking the headland bog in a 50mph SW wind made for some hard work in the soggy soil without a lot to see.
Meadow Pipits are all over the headland as well a few small a few flocks on Golden Plover that were dealing with the wind ,some Wheatear still remain to pass through.
The search goes on.....