Northern Harrier hybrid

Over the last two summer breeding seasons we have had a male Northern Harrier Circus hudsonis cross breeding with a female Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus at an undisclosed site in County Clare. Over the two seasons the pair have successfully raised and fledged five offspring. I managed to locate one of this years juveniles at the Shannon Airport Lagoon on 14th October 2026, where it has been making an odd appearance ever since. Here are a few shots of this immature bird from the lagoon.

Immature hybrid Northern x Hen Harrier at Shannon Airport Lagoon John N Murphy

Adult male Northern Harrier, father to immature bird above John N Murphy

Isabelline Wheater

I was in Dungarvan, Waterford on Monday 9th November and made the effort to go walk out along the sandy spit called the Cunnigar where a few days earlier local birder Daniel Weldon had found an Isabelline Wheatear feeding in the sand dunes midway out. The day was not as still, calm or sunny as the previous few days, but nevertheless the bird was still present and along with a visiting friend Saul Herrera from Costa Rica, we both managed to grab a few snaps. This was a first Irish tick for me and delighted to have caught up with it as I had dipped on a few previous birds.

Isabelline Wheatear in Dungarvan John N Murphy

White-rumped Sandpipers

Waders have been scarce thus far this autumn and winter. I've visited Seafield Beach, Quilty on numerous occasions so far over the past month but numbers were low till my visit last Wednesday 13th November 2024, where large groups of waders were feeding on the rising tide. I managed to pick out two north American White-rumped Sandpipers a juvenile and adult along with one immature Little Stint. These were the 11th & 12th county records of this rare Trans-Atlantic visitor.

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper © John N Murphy

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper © John N Murphy

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper © John N Murphy

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper © John N Murphy

Juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper © John N Murphy

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper © John N Murphy

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper © John N Murphy

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper © John N Murphy

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper © John N Murphy

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper © John N Murphy

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper with Dunlin © John N Murphy

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper with Dunlin © John N Murphy

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper with Turnstone © John N Murphy

Cattle Egrets

When I was growing up in the 1970's and 80's , I never thought I'd see the day that Cattle Egrets would be a regular visitor to Ireland. I remember in the 1990's travelling to Rostellan in Cork with my nephew Tomas to see Irelands first Cattle Egret on a beef farm, where the bird in question was spending his time walking around under the feet of a bull, picking out worms disturbed by the heavy beast and occasionally jumping up on his back for a rest and a free ride when he got tired.  Nowadays, Cattle Egrets are no longer a rare visitor to Ireland, and every young birders ticks at least one off their list annually. I've been lucky here on the west coast to have found the first four county records and a following three more with these two birds recently turning up in fields along the bog road at Loop Head on 15th and 16th October. It was funny when I look back on it, as one of our younger birders with me that day James, had never seen a Cattle Egret in Ireland, before but had just returned from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, where he had photos of Cattle Egrets sitting on the backs of Water Buffalo. Oh how times have changed.

Cattle Egrets at Kilbaha, October 2024 © John N Murphy

Glossy Ibis

This Glossy Ibis was found on 5th & 6th October at Islandavanna by Chris Cullen a local birder to this area. It spent two days foraging in a wet and newly re-seeded field before moving on. I managed to get there on the second day and snap the following series of shots.

There have been 11 Clare records to date involving 15 birds.

Here are the previous sightings.

1857: One in the Burren prior to this date.

1902: One at Lahinch on 27^th October.

1906: One on 9^th September and one on the coast on 2^nd October.

2008: One at Willow Park on the Fergus River, Ennis from 23^rd to 25^th August.

2010: One was at the Shannon Airport Lagoon on 27^th August. Two were at Lough Gash, Newmarket-on-Fergus from 8^th to 10^th July.

2016: Two were at Lahinch Marsh from 5^th to 14^th January. One was at Ballyvelaghan Lough, New Quay on 23^rd January. Two were at Lough Erinagh, Ennis from 13^th February to 9^th March.

2017: One juvenile was at Kilbaha, Loop Head from 7^th to 12^th October.

2018: One flying west near Sandfield, Liscannor on 8^th January.

2022: One was near the Clare/Limerick boarder at Cooney on 21^st June.

Immature Glossy Ibis at Islandavanna © John N Murphy

Common Eider in Kilkee

It's not the first time Eiders have turned up in Kilkee Bay, but it is the first time they made an appearance in the height of summer. Immature Eiders have turned up in Kilkee in the past during October or winter. On a few occasions in the past birds have appeared in summer off Scattery Island near Kilrush or in Galway Bay near Deer Island, but to have this pair of moulting, eclipsed birds is very unusual. They were found by Dixie Collins hauled out on the rocks near the west end of the Strand on 22nd June. I checked for them twice again yesterday but they seemed to have moved off. 

Pair of Common Eider at Kilkee © John N Murphy

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Ireland's first Yellow-crowned Night Heron a rare North American vagrant was found in Belcarre Mayo on 26th May 2024. I didn't make it up to Mayo that evening as I was heading out to Iceland early the following morning for a weeks work. One week later when I returned home I was delighted to see that the bird had hung around in the Manulla River, behind the Community Hall at Belcarre. So on Tuesday 4th June I shot up and got great views with a few shots attached. It's a long time since I've seen this heron species in the southern states. Great bird and brilliant find.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron in Mayo © John N Murphy