A LITTLE bird not seen
in Ireland in almost three decades has caused a flutter of activity among
birdwatchers in Connemara.
Several dozen
birdwatchers travelled to the Kylemore Abbey estate in Co Galway to try see the
belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon), last spotted in Ireland in 1985.
The belted kingfisher is
native to North America and usually does not find its way to our shores. It is
believed to have got caught in a jet stream across the Atlantic on its annual
migration south.
A possible sighting was
made at Kylemore, but the first confirmed sighting was at Lough Fee. The bird
was spotted again flying high towards Kylemore Head – it relocated later at
Lough Maladrolaun.
Joe Doolan of irishbirding.comsaid the best thing for
people to do if they spot the bird is take a photograph. “A photo eliminates
any possible arguments about the identity of the bird,” said Mr Doolan.
“The first sighting of
the belted kingfisher was in 1979 but it is a rare and unusual sighting.
“Birds like that can
come across the jet stream in 24 or 48 hours, but can migrate in flocks of
100,000.
“It is lucky for us that
the weather systems help us out.”
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