Ok, so I was taking a walk with my family down by the local harbour, to get fresh air and all after the holiday frenzy. Great Northern Divers (common loons for you Americans out there) were on my mind as we were passing by an ideal spot to look out over the sea and there has been reports of them nearby in the county recently.
We are coming back from the pier, and on the grass, I see a little bird foraging. “Oh it’s just a robin,” I think, as it had a very robin-like silhouette and movements. I look through the bins and I’m immediately ecstatic, because it was not a robin, but a Black Redstart! Uncommon in Ireland, but not an unheard rarity. There were many walkers there too, completely unaware of the little guy, walking as normal. To think that there was a unique little guy right there under their noses and they just don’t know… My family were almost indifferent, kinda bamboozled cuz i just gasped like I had seen a celebrity out of nowhere lol. They showed some curiosity at home tho. :)
The way she jumped up to catch some bugs and showed the rusty orange rump and tail, and the dark streak down the middle, all on a slate grey little bird. What a pleasant holiday surprise, and a 3rd lifer of the week! Might post the pics later today.
Additionally, there were also some black guillemots out on the sea, where some of them had the snow white winter plumage. Also a very lovely thing to see after the 25th, especially since it’s been maybe a year since my last Black Guillemots. A late Christmas present indeed. :)
