Short-eared Owl

This winter Short-eared Owls seem to be fairly plentiful.  This bird at an undisclosed site in West Limerick has been present for over a month now.  Today in the fine sunshine, I observed this bird hunting through bog grasses and along the verge of a spruce plantation. She took two Bank Voles and dropped down into long grass to devour them, away from marauding Hooded Crows. 

Short-eared Owl with Bank Vole in its tallons © John N Murphy

Green-veined White Butterfly

Green-veined White Butterflies have emerged in great numbers over the past few days along with the hoards of Orange Tip butterflies.  

Green-veined White Butterfly

Green-veined White Butterfly

Willow Warbler

At this time of the year Willow Warblers have now settle in after returning from Africa in late March and females are already sitting on eggs.  They don't waste any time and we still have birds returning from Africa. 

Golden Plovers on the move

Many Golden Plovers have been moving through Ireland over the past few weeks.  There are still many more on the move northwards, including this bird that I came upon in west Limerick recently that has not yet change into breeding plumage.

Four Spot Chaser Dragonfly

I was doing more survey work during the week in West Limerick when I came across my first Dragonflies of the year.  Two Four Spot Chasers Libellula quadrimaculata  had just emerged from some nearby pond and were sunbathing in the warm sunshine.

Wheatear

I was doing survey work all last week in the west Limerick Hills.  This male Wheatear was found on top of one of the mountains where it was returning to a pile of pallets, which are used for staking turf on. The bird looked like it was making a nest within the pallets.

Crossbill

On the way back from Kerry we stopped in the west Limerick Hills to look for Grouse. We got two Red Grouse along with one male Hen Harrier and eight Crossbills as seen below.