HI Tweeters,

My wife and I spent three weeks in Ireland in September. We were traveling
with another couple, so I was with three non-birders. Birding time was
sporadic. Still, I managed to see and photograph some wonderful birds, many
of them new to me since it was my first trip across the Atlantic. We
started our tour of Ireland in the southwest, worked our way up the west
coast, then went into Northern Ireland and spent four days in Enniskillen.

Here is the link to the Birds of Ireland folder on my website:

http://www.granstrand.net/gallery/Ireland

There aren't nearly as many species of birds in Ireland as here. I was
surprised at how many lakes and ponds we passed that didn't have any
waterfowl or other birds (grebes, loons, etc.) on them. Until the last
week, the only ducks I saw were Mallards. In Northern Ireland toward the
end of the trip, I added Greater Scaup and Green-winged Teal to my trip
list.

There were Mute Swans all over Ireland and Northern Ireland. I saw two
Brant, one Graylag Goose, and two small flocks of Canada Geese, which were
introduced to Ireland some years ago.

In all of the driving we did, I was surprised at the few number of raptors
I saw. My total for the trip was four species - six Buzzards (a buteo), one
Sparrowhawk (an accipter), two Peregrine Falcons, and two Eurasian
Kestrels. I have seen almost that many Eurasian Kestrels in Washington (1)!


I saw a good variety of shorebirds. I was surprised that there are few
peeps in Ireland. The only ones that show up are rarities. Dunlins were the
smallest shorebird I found.

The only other birders I saw were in the van taking us from the airport to
the car rental office when we first arrived in Ireland.

I hope you enjoy the photos.

Denny Granstrand

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Denny Granstrand
Yakima, WA
dgranstrand AT gmail.com
Denny Granstrand's bird photos can be seen at:

www.granstrand.net/gallery/
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