A day out

I've been swamped with college these days that my birdwatching has suffered as have I, so I had to do some last weekend, So where to go and what to see. There has been a Least Sandpiper at Blackrock in Co Kerry for the last couple of days and a bird like that would give me life tick and that was too hard to turn down. So I head down and on the way I had a quick view of a Merlin flushing a flock of Lapwing and a Peregrine being mobbed by a couple of Grey Crows. When I got to Blackrock the Least was on show but very flighty but I managed a couple of shots. There was also great numbers of Golden and Grey Plover,Ringed Plovers, Sanderling, Dunlin, Bartail and Blacktail Godwits, Crulew, Knot, Oystercatchers, and Gulls while above in the sand dunes a large mixed flock of finches were feeding on seed and 12 Choughs were rooting around for grubs in the sand. I also had a couple of kestrels, Stonechats, Rock and meadow pipts,Redshank, Greenshank, Great-norther Diver, Great Crested Grebes, Shelduck, Teal, Wigeon, Mallard and Pale-bellied Brent Geese all of which finished a great days birding.

Chough looking for grubs in around the Dunnes

Least Sandpiper at Blackrock

And another couple of views.

A rock pipt busy looking for some flies

The Chough which were at Blackrock

Kesterl hoovering over a field looking for a meal

Chaffinch feeding on the shoreline