Things are warming up nicely for the Autumn with a Red-necked Stint, a Wilson's Phalarope and a Buff Breasted Sandpiper in Wexford in the past days, a Black Tern  in Sandymount not to mention the wonderful seabirds off the west coast.( check with Bins for the latest and to to see if they are still around). Now the Mystery bird below!! We know waders can be difficult : 90% of people who responded got it wrong including the Editor of this website!!! This means that you need to join us on the Tolka Branch outings this Autumn to hone your skills!! We look forward to seeing you. Eric will give the answer in the next few days! 

30 August, 2007
1 juvenile Black Tern at Sandymount in the Tern flock (c.1800 birds), at 19.30 hrs.HD

27 August , 2007
At Sandymount 1 Adult Yellow- legged Gull, C. 2000 Terns ( very mobile and unsettled probably due to local Peregrine harrasment!)  At Sandycove 44 Mediterranean Gulls present at 15.15.HD

Sunday 26 August, 2007
At Sandycove at lunchtime today there were 66 Mediterranean Gulls present.HD This is the highest number ever reported to us.

Saturday 25 August, 2007
A Peregrine Falcon was hunting over Henry Street/Jervis Street early this morning. LB

24 August , 2007
A Buzzard was seen in Tyrellstown, Dublin 15 this evening.AR

22 August, 2007
Over 9000 Terns are roosting on Sandymount Strand these evenings.OM  Its a spectacular sight to see such large numbers of birds coming in to roost in a short time frame. Dont miss the show!. 

 Sunday 19 August, 2007
At Kilcoole this evening, typical late summer birds were very much in evidence with good numbers of Pied Wagtails, Linnets, Grey Herons, Little Grebes and moulting Mallard present in Webb's field along with 34 Cormorants, an eclipse Wigeon, 6 Little Egrets, 6+Teal, a Whimbrel and a Stock Dove. A female type Merlin and a juvenile male Sparrowhawk were seen several times harrasing the waders and a juvenile Hen Harrier flushed a flock of 19 Little Egrets from the rough field behind the Breaches!!! The roosting wader flock on the beach consisted of 80+ juvenile Dunlin, c.55 Ringed Plover and 4 Turnstones. NTK

Sean Geraty sent us this photo above of a young Goldfinch. On the right are the bird's parents which Sean sent us in March.  This is a tricky time of year with lots of juvenile birds around perplexing many of us!!

16 August, 2007
2 Buzzards were seen today today over the Regency Hotel, Drumcondra.AR

Sunday 12 August, 2007
Both Black-tailed Godwits and Bar-tailed Godwits were present in very good numbers on the Bull Island  this morning. Also during the day there were  29 Little Egrets. ( big number !!)  4 Greenshank, 3 Shoveler, and 8 Great Crested Grebes were seen off the beach.BMG At Rogerstown this morning the Lesser Yellowlegs was still present together with a Green Sandpiper.ED There was a small flock of Golden Plover in stunning summer plumage, 10 Grey Plover, good numbers of Redshank, Black-tailed Godwits and a few Greenshank. Also 1 Little Egret and 1 Merlin. At Swords among the Redshank and summer plumaged Dunlin there was 1 Curlew Sandpiper. LB Dundalk Bay total of 24,287 birds in already, pretty good for this time of year. Oystercatchers totalled 10,606, followed by Black-headed Gulls (4,102), Black-tailed Godwits (2,517), and Redshanks (2,478). 930 Mallard and 652 Curlews were high totals for the species there.OM

Saturday 11 August , 2007
Pectoral Sandpiper was found at Booterstown today. Up to 54 Mediterranean Gulls were seen at Sandycove, c.10 with colour rings . SH

8 August, 2007
A Long-eared Owl was seen at 10pm this evening at Tolka Valley Park, Mulhuddart. AR

Buzzards over Rogerstown, John Fox

6 August, 2007
At Rogerstown today the Lesser Yellowlegs was still  there.Good numbers of  Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Dunlin, Black-headed Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, smaller numbers of Greenshank, Shellduck, and Shoveler, 3 Little Egrets, 3 Grey Herons, 2 Grey Plover (1 Mature 1 immature,) a Ruff, 2 Buzzards,  2 Kestrels and a Female Sparrowhawk. A Long- eared Owl and Green Sandpiper were heard but not seen. JF At Swords there was another Ruff and a Little Gull. ED 7 Kestrels and  one female Sparrowhawk were spotted at Glenmalure Co. Wicklow. AR

31 July, 2007
Today at Swords there was one Ruff, 2 summer plumaged Knot and lots of Dunlin. Meanwhile at Rogerstown there was another Ruff, a Green Sandpiper and 3 Buzzards. ED This evening in Dublin Bay between Fairview Park & East Point Business Park a Kingfisher was seem flying under the arches at East Point Business Park Bridge. There were several Common Sandpiper on the mudflats and mainly newly arrived Black-Tailed Godwits (with brick-red breeding plumage) and some Curlew. Plenty of juvenile Linnets also present.JG

One of the Bushy Park Sparrowhawks. Shay Connolly

Sunday 29 July 2007
At the lower pond in Bushy Park today there were 3 Sparrowhawks ( see photo of above) and 1 Kingfisher. SC

27 July, 2007
A non-breeding plumaged Black Tern was seen amongst the roosting terns at Sandymount Strand this evening. NK

Common Tern, Grand Canal Dock, 28 July. John Fox  

25 July, 2007
At Rogerstown  this evening there were 3 Green Sandpipers in the pool to the left of the hide, the Lesser Yellowlegs  and 1 Ruff with the 'shanks on the rising tide. DOM

Feast you eyes on this Beauty! Adult Mediterranean Gull in sunny Sandymount on Saturday. Eric Dempsey

Saturday 21 July, 2007
Up to 5 adult Mediterranean Gulls in fields and along the shore at Bremore, Balbriggan. 2 adult Little Gulls still at Swords, as well an adult Curlew Sandpiper. AK The photo above was one of  31 Mediterranean Gulls  present (20 adults, 5 2nd smrs, 5 1st smrs and a fresh juv) at Sandycove today. ED 

19 July, 2007
Counts in Dundalk Harbour, Marsh South, Blackrock and Lurgangreen North and South produced  9,654 waterbirds, which is pretty good for late July. Over 6,000 of them were gulls, mainly Black-headed. And there was one Ruff (male).A dusk count at Sandymount Strand. 5,764 birds altogether, with 3,445 Black-headed Gulls and 1,320 terns (all/most Common).So the autumn is really getting into full swing. In Bray 110 Swifts were wheeling overhead, preparing to depart within the next few days..... OM

Common Terns with eggs, Grand Canal Dock. John Fox 

18 July, 2007
One Peregrine Falcon was on the top ledge of the eastern side of the Central Bank on Dame Street at 7.15 this morning. Good views of this bird from the top of the Fleet Street car park in Temple Bar.LB  3 adult Mediterranean Gulls at Hampton Cove, Balbriggan . At
Rogerstown: Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Redshank (smr adult in moult), 2 Green Sandpipers, one adult  Mediterranean Gull and big numbers of returning Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin and lots of Greenshanks.ED

17 July , 2007
In Bushy Park, at least 1 juvenile Sparrowhawk calling with a pair of adults seen during a short cycle there this afternoon. 6 th year in a row that the juveniles have flegded between the 10th and 20th of July!!! No sign of the Dippers still, water very high, but a family of Grey Wagtails were around the main pond.RV Two Sparrowhawks seen together at 9:00pm in the Phoenix Park. DP

16 July, 2007
A Peregrine Falcon was hunting this evening (20.30) over Temple Bar creating havoc among 100+ newly arrived Gulls in the area.LB Tonight there was a  juvenile  Long Eared Owl calling in St Columbas college behind Marlay Park. RV Two Sparrowhawks  were seen in the Phoenix Park at 8.15pm. DP

 Saturday 14 July 2007
 A Lesser Yellowlegs was found by Paul Kelly at Rogerstown today. It was an excellent find as the bird was roosting with the Redshanks. It was later seen on the outer estuary at low tide. It is a 1st summer bird...is it the Broad Lough bird moved north?

 13 July, 2007
2 Storm Petrels still offshore at Bremore, Balbriggan tonight. Also 2 Arctic Skuas (pale and dark) on the sea and chasing Terns and Kittiwakes intermittently.AK

Spotted Flycatcher at Maynooth this week

12 July, 2007
4 Storm Petrels feeding offshore at Bremore, Balbriggan this evening on a mirror-like sea. AK This was a valuable opportunity to see these fabulous birds that seem to "walk on water" so close to the capital city. If you haven't seen them before just take a look at http://www.birdsireland.com/pages/rare_bird_news/2007/july_photos.html  where you will see the Storm Petrels " walking on water " in Nimmos Pier in Galway. They were also seen inshore at the harbour at Quilty, Co Clare earlier this week.LB  All this bad weather has brought some really good birds inshore so stop giving out about the weather!!! Get your skates on this weekend if you have not seen a Pacific Golden Plover. Eric had one of these dead cool birds in Wexford on Wednesday 11 July. They don't appear every year - or even every seven years !! Check BINs for updates. 

There was also a pod of c.6 Bottle-nosed Dolphins move slowly south off Bremore, some leaping right out of the water at times. AK

11 July, 2007
At the Bull Island this evening between the Causeway and the Wooden Bridge there was 1 Little Egret, 550 Black-tailed Godwits, 400 Curlew, 200 Redshank and 10 Dunlin and one Greenshank. LB 

9 July 2007
At Swords (Broadmeadow) this evening there was one adult Little Gull  also 3 Common Sandpipers, 60+ Redshank  and  1 adult Greenshank. DOM

Sunday 8 July, 2007
At Broad Lough today the Lesser Yellowlegs was still there also a Merlin, 4 Whitethroats, 3 Sedge Warblers, and 28 Little Egrets.BMG

Saturday 7 July, 2007
Lesser Yellowlegs was at Broadlough today.RV PL

Lesser Yellowlegs at Broadlough. Pat Lenihan

Sunday 1 July, 2007
7 Common Sandpiper and 10 Tree Sparrows were seen at Balbriggan. GF 2 Arctic Skuas (pale and dark) offshore on the water at Bremore, Balbrigan this morning, before flying south. AK At Howth Head, two very tame juvenile Kestrels were seen loafing around the
cliff walk. Presumably locally bred. All the regular breeding seabirds were still very much in evidence, as were Stonechats, Rock Pipits and House Martins. A mixed species flock of c.25+ sterna terns were feeding in Balscadden Bay. NTK

July Mystery Bird Solution   Thanks to all those who emailed us with the correct ID. You are all far too clever!! In case anyone is still in guessing mode Eric has helpfully annotated the features.