Category Archives: Scarce & Rare Bird Sightings

Saturday 19th September 2026

There were three Buff-breasted Sandpiper at the Plover Fields, Loop Head.(Jeff Copner)

Three Willow Warbler were at Senie Costelloe’s Garden, Kilbaha.(JC)

Two Chiffchaff were at Feeard.(Chris Cullen)

One Great Skua and six Sooty Shearwater were off the tip of Loop Head this morning.(CC)

An Arctic Tern was at Quilty Beach and three Curlew Sandpiper were at Seafield.(Charlie Lyons)

The Great White Egret was still at Lough Gash.(John N Murphy)


Friday 18th September 2026

A seawatch at Black Head between 07.20-17.40 produced 450 Cory’s Shearwater, 1000 Sooty Shearwater, 6000 Manx Shearwater, four Great Skua, three first winter Little Gull and two Pomarine Skua.(Paul Troake)

A seawatch at the Bridges of Ross between 12.00-14.30 produced 800 Sooty Shearwater, ten Great Skua, three Pomarine Skua, four Red-throated Diver, 1000 Manx Shearwater, 2000 Gannet and 20 Fulmar.(Geoff Pearson)

There was one colour ringed Oystercatcher at Carrigaholt(John N Murphy)

A first winter Mediterranean Gull and a Kingfisher were at Poulnasherry Bay.(JNM)


Thursday 17th September 2026

A Gloss Ibis and 80 Black-tailed Godwit were at Lough Atedaun.(Geoff Pearson)

At the Bridges of Ross 06:50-19:15 today there were four Wilson’s Petrels, 168 Leach’s Petrels, 17 European Storm Petrels, 58 Grey Phalaropes,
29 Sabine’s Gulls (all juveniles), 52 Cory’s Shearwaters, two Great Shearwaters, 605 Sooty Shearwaters, one adult Pomarine Skua, 12 juvenile Arctic Skuas, 32 Great Skuas, two Little Gulls, ten Puffin, 75 Arctic Terns, 94 Sandwich Terns, two Great Northern Diver , 14 Red-throated Divers, six Whimbrel and one Greenshank. (DP, AL, CC, BP, SH, DS)

Past the Fodry, Loop Head (0720-1740) there were approximately 450 Cory’s Shearwaters (mostly before 11am), 1,000 Sooties Shearwaters, 6,000 Manx Shearwaters (strongest passage after 4pm), four Great Shearwaters, three 1st-winter Little Gulls and two Pomarine Skuas. (Paul Troake)

A Sabine’s Gull was at Freagh Point near Green Island.(Jeff Copner)

There were four Curlew Sandpiper at Seafield. (John N Murphy)


Wednesday 16th September 2026

At Ross Ringing Station this afternoon between 15.00-17.00 there was one Wilson’s Petrel, six Leach’s Petrels, five juvenile Sabine’s Gulls, one first-winter Little Gull, 57 Sooty Shearwaters, one dark phase Arctic Skua, four Red-throated Divers, 11 Arctic Terns, six Sandwich Terns and a Merlin. In Kilbaha there were 3 Willow Warblers. At the Plover Fields near Loop Head there were 50 Golden Plover. (John N Murphy)

Bridges of Ross 15.20-19.20. Fairly quiet to start but picking up with the wind toward dusk. One Wilsons petrel, 13 Leach’s Petrel, three European Storm Petrel, one Grey Phalarope, one adult Sabine’s Gull, 12 Arctic Skua, seven Great Skuas, c275 Sooty Shearwaters, 34 Arctic Terns, 11 Sandwich Terns and four Red-throated Divers. (Dan Pointon)

One 2CY Mediterranean Gull was at Kilkee. (JNM)

There were over 200 Greylag Geese in a field near Lough Muckanagh. (Maura Crowe)


Tuesday 15th September 2026

A seawatch at the Bridges of Ross between 07.00-16.30 produced five Wilson’s Petrel, 121 Leach’s Petrel, six Storm Petrel, two Great Shearwater, 64 Cory’s Shearwater, 300 Sooty Shearwater, 2000 Manx Shearwater, 110 Grey Phalarope, two juvenile Long-tailed Skua, six Pomarine Skua(four adult light morph, one subadult, one juvenile), 15 Arctic Skua,(incl one juvenile), six Great Skua,(incl two juvenile), three Sabine’s Gull,(one adult, one subadult, one juvenile) one Little Gull, one juvenile Black Tern, 20 Arctic Skua, 85 Sandwich Tern, 17 Red-throated Diver and eight Puffin.(N.T. Keogh, C. Cardiff, F. MacGabhann and Oriole Birding tour group)

A seawatch at Black Head between 07.35-10.20 produced one Leach’s Petrel, three Grey Phalarope, one Sooty Shearwater and 300 Manx Shearwater(during the first hour).(Paul Troake)

There were four Curlew Sandpiper at Seafield.(Jeff Copner)


Monday 14th September 2026

A seawatch at the Bridges of Ross between 18.00-19.30 produced one Leach’s Petrel, eight Storm Petrel, two Cory’s Shearwater, 14 Sooty Shearwater, 550 Manx Shearwater, one Pomarine Skua, four Arctic Skua, two Great Skua, two Arctic Tern, one Grey Phalarope and one Red-throated Diver.(Niall Keogh)

A leucistic Dunlin was at Rinevella Bay.(NK)


Sunday 13th September 2026

There were 32 Golden Plover, two juvenile Ruff and a Whimbrel at the Plover Fields. A Lapland Bunting and a Ring-tailed Hen Harrier were at the Fodry. Two Willow Warbler, five Wheatear, 22 Snipe and 400 Meadow Pipit were at the Fodry/Loop Head area. Two Willow Warbler, one Chiffchaff, one Goldcrest, one Buzzard, one Kingfisher and 120 House Sparrow were at Kilbaha. A male White Wagtail, a Kingfisher and a colour ringed Curlew(JL) were at Cloughaun Lough.(Niall Keogh)

A seawatch between 07.50-08.05 produced a Leach’s Petrel, three Arctic Skua, six Sootie Shearwater, 200 Manx Shearwater, 29 Sandwich Tern and seven Common Scoter.(NK)

There were 35 Mediterranean Gull and one juvenile Curlew Sandpiper at Aughinish.(Paul Troake)

Five Mediterranean Gull and one Wheatear were at Liscannor.(Geoff Pearson)

There were 37 Golden Plover and five Wheatear at the Plover Fields, two Wheatear at the Lighthouse, Kilbaha and one more at Goleen.(James Organ)


Saturday 12th September 2026

Saturday 12th September 2026

One of the five Buff-breasted Sandpipers at Loop Head Chris Cullen

Five Buff-breasted Sandpiper, two Ruff and a Hen Harrier were at the Fodry, Loop Head. (Chris Cullen)

At the Bridges of Ross (07:00-13:30 and 15:00-20:00) there were 53 Leach’s Storm-petrels, 26 European Storm-petrels, one Great Shearwater, three Cory’s Shearwaters, 203 Sooty Shearwaters, 3,900 Manx Shearwaters, one Pomarine Skua (light morph ad), six Arctic Skuas, 21 Great Skuas, eight Sabine’s Gulls (1 ad / 1 subad / 6 juvs), 15 Grey Phalaropes, nine Arctic Terns, 19 Sandwich Terns, nine Light-bellied Brent Geese (adults),16 Red-throated Divers (adults) and15 Common Scoters (males).

The Great Egret, Pectoral Sandpiper, two Ruff, one Peregrine, 20 Black-tailed Godwits and a Kingfisher were at Lough Gash. (JNM, SW, CL,FMacG & JO)

One Common Sandpiper was the River Rine at Lagoon Bridge. (JO)


Friday 11th September 2026

Friday 11th September 2026

Great Egret with Little Egret at Lough Gash John N Murphy

A Swift was at Dromconora. (Cliff Baxter)

A Great White Egret and one Ruff were at Lough Gash.(Tom Tarpey, Gerry Murphy & Barry Howell)

There were 19 Mediterranean Gulls at Corraunroo, (14 adults, two second-winter and three first-winter).(James Organ)

Three Curlew Sandpiper including the Norwegian ringed bird were at Seafield.(TT)


Thursday 10th September 2026

The Pectoral Sandpiper was still at Lough Gash (John N Murphy) along with two Ruff and 29 Black-tailed Godwit.

There were 30 Sooty Shearwaters at Ross Ringing Station this morning. (JNM)


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