Irish trip: February 2014 a few highlights

Following the big weterly gales over the Christmas period, I was desperate to get out and check the Irish west coast, surely some goodies had been blow across in all this extreme weather. Myself and Tim Jones managed to find some cheap return flights from Stansted-Shannon, and as usual, Ireland didn't let us down. We managed to see a 1w Forster's tern (nice after only previously having brief views of the longstaying Galway adult), as well as finding lesser scaup, spotted sandpiper (in exactly the same spot as the one in 2011), and a golf course (Keel, Achill, Co.Mayo) that held ring-billed gull, kumlien's gull, 8 glaucous gulls and 2 iceland gulls! Pretty amazing stuff.

1w Forster's tern on The Mullet, Co.Mayo

Ring-billed gull, Keel Golf Course, Achill Island, Co.Mayo

A selection of the other gulls on the golf course

And iceland gulls at Westport, Mayo and Rossaveal, Galway