Buff breasted Sandpiper on the Loop

 I tried to see this bird a few days back but got rained off the headland in a storm, but its stuck around all week tempting for me, 

I hadnt seen one in a few years and a late afternoon visit was well worth the drive down as the Buff Sand (once found)  put on a show running around the grasses picking Crane fly while keeping a short distance from myself.

Buff-breasted Sandpipers in the mist.

A few of my children were arriving on the afternoon Ferry at Rosslare from there summer hols in Wales,which is great as I dont mind hanging out at Tacumshin for the day one bit.

A misty windy day..Its hammered rained through-out. I caught up with 3 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 6 Ruff,a handful of Water Rail including young and the usual birds that feed and roost on the shores of the lake.

"A day in a misty swamp"..

Buff breasted sandpiper and a pool of birds

After a spot of seawatching at the Bridges off Ross, the sun was out so a walk along the headland to see if i could find a Buff breasted Sandpiper that was seen a day or two earlier.
At the tip of Ross bay, a pool in a field was attracting several juvenile birds including Dunlin , Golden Plover, Ringed Plover, Curlew, Starlings and close by was the Buff breasted Sandpiper looking for Crane fly in the grass. Wheatear seemed to be everywhere , i saw at least 20

Buff breasted sandpiper looking for Crane fly

Buff breasted sandpiper and Ringed Plover

Dunlin

Wheatear

Buff breasted Sandpipers on Loop Head

A flock of 15 Buff breasted Sandpiper at Loop Head.
this total equals the previous record set for the largest flock seen in Europe, that of 15 seen on Scilly in 1974, a record that lasted about an hour as over 20 birds were seen in Wexford

The Fodry Loop Head

Walk through the grass fields of the Fodry, its barren and damp and open to the elements of the Atlantic ocean. 15 Buff breasted sandpiper search for insects in the fields with other waders, Wheaters on passage, and a few small flocks of local Chough that inhabit these clifftops,we also had a flock of  12 Lapland bunting and two Peregrines were calling.

Buff breasted sandpiper ,Lough donell

Buff breasted sandpiper with Dunlin

Ruff

Lough donell on a monday morning containing one Buff breasted sandpiper two Ruff and over 50 Snipe, nice to see a vagrant from the americas early in the season , a hard bird to see ,blends in well with the soroundings ,aggresive towards the Snipe