Wilsons Phalarope and AGP at Doonbeg

 I had an hour or two left on a morning off , birding had been good coming down the coast, I made a decision  to go to Doonbeg to catch up with the American Golden Plover for the year that had been loitering all week.

Murf and Sean were at the roadside  , I got to see the AGP and had a quick chat with the lads before heading back up along the coast quite content with the mornings birding..

 Its that phone call  , turn the car around.. a Wilsons Phalarope has just been found on the beach at Doonbeg, I was only a few miles away so headed back where the Wilsons Phalarope (my 1st for Clare ) was on the shoreline with 4 Ruff and a Grey Phalarope..

American Golden Plover at Clahane

 Not a bit of wind this morning , seas were glassy and the tides were high. 

I wanted to see if any birds were on the reef roosts at Clahane.

 A few Curlews, Ringed Plover, Oystercatchers and an American Golden Plover that stood out in the small group of juvenile Golden Plover that were tucked in together on the reef top

As the tide was moving back quickly and  day moving in these birds made their way into the reef  for the day.

American Golden Plover at Clahane

 This AGP on the high tide roost at Clahane with Golden Plovers for most part of the week

AGP at the Fodry

  After battling my way through the lands of the Fodry with only a Buzzard, a flock of Chough and a Snow Bunting flit by ,I was glad to follow in the Golden Plover Flock in as they arrived on the headland calling and circling the fields. I made my way to slightly higher ground so I could get a scope on them, the  juvenile American Golden Plover was with them..

AGP on the Loop

Down in the Fodry at Loop Head on a windy showery morning can sometimes not be the best place to be.
 Plenty of Choughs ,Skylark and a few Wheatear about, but it took a while to find the Plovers.(deja vu).
The calls came as the Golden Plovers came to the Fodry from around the north of the hill.
They came down a few fields over so I trudged my way across the land to get some views.
The American Golden Plover was with them.

American Golden Plover ( furthest left) with Golden Plovers

AGP at Kilkee

This American Golden Plover has been hanging out on the shoreline at the SWcorner of Kilkee beach for over a week feeding around the rocks and seaweed with Sanderlings,Dunlin and Oystercatchers. Glad it stayed about for me to catch up with it.

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..

AGP & GP juv

GP

AGP

Traveling back from the bridges of ross i stopped at Doonbeg to see what was around. I spotted an Otter in the seaweed so i made my way across the reef, i lost the Otter but the AGP was still present and was joined by a juvenile Golden Plover

American Golden Plover

I was in hope of finding this American Golden Plover ,which was found a few days earlier around Doonbeg. The bird showed well for me .Not like the one i tried to photo last year,this bird was approachable to a certain distance, if you kept low on the stones!

AGP

A little jumpy rather nervous American Golden Plover shifts around the seaweed on a muddy estuary innlet, hard bird to approach and easily alarmed by the 15 Greenshank ,20 Redshank & a bunch of Curlew in the area
Moyasta-off the railway bridge