Category Archives: Scarce & Rare Bird Sightings

One Chiffchaff and one Blackcap were singing at Applewood, Ballycar.
Three Wheatears were at Chimney Bay, Kilkee.

One male and one female Wheatear were at the Blue Pool, Killard, Doonbeg. These are the first recorded in Clare this year.
There were large numbers of Skylarks nesting in Shragh Bog, along with Snipe and one pair of Ravens as well.

One adult male Ring-necked Duck was at Lough Atedaun (Conor Foley).
A drake and hen Velvet Scoter were at Doughmore Bay, Doonbeg (Conor Foley).
There were eight Black-throated Divers off the Rine.
Another on Black-throated Diver and four Sandwich Terns were off Finvarra.
One male Blackcap was sining at Applewood, Ballycar, Newmarket-on-Fergus.

One first-winter Velvet Scoter was off the Rine, Ballyvaughan (Brian Finnegan, John N Murphy, Austin Cooney et al). Also off the Rine and in Ballyvaughan Bay were 38 Black-throated Divers, 30 Great Northern Divers, one second-winter Iceland Gull, one first-summer Little Gull, one Sandwich Tern, 120 Common Scoter, 200 Brent Geese, 50 Bar-tailed Godwits, 44 Red-breasted Mergansers and 60 Wigeon.

Five Crossbills and a Woodcock were at Gortcoirce.
There were eight Little Egrets at Ballyallia Lake, Ennis.
A flock of 46 Whooper Swans were at Ballygireen, Newmarket-on-Fergus.
Two Water Rails were at Ballycar Lough.