Blast From The Past Finds - Red-Footed Falcon

For the longest time as I was birding in Ireland, Red-Footed Falcon seemed like somewhat of a mega.

There had been a famous bird in Wexford before my time, which supposedly fed on worms at close range for assembled birders in the 90s but any other records seemed highly irregular and untwitchable.

There seems to have been a change in that pattern and since 2010 they have become more regular, often influxing in small to medium numbers, and associated with movements of Hobby.

My own self found birds came during the first major influx in 2010.

May 27th 2010

On the 26th of May, the first Red-Footed Falcon of an influx was found in the arse end of Kildare, at a bog, Timahoe West.

I called up Seán Ronayne and we set off from Cork, arriving on site in the evening and obtaining excellent views of a lovely female.

Red-Footed Falcon - Timahoe West

Whilst on site enjoying this bird, we learned of yet more Red-Footed Falcons, with 2 to 3 birds being seen at Tacumshin with a number of Hobby for good measure.

Seán had yet to see a Hobby, and so we altered our plans. Instead of heading back to Cork that night we would head to my home in Ashbourne, stay over night there and head for Wexford in the early hours.

We enjoyed a good meal and a couple of pints out in Ashbourne that evening, and by early morning we were at Lingstown, Tacumshin.

We began scanning for falcons from the car park at lingstown. 2 red-foots (male and female) and 4 hobby were present from here, but distant.

We then moved around to the white hole area and had 3 Red-footed falcons over the small reedbed here, 2 males and a female.

Whilst other birders were watching this female on a post I found 2 other females circling over lingstown. I was delighted with this find and this was the first indication that there were more birds than had originally been reported.

Subsequently, after we left this area, others had 3 males over the small reedbed and then another birder had 4 males at a later juncture.

Myself and Sean then checked the south slob, where I found 3 small falcons hunting dragonflies over the distant channel. These were too high to ID at the time, and we failed to relocate them after driving in their direction, however 2 Hobby were seen here the following day, so likely 2 of the 3 birds I had. A female Marsh harrier was also here.

We then moved back to white hole/Lingstown area where I found a Great White Egret over the Lingstown reedbed moving towards the east end. (This bird was seen again on Sunday morning by Ronan Mclaughlin), whilst scanning this area I had a 1st summer male Red foot come from some distance in the Kilinick direction and head over the Reedbed.

On Saturday evening my brother had 2 males and 2 females roosting together in Lingstown.

I count only the two females as self found, but the reality is that this influx of birds was never properly characterized or dealt with, how many birds were really present will never be known.

Red-Footed Falcons - Tacumshin - Rónán McLaughlin