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Thursday 25 April 2013

Dotterel

One of the four Dotterel at Reenroe, Ballinskelligs Bay, 24th April 2013 (Seamus Enright).

The four birds at Reenore are the first spring records in Co. Kerry since the extraordinary series of sightings from Slieve Mish in 1948. A flock of 25 birds was first seen on 14th March 1948 and when observers returned on 26th March (including Frank King and Major R.F.Ruttledge), they found two flocks of 20 and 30 birds.

Since then, five of the six other records were all of single birds in autumn, the exception being two together on the summit of Brandon Mountain in October 2009.
(with thanks to Ed Carty).