[widgetkit id="15" name="BlasketBirds Gallery"]

Video

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Birds of the Blasket Islands                           Part 1

Summer breeding migratory birds on the Blasket Islands (13)

     Species                     From /To                 Approx. Times

*Puffin - Fratercula arctica            Canada / mid Atlantic        March to end July / early August

*Manx shearwater - Puffinus puffinus       Brazil / Uruguay               Feb. to end of September

*Storm petrel - Hydrobates pelagicus      South Atlantic/Southern ocean        April to October

*[Leach's storm petrel - Oceanodroma leucorrhoa  S. Atlantic / S. ocean  April to November]

*Arctic tern - Sterna paradisaea      S. Africa / S. ocean / Antarctica      April to end of August

*[Roseate tern - Sterna dougallii              South Africa                             May to September]

*Kittiwake - Rissa tridactyla                           North Atlantic                       April to September

*Razorbill - Alca torda             N. Atlantic / Bay of Biscay / Mediterranean        March to October

*Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe      Africa and southern Asia                       March to October

*Sand martin - Riparia riparia    Tropical America / S. Africa / S. Asia      March to September

*Swallow - Hirundo rustica                    South Africa                                  March to October

*House martin - Delichon urbica       Tropical and South Africa                       April to October

¹Sandwich tern - Sterna sandvicensis  West coast of Africa                     March to September

¹: not breeding locally; seen on route to breeding sites e.g. mooring buoys

*Amber List  - medium conservation concern                   Red List  - high conservation concern

 

Pelagic Autumn migrants around the Blasket Islands, Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry, Ireland S.W. (16)

Sooty shearwater - Puffinus griseau          Breeds in S. ocean, New Zealand, Falkland Islands

Great shearwater - Puffinus gravis                        Breeds in Tristan da Cunha, South America

*[Cory's shearwater - Procellaria diomedes    Breeds off Portugal, Madeira, Canaries, Azores]

*[Balearic shearwater - Puffinus mauretanicus       Breeds in Balearic Islands. Mediterranean]

Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus             Breeds in Scandinavia and Russia, migrates to Africa

*[Wilson's petrel - Oceanites oceanicus     Breeds in Southern hemisphere, seen on pelagic boat trips]

Red necked phalarope - Phalaropus lobatus Breeds in Scandinavia / Russia winters S. Atlantic 

Grey phalarope - Phalaropus fulicarius             Breeds in Iceland, winters in the South Atlantic

Arctic skua - Stercorarius parasiticus       Breeds in Scandinavia / Russia, winters in  S. Atlantic

Great skua - Catharacta skua       Breeds in N. British isles / N.W. Ireland, winters in S. Atlantic

*[Pomarine skua - Stercorarius pomarinus      Breeds in Arctic Russia, winters off west Africa]

*[Long-tailed skua - Stercorarius longicaudus        Breeds in Lapland, winters in mid Atlantic]

*[ "Blue" fulmar - Fulmarus glacialis    Breeds in Arctic, the same species as resident fulmars]

*[ Sabine's gull - Larus sabini        Breeds in Greenland / Arctic Russia, winters in S. Atlantic]

Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybitta    Spring and Autumn migrant                   winters in Africa

*[Wryneck - Jynx torquilla               Breeds in Scandinavia, winters in tropical Africa / S. Asia]

* denotes rare but regularly observed visitors

Resident all year non migratory birds on the Blasket Islands, Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry, Ireland S.W. (26)

Peregrine falcon - Falco peregrinus

*Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus

*Chough - Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax

Raven - Corvus corax

Hooded crow - Corvus corone cornix

*Shag - Phalacrocorax aristotelis

*Cormorant - Phalacrocorax carbo

*Oystercatcher - Haematopus ostralegus

*Common guillemot - Uria aalge

*Black guillemot - Cepphus grille

*Gannet - Morus bassanus

*Lesser black-backed gull - Larus fuscus

*Great black-backed gull - Larus marinus

Herring gull - Larus argentatus

*Common gull - Larus canus

Fulmer petrel - Fulmarus glacialis

Rock dove - Columba livia

Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes

*Robin - Erithacus rubecula

*Skylark - Alauda arvensis

*Stonechat - Saxicola torquata

Meadow pipet - Anthus pratensis

Rock pipet - Anthus spinoletta

Pied wagtail - Motacilla alba

Heron - Ardea cinerea (occasional visitor)

Twite - Acanthis flavirostris

WINTER MIGRATORY BIRDS ON THE BLASKET ISLANDS, DINGLE PENINSULA (8)

 

      SPECIES                FROM / TO                 APPROX.TIME

 

*White-fronted goose- Anser albifrons            Greenland                             October to April

Turnstone - Arenaria interpres                     Arctic                                        October to April

*Great northern diver- Gavia immer  North America, Greenland, Iceland        October to April

*Snipe - Gallinago gallinago               Northern Europe                                October to March

Redwing - Turdus iliacus                    Northern Europe                            November to March

Fieldfare - Turdus pilaris                    Northern Europe                             November to March

*Barnacle goose - Branta leucopsis      Northern Europe                                November to March

Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos              British Isles                                         October to March

ALL COMMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. WELCOME INCLUDING PHOTOS IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS LIST AS COMPREHENSIVE AND ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT INCLUDING SELDOM VISITING RARITIES                                   26.12.2015                       revised 26.12.2016                               M. Sheeran