Bird, bug, butterfly and a wild variety of photos from Belarus, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland and Spain by Irish wildlife photographer Patrick J. O'Keeffe and invited guests

Tuesday 4 February 2014

LITTLE GREBE or DABCHICK (Tachybaptus ruficollis) adult in winter plumage, Broadmeadow Estuary, Swords, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 
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The Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) or more commonly known as Dabchick, is a small waterbird in the family Podicipedidae which is in the genus Tachybaptus. Nine subspecies are generally recognised whose range extends in a band over most of Europe across southern and eastern Asia. It also occurs in northern and sub Saharan Africa. Worldwide there were 23 species of grebe but Alaotra Grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus), which was last seen in 1985 at Lake Alaotra in Madagascar, is now considered to be extinct. 

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

LITTLE GREBE or DABCHICK (Tachybaptus ruficollis) 1st winter plumage Broadmeadow Estuary, Swords, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 
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The Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) or more commonly known as Dabchick, is a small waterbird in the family Podicipedidae which is in the genus Tachybaptus. Nine subspecies are generally recognised whose range extends in a band over most of Europe across southern and eastern Asia. It also occurs in northern and sub Saharan Africa. Worldwide there were 23 species of grebe but Alaotra Grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus), which was last seen in 1985 at Lake Alaotra in Madagascar, is now considered to be extinct. 

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

Wednesday 29 January 2014

BRENT GOOSE or PALE BELLIED BRENT GOOSE (Branta bernicla subspecies B. b. hrota) adult at Rogerstown Estuary, Rush, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 
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The Brent Goose (Branta bernicla) is of the family Anatidae which is in the genus Branta.

Monday 27 January 2014

COMMON GREENSHANK (Tringa nebularia) Broadmeadow Estuary, Malahide, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 
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The Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) is a medium sized sandpiper of the family Scolopacidae which is in the genus Tringa. The breeding range of this wader or shorebird extends from northern Scotland eastwards across northern Europe and Asia. This migratory species winters in sub Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Australasia. In addition, small numbers overwinter along the coasts of northwest Africa and northwest Europe including Britain and Ireland.
 
Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds
 
 Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) distribution map
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/TringaNebulariaIUCNver2018_2.png 
 
 Breeding           Passage           Non-breeding-winter           Vagrant  
 
SanoAK: Alexander Kürthy, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 

Tuesday 21 January 2014

BLACK TAILED GODWIT (Limosa limosa) on 4th May 2013 at the Horse Marsh, Broadmeadow Estuary, Swords, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

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The Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) is of the family Scolopacidae which is in the genus Limosa. This large, long-legged and long-billed shorebird's breeding range extends from Iceland through central Europe as well as central and northeastern Asia. In the autumn, it migrates south to spend the winter in southern and western Europe, sub Saharan Africa, southern Asia and parts of coastal Australia. The species breeds in fens, damp meadows, moorlands and bogs. In the winter, it occurs on estuaries, lake shores, and in damp coastal fields.
As well as being colour ringed this bird's GPS transmitter aerial can be clearly seen.
 
There are three subspecies recognised; 
  •  Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit - (Limosa limosa islandica) 
  • European Black-tailed Godwit - (Limosa limosa limosa) 
  • Asian Black-tailed Godwit - (Limosa limosa melanuroides)

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds
 
Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) distribution map
 
LimosalimosaWorldDistribution.jpg
Yellow breeding     Blue wintering     Green breeding resident
 
J. Schroeder, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons

Tuesday 14 January 2014

RED KITE (Milvus milvus) [Juvenile] Newbridge Demesne, Donabate, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 
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The Red Kite (Milvus milvus) is of the family Accipitridae which is in the genus Milvus. This Welsh born bird was part of a successful scheme to reintroduce this species to Ireland in July 2011.

Saturday 11 January 2014

BLACK LEGGED KITTIWAKE (Rissa tridactyla) in 1st winter plumage at Gormanston Beach, Gormanston, Co Meath, Ireland

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The Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) is of the gull family Laridae which is in the genus Rissa. The only other member of the genus Rissa is the Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) where less than 200,000 pairs breed on some of the Bering Sea Islands between Russia and Alaska,USA.
 
Patrick J. O'Keeffe /Raw Birds

BLACK LEGGED KITTIWAKE (Rissa tridactyla) at Gormanston Beach, Gormanston, Co Meath, Ireland

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The Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) is of the gull family Laridae which is in the genus Rissa. The only other member of the genus Rissa is the Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) where less than 200,000 pairs breed on some of the Bering Sea Islands between Russia and Alaska,USA.
 
Patrick J. O'Keeffe /Raw Birds

Sunday 5 January 2014

COMMON POCHARD Aythya ferina Broadmeadow Estuary, Malahide, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 
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EURASIAN SISKIN (Spinus spinus) female at Broadmeadow Estuary, Swords, Fingal, Dublin, Ireland

 
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 The Eurasian Siskin (Spinus spinus) is of the family Fringillidae which is in the genus Spinus.

Eurasian Siskin (Spinus spinus) distribution map

Breeding                   Resident                    Non breeding - winter
 
SanoAK: Alexander Kürthy, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Friday 3 January 2014

WHOOPER SWAN (Cygnus cygnus) Broadmeadow Estuary, Swords, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 
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 The Whooper_Swan (Cygnus cygnus) is of the family Anatidae which is in the genus Cygnus and is a winter visitor to northwestern Europe. Two other species of wild swan occurs in Ireland, Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is a common resident and Bewick's Swan (Cygnus columbianus) is a rare winter visitor.
 
Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

MUTE SWAN (Cygnus olor) Broadmeadow Estuary, Swords,,Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 
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Click here to see the 2020 list of nesting colour ringed Mute Swans in the Dublin region
 
 The Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is of the swan family Anatidae which is in the genus Cygnus. Two other species of wild swan, the Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) and the rare Bewick's Swan (Cygnus columbianus), are winter visitors to Ireland.
 
Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

Thursday 2 January 2014

COMMON REDPOLL (Acanthis flammea subspecies A. f. caberet) Broadmeadow Estuary, Swords, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 
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 The Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) or more simply known as a Redpoll is of the finch family Fringillidae which is in the genus Acanthis. 
 There are several subspecies recognised including the Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis flammea caberet) which is resident in Ireland and Britain. It also breeds in Central Europe and Southern Scandinavia where it is a partial migrant, which moves south and west to more temperate regions for the winter.

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

PORT ORIEL HARBOUR Clogherhead, Co. Louth, Ireland

 
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Wednesday 1 January 2014

MEDITERRANEAN GULL (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus) in juvenile plumage at Port Oriel, Clogherhead, Co. Louth, Ireland

 

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 The Mediterranean Gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus) is of the family Laridae which is in the genus Ichthyaetus. This species has greatly expanded its range in the last 60 years from Eastern Europe. 
The first breeding record for Britain was in 1968 and now in excess of 1200 pairs breed. In 1995 a pair was discovered breeding in Co. Antrim and the following year a pair bred in Co. Wexford. Since then the Irish population has gradually increased to over 60 pairs. In the autumn there is an influx of continental birds from Europe for the winter which has been proven by colour ringing and then a return migration takes place in late spring.
 
Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds
 
 Mediterranean Gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus) distribution map

Breeding      Breeding resident     Non breeding - winter
 
SanoAK: Alexander Kürthy, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons