Having never been birding before in Ireland I wasn't sure what to expect, particularly down in the south-west and County Kerry. With habitat such as estuary, bog, fen and mountain ranges it's hard to believe that species such as Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard and Barn Owls for example are extremely scarce! In fact the most likely Owl you'll come across in this neck of the woods is a Long-eared Owl, and even then being almost completely nocturnal your best chance of seeing one is in your car headlamps! Having said that it's nice to see other species such as
Red-billed Chough and
Hooded Crow on our travels thus far.
 |
| Two Black Redstart on our travels today at Baile an nGall |
After breakfast, where once again I spent time going through rafts of
Common Scoter offshore Dee and I continued exploring the amazing coastline, coves and bays. We had a nice find at Baile an nGall, when a couple of
Black Redstarts were showing very well. With the sea still almost flat calm there was little movement but once again we came across a couple of
Great Northern Loon. At one stage while walking along a cliff top we heard the unmistakable calls of
Whooper Swans but never quite managed to connect.
 |
| Nice to see lots of Greenshank - Still looking for those yellow legs!! |
 |
| Dee close up and personal with this gorgeous Kestrel! |
 |
| Rock Pipits are a constant companion! |
