A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin Joe Hobbs Version 5.2 A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin by Joe Hobbs Version 5.2 Published August 2021 Copyright © 2021 Joe Hobbs. All rights reserved. Cover photos: Complementary views of one of Dublin’s best known landmarks, the Twin Stacks of the Poolbeg Generating Station, taken from two of Dublin’s best birding locations. From North Bull Island (top), photo: Mark Carmody and from Sandymount Strand, photo: Dick Coombes. Introduction This note is a list of some rare and scarce species and subspecies that have been re- corded within the traditional boundaries of County Dublin, now comprising Dublin City, Fingal, South Dublin and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. Systematic List The Systematic List includes records that have been recorded in at least one of Thomp- son (1849-1851), Ussher & Warren (1900), Barrington (1900), Kennedy et al. (1954), Kennedy (1961), Irish Bird Reports (1953 to 2003), Irish Rare Bird Reports (2004 to 2019), Irish East Coast Bird Reports (1980 to 2003), Irish Scarce Migrant Reports (2004 to 2008), The Birds of Dublin and Wicklow (Hutchinson 1975) and North Bull Island Bird Reports (2011 to 2020). In addition, some records not included in any of the previous that are posted on the Irish Birding, eBird Ireland and Birds of North Bull Island web- sites are included. A few records have been communicated by the observer. Species ranges indicated are very general just to provide a broad outline. For polytypic species, the form that is normally found or expected in Ireland is given. Reports and their Citations Irish Bird Reports from 1953 to 1976 were stand-alone publications, thereafter incor- porated in the annual publication Irish Birds until the final report for 2003. Irish Bird Reports from 1953 to 1976 are cited thus: IBR ‘report number’: ‘report page number’. Irish Bird Reports from 1977 to 2003 are cited thus: Irish Birds ‘volume num- ber’ (‘volume issue number’): ‘page number’. Irish Rare Bird Reports from 2004 onwards are published in Irish Birds (see the IRBC website for a brief explanation of the change in approach). Irish Rare Bird Reports are cited thus: Irish Birds ‘volume number’ (‘volume issue num- ber’): ‘page number’. Note that a departure from the traditional ‘volume and volume number’ naming sys- tem used by Irish Birds up to volume ten requires that the 2017 report is cited thus: Irish Birds 41: ‘page number’, for the 2018 report, Irish Birds 42: ‘page number’ and for the 2019 report, Irish Birds 43: ‘page number’. Irish East Coast Bird Reports were published for the years 1980 to 2003 and are cited thus: IECBR ‘report year’: ‘page number’. Dublin & Wicklow Bird Reports from 1976 to 1979 are cited thus: Dublin & Wicklow Report, ‘report year’. Irish Scarce Migrant Reports were twice published in Irish Birds covering the years 2004 to 2008. The first report, edited by John Rattigan, was published in Irish Birds 8(2): 263-298, covering the years 2004 to 2006 and is cited thus: Rattigan, ‘page number’. The second report, edited by Aonghus O’Donnell, was published in Irish Birds 9(3): 421-466, covering the years 2007 to 2008 and is cited thus: O’Donnell, ‘page number’. North Bull Island Bird Reports have been compiled annually by Tom Cooney since 2011 (with the most recent for 2020) and are made available for download through the ‘Birds of North Bull Island’ website at www.bullislandbirds.com and are cited thus: Cooney ‘report year’, ‘report page number’. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 1 Taxonomy Scientific nomenclature and species order follows version 11.2 of the IOC World List (Gill et al. 2021). The terms ‘subspecies’, ‘form’ and ‘race’ are used interchangeably. Place Names Place names are reported as precisely as the details available allow. The north Dublin location that is the estuary of the Broad Meadow River known vari- ously Broad Meadows, Broadmeadow, Swords Estuary, Corballis and Malahide will be standardised as Malahide Estuary with additional details added when known. The north Dublin estuary of the Ballyboghil and Ballough Rivers that enters the sea between Rush and Portrane, variously referred to as either Rogerstown or Rogerstown Estuary will be standardised as Rogerstown Estuary with addition details added when known. National Rarity Status The following are the rarity status categories in use: • Extremely rare - Fewer than 10 records • Very rare - between 10 and 50 records • Rare - between 51 and 150 records • Scarce - between 151 and 300 records • Uncommon - between 301 and 500 records Statistics National statistics of IRBC’s Appendix I & II species are to 31st December 2019 and are compiled by the author from published records with considerable help from Kieran Fahy who undertook a detailed analysis of historic records. Annual totals include new records for that year only. The frequency and identity of returning birds is estimated as best as the author can judge, but in many cases are little more that guess work and other conclusions might just as easily be reached. See pages 151 and 152 for full list of references and abbreviations. Hyperlinks Links to web pages are indicated in this colour. Websites Cited Birds of North Bull Island: www.bullislandbirds.com eBird Ireland: https://ebird.org/region/IE Irish Birding: www.irishbirding.com Acknowledgements I am grateful to Dick Coombes, Tom Cooney, Kieran Fahy, Aidan G. Kelly, Niall T. Keogh, Paul Lynch, Paul Milne, Killian Mullarney, Tom Shevlin and Ian Stevenson for their help in compiling this note. Sincere thanks to all the photographers for their great pictures. Joe Hobbs, August 2021. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 2 Flooded Field, Rogerstown Estuary, looking towards the railway viaduct and Lambay, Photo: Aidan G. Kelly. Booterstown Marsh, near Blackrock with the DART in the background, Photo: Dick Coombes. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 3 Aerial views of Sandymount Strand and Booterstown Marsh looking south (below), and Rogerstown Estuary looking east towards Lambay and the Irish Sea (bottom), Photos: Tony Murray. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 4 Aerial view of Bull Island and the Mouth of the Liffey (top) and the Hill of Howth (above), Photos: Aidan G. Kelly. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 5 Aerial view of Dun Laoghaire Harbour and Town, Photo: Richard T. Mills. Broad Meadow, Swords, Inner Malahide Estuary, Photo: Victor Caschera. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 6 Rogerstown Outer Estuary, showing: The mouth of the estuary with part of Lambay Island to the right (below), Tip of Portrane Peninsula with Rush in the background (middle) and Portrane Peninsula with the Irish Sea in the background (bottom). Photos: Paul Lynch. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 7 The entrance to Turvey Hide, Rogerstown Estuary, Photo: Joe Hobbs. Turvey Hide, Rogerstown Estuary, Photo: Paul Lynch. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 8 The view from Turvey Hide, Rogerstown Estuary, Photo: Paul Lynch. Lambay Island, from the spit on Rush Beach, Photo: Paul Lynch. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 9 Shanganagh Beach and Cliffs with Killiney Hill and Dalkey Island in the background, Photo: Ronan Browne. Scotsman’s Bay with Dun Laoghaire Seafront in the background, Photo: Ronan Browne. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 10 Looking north from Dalkey Island towards Dun Laoghaire and Dublin Bay, Photo: Tara Adcock. Maiden Rock (Dalkey Islands) with Tern Nestboxes laid out, photo (taken under NPWS license): Tara Adcock. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 11 Part of the Gannet colony on the sea stack at Ireland’s Eye, Photo: Gustavo Zoladz. East Pier, Howth with Ireland’s Eye in the background, Photo: Joe Hobbs. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 12 Knock Lake, near Balbriggan, Photos: Aidan G. Kelly. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 13 Rockabill Lighthouse, offSkerries , Photos: Emma Tiernan. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 14 Rockabill, offSkerries with the Bill on the left and the Rock with its lighthouse on the right, Photo: Dick Coombes. Nestboxes ready for deployment for a new season on Rockabill, Photo: Emma Tiernan. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 15 Sean Walsh Park, Tallaght, Photo: Graham Prole. Mixed flock of terns overDublin Bay, with Howth and the Baily Light in the background, Photo: Dick Coombes. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 16 Sandymount Strand looking towards Irishtown and the Poolbeg, Photo: Dick Coombes. Bull Island’s South Lagoon looking towards the Poolbeg Generating Station, Photo: Derek O’Reilly. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 17 The Furry Glen and Pond, Phoenix Park, Photo: Ian Stevenson. Grange Castle Business Park Lake, near Baldonnell Photo: Ian Stevenson. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 18 Oscar Merne Tern Platform moored off theGreat South Wall near the mouth of the Liffey, Photos: Capt. Neal Myles. A List of Some Rarer Birds in Dublin version 5.2 - Joe Hobbs 19 Systematic List Black Brant Branta bernicla nigricans Black Brant is a subspecies of Brent Goose, which has three forms described.