Little Gull

This second year Little Gull was feeding within a group of Common and Arctic Terns along the beach front at Quilty village.  Not great shots, the bird was a small bit distant.

Little Gull © John N Murphy

Great Northern Diver

This Great Northern Diver almost in full summer plumage was one of 12 birds seen off the pier at Seafield this evening.

Summer plumaged Great Northern Diver © John N Murphy

Purple Sandpiper

I was back at Seafield and Quilty on the mid Clare coast this evening after work to see if the winds had blown any stray birds off migration course. There were 100 Barnacle Geese on Mutton Island.  Hundreds of Manx Shearwaters were heading in a south westerly direction on the far side of Mutton Island, while 50 or so Sandwich Terns we finding throughout the sea around Seafield.  There were still a few wading birds on the beach and 30 Purple Sandpipers were feeding an the rocky outcrops.

 Purple Sandpipers at Seafield © John N Murphy

Turnstones © John N Murphy

Slow Spring

As regular visitors to my site can see, it has been weeks since I last updated any pictures or info on trips that I have made around the country.  I have manged to get out most weekends but have not had the chance to do much photography.  I was in Skerries for the Bonaparte's Gull a couple of weeks ago and managed to clock up on the same day Eiders and a fantastic looking drake Surf Scoter of Ben Head in County Meath.  I have been to Wexford on a couple of occasions and this weekend I made it to the Great Saltees my first trip of the year where I was lucky enough to find a male firecrest and see Short-eared Owl and other common migrants.  Tacumschin also produced Northern, Marsh and Hen  Harriers, I got a few Black Redstarts at Hook Head and Carnsore Point.  I eventually got to see one Slavonian Grebe off Curraghcloe and saw another first-year male Surf Scoter off Rosslare, along with Velvets, a pair of Eiders and a Long-tailed Duck.  Hopefully I will get some better shots over the coming weeks of Spring once the temperatures rise to normal for this time of the year. We can only hope for a good warm southerly wind would be more than welcome to push the odd rarity northwards and then hope that it happens on a weekend.

Black Redstarts male & female at Hook Head © John N Murphy

Distant record shots of the Bonaparte's Gull in Skerries, Dublin © John N Murphy

Chiffchaff ,one of 25 to 30 feeding along the landing beach on Great Saltee © John N Murphy

Male Wheatear, Great Saltee Island © John N Murphy

Morocco

 Moussier's Redstart, a speciality of Morocco © John N Murphy

Saturday 16th February and we departed Dublin at 15.30 in the afternoon for our four hour flight  to Agadir.  I had visited North Africa about 20 years previous taking in Tunisia and the Sahara.  This trip I was hoping to add a few species to my list that I did not catch up with the last time I visited this region.

Agadir © John N Murphy

For the first few days, birding took a back seat as a bit of R&R was done.  On Monday 18th seabirds were very evident along the shore and bay of Agadir, where there was one Manx Shearwater, one Audoiun's and Slender-billed Gulls, one Arctic Skua, 20-30 European Storm Petrels and a Wilson's Storm Petrel that I picked out feeding on the waves in the middle of Agadir Bay.

 Slender-billed Gull at Agadir © John N Murphy

On Tuesday a trip to Marrakech brought us over the Atlas Mountains and onto the high plateaus where there were lots of Black and White-crowned Black Wheatears.  Also on route were many larks and few pipits.  In Marrakech there were Pallid Swifts, Black Kites, White Storks, Laughing Dove and many small passerines in the parks and groves around this region.

 Spotless Starlings © John N Murphy

Crested Lark © John N Murphy

Laughing Dove © John N Murphy

Common Bulbul © John N Murphy

On the 21st & 22nd February I hired a car and spent a day in the Sous Massa National Park about one hour south of Agadir.  Here there were lots of good birds including many Moussier's Redstarts, Yellow Wagtails, Tree Pipit, Cetti's, Fan-tailed, Reed, Subalpine, Sardinian, Wood and Willow Warblers, Plain Martins, Spanish Sparrows, Firecrest and many more.  Here I also got to catch up with the Black-crowned Tchagra, a species new to me along with the M Redstart.

Sous Massa © John N Murphy

 Moussier's Redstarts © John N Murphy

 Yellow Wagtail © John N Murphy

White Wagtail © John N Murphy

Male Sardinian Warbler © John N Murphy

Black-crowned Tchagra © John N Murphy

Common Sandpiper at Sous River © John N Murphy

Lesser Short-toed Lark © John N Murphy

Thekla Lark © John N Murphy

Spoonbills migrating North © John N Murphy

Raven & Black Kite © John N Murphy

 Southern Grey Shrike © John N Murphy

The coast near Cape Rhir, Morocco © John N Murphy

Red Squirrel

I stopped for a few minutes this morning at the Curraghchase in Limerick on my way to work to see could I get a few shots of the Hawfinches.  One bird was present in the trees around the car park of the Curraghchase, but I was delighted to get a few snaps of the Red Squirrels that were feeding on the ground in the same area where the finches were coming down to feed.

Red Squirrels at the Curraghchase © John N Murphy