Female King Eider (and Black Brant) at Sandy Bay

First-year female King Eider, Sandy Bay, 12th February 2017 (Pepe Lehikoinen) 

(with thanks to Ed Carty).

Visiting Finnish birders found this bird just off the car park below the school at Castlegregory on Sunday last, identifying it as a first-year female. Pepe wrote, "It was a first-winter female based on the colouration (female) and very faint white wing bars (1cy)."

This is only the third record for Kerry, following the first, a female, at Dingle in January 2001, and another female at Ballinskelligs Pier in December 2011 (see post HERE and HERE).

First-year female King Eider, Sandy Bay, 12th February 2017 (Pepe Lehikoinen).

Despite searching since, it hasn't been seen again, but in such a huge bay, it might again pop up nearby.

The Black Brant, present since early January, was also seen in Sandy Bay, as were 7 Slavonian Grebes, off Lough Naparka.

Adult Black Brant, Sandy Bay, 14th February 2017 (M.O'Clery).

Pink Littoralis

Littoralis or Scandinavian Rock Pipit, Black Rock, 8th February 2017 (David O'Connor).

It's that time of year again, when some of the 'local' Rock Pipits start to pink up on the chin and breast, a few weeks before heading off back to Scandinavia to nest, leaving our own resident and pinkless Rock Pipits looking dowdier than ever by comparison.

Four ringing recoveries, all from Poland

Ringed Dunlin, Black Rock, December 2016, but ringed in Poland the previous autumn (David O'Connor).

David O'Connor photographed four ringed waders at Black Rock in December 2015 to December 2016 and was kind enough to send us the details. 

Extraordinarily, they were all ringed on different dates and years at the same location at the mouth of the Vistula River on the South Baltic coast, East of Gdansk, in Poland. The distance to Black Rock, in a straight line, is 1,900km.

Gdansk to Black Rock

As David writes, "The first three (Dunlin) were ringed on breeding grounds there (though I can't ascertain if they had bred) in 2013, 2015 and 2016 respectively. Interestingly, the last bird - a Curlew Sandpiper - was also ringed there during migration last autumn. One wonders if Kerry is at the end of some enormous east-west migration corridor that extends for at least 2000km. Where these birds arrived from on reaching the South Baltic and where they get to after leaving Kerry would also be really nice to know!"

Ringed Dunlin, Black Rock, 2016, also ringed in Poland (David O'Connor).

Ringed Dunlin, Black Rock, 2016, ringed in Poland (David O'Connor).

Ringed Curlew Sandpiper, Black Rock, December 2016, and another ringed at the same site in Poland the previous autumn (David O'Connor).

Ring-billed Gull, TBWC

Adult Ring-billed Gull, Tralee Bay Wetland Centre, Tralee, 6th February 2017 (Ed Carty).

One of four present at this site recently.

Adult Ring-billed Gull, Tralee Bay Wetland Centre, Tralee, 6th February 2017 (Ed Carty).

Black-throated Diver and Surf Scoters

Black-throated Diver with Common Scoter, Ballinskelligs Bay, 28th January 2017 (Pat McDaid).

Some of the few, or perhaps even the ONLY photos of Black-throated Diver ever to be taken in The Kingdom. Alhtough a regular but scarce winter visitor to certain parts of Ireland such as Galway Bay, it is actually a good bit rarer than Surf Scoter in Kerry, averaging only one to three claims per winter in recent years.

Black-throated Diver, Ballinskelligs Bay, 28th January 2017 (Pat McDaid).

Black-throated Diver, Ballinskelligs Bay, 28th January 2017 (Pat McDaid).

Male and female Surf Scoter, Ballinskelligs Bay, 28th January 2017 (Pat McDaid).

Long-tailed Ducks, Ballinskelligs Bay, 4th February 2017 (Pat McDaid).

Birding South Africa

If you need a break from a dull, wet and windy winter day in Kerry, take a look at some of the birds photographed recently in sunny South Africa.

Ostriches, Penguins, Flamingoes and lots of other glamorous stuff. And not a single gull photo or Littoralis Rock Pipit photo to spoil the mood.

Have a look on this page HERE

Surf Scoters at Waterville

Male Surf Scoter, Reenroe, Ballinskelligs Bay, 18th January 2017 (Pat McDaid)

Male and female Surf Scoter with Common Scoter, Reenroe, Ballinskelligs Bay, 18th January 2017 (Pat McDaid)

Male Surf Scoter, Reenroe, Ballinskelligs Bay, 18th January 2017 (Pat McDaid)

Male Surf Scoter, Reenroe, Ballinskelligs Bay, 18th January 2017 (Pat McDaid)

Black Brant, Sandy Bay

Adult Black Brant, Sandy Bay, 29th January 2017 (M.O'Clery).

Adult Black Brant, Sandy Bay, 29th January 2017 (M.O'Clery).

This bird has an injured right leg, resulting in a slight limp.

Glaucous Gull, Brandon bay

Glaucous Gull, Kilcummin, 11th January 2017 (D.O'Connor).

Iceland Gull, Black Rock

First-winter Iceland Gull, Black Rock, 6th January 2017 (Kilian Kelly).

First-winter Iceland Gull, Black Rock, 6th January 2017 (Kilian Kelly).