Glaucous Gull

1st winter Glaucous Gull, Brandon bay, 18th February 2016.

Dead Little Auk, Rossbeigh

Dead Little Auk, Rossbeigh Dunes, 15th February 2016 (M.O'Clery).

There were signs of a fox in the vicinity of this Little Auk corpse, though the unfortunate bird is perhaps more likely to have succumbed to starvation and/or disease due to the recent spate of storms. The auk had been dead for perhaps a week or so.

Dead Little Auk, Rossbeigh Dunes, 15th February 2016 (M.O'Clery).

Dead Little Auk, Rossbeigh Dunes, 15th February 2016 (M.O'Clery).

Kerry Barn Owl sets long distance record

A new record has been set for the longest recorded distance travelled by a juvenile Barn Owl within Ireland.

Unfortunately, the bird in question was found as a road casualty last Thursday on a dual carriageway near Derry, in Northern Ireland. It had been ringed as a chick on the 10th of July 2015 at a nest site near Farranfore, Co. Kerry, about 350 km distant, more than twice the previous record.

Barn Owl chick, one of four from the nest box near Farranfore, in July 2015 (M.O'Clery, under licence from NPWS).

More details on the Irish Raptor Blog HERE

Many thanks to Brian Hegarty for reporting the ringed Barn Owl.

All Barn Owl ringing is carried out under licence to NPWS and the BTO.

Yellow-browed Warbler, Ross castle

Yellow-browed Warbler, Ross Castle, 11th February, 2016 (D.Farrar).

Eastern Jackdaw, Rough Pt.

Eastern Jackdaw (right), Rough Point, 30th January 2015 (Michael O'Clery).

Eastern Jackdaw, Rough Point, 30th January 2015 (Michael O'Clery).

Eastern Jackdaw, Rough Point, 30th January 2015 (Michael O'Clery).

More photos of the Franklin's Gull

Franklin's Gull, Cashen Estuary, 28th January 2016 (David O'Connor).

Franklin's Gull, Cashen Estuary, 28th January 2016 (David O'Connor).

Franklin's Gull, Cashen Estuary, 28th January 2016 (David O'Connor).

Video of Glaucous Gull

First-winter Glaucous Gull at Inch beach, 27th January 2016, pecking at some unsavoury remains (Michael O'Clery).

(you can click the 'four arrows' symbol for a closer view)

Franklin's Gull - second Kerry record

Second winter Franklin's Gull, The Cashen, 26th January 2016 (Davey Farrar).

The second record for Kerry, after the first Irish record at Black Rock on 7th May 1993.

An adult Atlantic Gull, two Iceland Gulls and two Ring-billed Gulls were also present in and around the Cashen today.

Thank heaven for Little Gulls

Surely one of the prettiest of gulls, Little Gulls are scarce in Kerry, with usually fewer than 10 records a year. Most of these are seen on sea watches from headlands in autumn, but ones and twos are also occasionally seen at coastal sites in winter.

First-winter Little Gull, Rough Point, 25th January 2016 (Michael O'Clery).

 

First-winter Little Gull, Rough Point, 25th January 2016 (Michael O'Clery).

First-winter Little Gull, Rough Point, 25th January 2016 (Michael O'Clery).

Second winter Iceland Gull, Cashen Estuary, 25th January 2016 (Davey Farrar).

Second winter Iceland Gull, Cashen Estuary, 25th January 2016 (Davey Farrar).

Glaucous Gull, Inch beach, 25th January 2016 (Michael O'Clery).

Anyone who spends time watching gulls will realise sooner or later that there are some individuals which don't quite 'fit the mould', and here's one such Common Gull, present for several weeks now around Rough Point/Fahamore. At a distance, on the water (eg., bottom pic), it looks almost like a Sabine's Gull... close up, it looks like, well, a hooded Common Gull. The mantle colour is similar to the local Common Gulls, so it's not an eastern type. Perhaps just at the extreme dark end of the head markings. Mind you, the eye crescents look a little more prominent... hmmm... Anyone any thoughts on this?

Common Gull, Rough Point, 25th January 2016 (Michael O'Clery).

Common Gull, Rough Point, 25th January 2016 (Michael O'Clery).

Common Gull, Rough Point, 25th January 2016 (Michael O'Clery).

One such bird was flagged by Lee Evans in 2010 - see HERE, and another was on a Norwegian website from 2008 - see HERE

Glaucous Gull, Inch

First-winter Glaucous Gull, Inch beach, 24th January 2015 (Sean O'Callaghan).