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..

Wilsons Phalarope

A good day catching up with this Wilsons Phalarope at Tacumshin.

A very rare bird to get to see, the last one seen here was 9 years ago.

The bird seemed to favour Forgotten corner, but due to amounts of jumpy Redshank was very difficult to get close enough for any decent photography.

But a great watch of this non stop Phalarope action as its spun around Swans, Godwits and Knot and didnt seem intimidated by the larger birds.

Wilsons Phalarope, SemiP & Pectoral Sandpiper

With not much movement of birds out west here in Clare and with a day off and the promise of good weather I Twithed and hit the road at 4am and headed across country to Tacumshin Wexford , not long after 7am I was wading through the swamp.
I caught up with two local lads KG & AMcM who were looking at a Pectoral Sandpiper on the east side and we headed out past the Patches to find the Wilsons Phalarope up in the Forgotten corner. A Marsh Harrier past over the reeds
On my way back I got good views of the Semipalmated Sandpiper and easy 10 Curlew Sandpiper.
And that was just up to 10;30 am

Pectoral Sandpiper

Star of the show the Wilsons Phalarope

SemiP in with Dunlin

Curlew Sandpipers a little deeper than the Dunlin

Ruff

After mid day I did a short spell along the eastside,came back and headed over to The Forgotten corner from the other side,
I easily approached looked over the reeds to see the Wilsons Phalarope on a small mud patch with a stack of Redshank and Knot, not exactly what you want due to Redshank panic attacks, add the back light and WaterRails pig squeeling around me and Peregrine Bombs it was some challenge to obtain shots.