Guess who's back!

After a week and a day of fruitless searches the Hoopoe returned today. The bird appears to have broadened its horizons, now venturing between its original scrub and laneway feeding grounds as well as popping into the more open garden next door. Not wanting to spook or scare the bird, I stood inside a small shed and let him come to me. As well as eating and preening, I also managed to catch him having a snooze! I also managed to get some video footage which i'll upload to Youtube soon, or check it out twitter @marcmcflurry.
Enjoy.

A Hoopoe, Saltees and more.

I took a few trips to the Saltees over the last couple of weeks in the hope of picking up a couple of early migrants and maybe a rarity if i got lucky. Unfortunately it has been a slow start to Spring and I've missed a Short-eared Owl and (raging) a Ring Ouzel! A Tree Pipit was the highlight of all my trips and even that was 'seen' rather than 'observed'. Here's a few of the pics from those trips.

Fulmar

Blackcap

Grey Seal

Chough

Rabbit

Chiffchaff

Raven (&LBB)

Tacumshin was another port of call recently, again slow for migrants with a handful of Swallow, a Wheatear and a distant Hen-Harrier the best.

Wheatear

Peacock

Ground Beetle (carabus granulatus)

Peregrine

A Whimbrel was the best on show at 'The Cull' recently but a phonecall  from a neighbour when i got home from that trip gave me one of the best birds I've seen this year as a Hoopoe had appeared in a local garden. It appeared very content, feeding on snails, grubs and earwigs on a rough patch of ground. The bird, a lifer for me, stayed from Wednesday evening til Friday afternoon giving myself and several other 'birders' some fantastic views. 

Whimbrel (Curlew in backround)

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Linnet

Hoopoe

Hoopoe

Sparrowhawk

Tree Sparrow

Swallow