December 2006 Sightings

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27.12.06 Ballyconnell
2 Greylag geese (M. Enright, N. Raftery)

24.12.06 Easky pier

Grey Phalarope and male Eider (P. Keogh)


	Image © Mícheál Casey 2006
	23rd December 2006: Dunlin trapped in a mist net and ringed in Sligo Bay. All three Dunlin ringed on this date had biometrics and plumage features characteristic of the subspecies 'arctica'. This subspecies breeds in north-eastern Greenland and winters in west Africa, so these may have been very late passage migrants.

05.12.06 Raghley

1 Black Brant (M. Casey).


	Image © Mícheál Casey 2006
	4th December 2006: This Black Brant may well be the same bird as seen in Sligo Bay in previous winters

04.12.06 Raghley
1 Black Brant with flock of approximately 60 Light-bellied Brent just south of the cause way feeding on seaweed at the high tide. This bird would normally be wintering on America's west coast. (M. Casey).

03.12.06 Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim.

A Leach's Petrel found at Carrick-on-Shannon by Esther Hoad was taken into care but unfortunately died soon after. This bird was part of a 'wreck' of Leach's Petrels that were blown inland from the Atlantic by the severe gales of Saturday and Sunday and this one may even have come up the Shannon during the mainly southerly gales.
These birds are almost never be seen in winter in ireland, and are very scarce breeders in summer, mainly on one site off the Mayo coast. 100 were seen in Galway Bay and there were sightings in harbours right around the coast, including at least two birds in Co. Fermanagh. This was Leitrim's second record of this species, the previous being in 1891......also after a storm! (M. Casey).