Found this on facebook: Ireland Birdwatch Portmarnock

[Donna]

Glossy Ibis

I am so not knowing birds: never heard of this one either.

Mystery Bird...any guesses?

Falcon in Ballybunnion

[Bobbie Ireland]

Boy, Donna! You get them first even when they are in my own back-yard!!!

Gotta check out these babies! I usually get calls from the twitching fraternity... their phones must need charging... (Is it something I said???)

[Bobbie Ireland]

"Mystery bird" is kinda godwit-ish... but what do I know?!

Glossy Ibis at Portmarnock? Just north of Dublin... autumn migration has begun... tho what these Mediterranean birds are doing here now, I do not know. (I do not know much...) Had not heard of their presence til Donna told me!

[MAK]

Imagine that, a peregrine falcon sitting on a rock. Our Rochester falcons don't do rocks!      My best guess on the mystery bird is some sort of sandpiper. It would help to see the feet. Course I don't know much about shorebirds.       

[Donna]

"Mystery bird" is kinda godwit-ish... but what do I know?!

Glossy Ibis at Portmarnock? Just north of Dublin... autumn migration has begun... tho what these Mediterranean birds are doing here now, I do not know. (I do not know much...) Had not heard of their presence til Donna told me!

Der, I forgot to answer....it's a Spotted Redshank.

Look at all the bands on this guy! Who is he? Easy one, even though I didn't know!

These are in Ireland Bobbie!

another "who am I?"

[Carol P.]

Imagine that, a peregrine falcon sitting on a rock. Our Rochester falcons don't do rocks!     My best guess on the mystery bird is some sort of sandpiper. It would help to see the feet. Course I don't know much about shorebirds.      

Oh, we do rocks.  They're a very important part of the Rochester Falcon territory.  Beauty bathing on river rocks.  Pride (and lots of other young fledglings) on Pride's rock.  Mariah and Kaver on the rock wall of the gorge. and then there's Orville!, a rock among rocks!  

[MAK]

Imagine that, a peregrine falcon sitting on a rock. Our Rochester falcons don't do rocks!     My best guess on the mystery bird is some sort of sandpiper. It would help to see the feet. Course I don't know much about shorebirds.      

Oh, we do rocks.  They're a very important part of the Rochester Falcon territory.  Beauty bathing on river rocks.  Pride (and lots of other young fledglings) on Pride's rock.  Mariah and Kaver on the rock wall of the gorge. and then there's Orville!, a rock among rocks!  

I never saw them and I've never seen Beauty or Archer on a rock.

[Bobbie Ireland]

Look at all the bands on this guy! Who is he? Easy one, even though I didn't know!

These are in Ireland Bobbie!

another "who am I?"
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The one with the bling could be a Spoonbill... the other, the BoP, could be a Sparrowhawk - I think... but then... there's that word "duffer" again! (Sure do wish I could figure out Facebook... the things I must be missing... like who the niece is dating... what the nephew got up to at the weekend... that sorta stuff...)

[Bobbie Ireland]

OK, guys, stop it! I got a busy day going around here, so not lots of play-time...

That is probably not a Sparrowhawk... eye looks ok, but not the tail. And if it were a Sparrowhawk, why would somebody post its pic, as it is not rare.

And Donna, lissen here to me! Just because they are in my neighbourhood does not mean we are acquainted! 

Here's a story along these lines... In my eagerness in my early years of birding, I used to go out with the Big Boys... kinda accepted, as I was vaguely amusing - but still viewed with suspicion and a bit of annoyance. One of the kinder members of the Twitcher Brotherhood, however, was very patient, and when I said "Oh! LOOK! Out there! Near the tide line!", he obligingly raised his bins and had a careful look. Lowering them, he looked at me as I gazed back in excitement... what had I found?! "Uhhhh, Bobbie..." (I hung on every word!) "Uhhhh... Love... It's a plastic bag."

I rest my case.

[MAK]

 

[Donna]

Bobbie, on the Ireland Bird facebook page, this one guy always puts up a pic and writes, "who am I" and has other people guess.

Yes, he wrote that was a Sparrowhawk, a female. I have no clue, so I go along with the answers, figured they know more than me.

Spoonbill is correct, a Duff you are not.   But why so many bands?


Plastic bag!! 

[Bobbie Ireland]

You mean I was right? Eeeeee-haaaaa!

Donna, what's the fellow's name who puts the pix up on FB? Might know him. Keep those pix coming... I'll take a stab at most anything... I ain't proud!

Why so many bands? I am only guessing, mind you - the BTO operates the ringing (banding) scheme in Ireland and Britain. It is also associated with other European schemes (tho the BTO is usually the main arbiter/operator). The Spoonbill would have been ringed somewhere in southern Europe at its birth site, and the rings would ID (perhaps) location, a particular ringing scheme, a unique bird ID, of course... and the list continues. I could ask one of ringing buddies, tho... in case the preceding is mere twaddle...

Yup. Plastic bag.

[Donna]

Today's.."Who am I"

His name is James Hayes! 

[Bobbie Ireland]

Today's.."Who am I"

His name is James Hayes! 

Thanks, Donna - don't know who he is... probably should!

Not gonna guess first on this one... I probably ran outa luck on IDing the last two! Anyone else?

Hey, Donna - you should make this a regular "feature" - I promise, I WILL play!

[MAK]

    My guess is an immature Yellow Wagtail. I'm sure that's wrong but what the heck! I gave it a shot.