EMERALD HARRIER

Twitched the juvenile NORTHERN HARRIER on Saturday with Gregs, Sooty and Turtle. Nipping over to the Emerald Isle via the Holyhead -Dublin Port Stena ferry we arrived at Tacumshin,Wexford early morning. The sky was clear and the sun was a shining so things looked good as we scanned the harrier roost at the westend of this famous Irish birding hotspot. I'd located three Hen Harriers and we'd had a small flock of Whooper Swans flying around. Plus overhead a small party of Greenland Whitefronts made their way presumably from Wexford Slobs to feed out on the fields somewhere inland.


Sooty was the first to spot our quarry and soon we'd all got good scope views of this first (?) for Ireland and 2nd(?) for the British Isles. Very similar to our usual juv.Hen Harrier but with unstreaked belly and underwing coverts, buff patches on the upper wing coverts and rather dark in appearance when perched. More UK birders arrived (see above) as the Harrier slowly drifted east and into the rising sun. Queue the 'Bagnall Bus' hot off the Rosslare Ferry...oh dear!


Our team happy with the mornings takings decided this was a good time to exit stage left, so wished them good fortune and departed back to Dublin.
We now await the IRBC who will hopefully during one of their Guinness fueled committee meetings in some Dublin liquor dispensary whap said Harrier straight onto their list...brown envelopes in with the xmas card chaps.

ttfn