Ciaran Cronin had a bit of a shock while walking along the beach at Owenahincha, Co Cork, on Saturday 2 January when a tideline corpse transpired to be an adult Brown Booby. Ciaran takes up the story:
Well there's a start to 2016 — I don't know whether to laugh or cry! While out with the family on the local beach, I was searching for dead birds when my wife Abigail brought my attention to a corpse. It immediately struck me as being a booby and I spent a while trying to talk myself out of it. But no, it turned out to be a Brown Booby — the closest I've been to a national first! Sadly to be consigned to Category D, but I'm strangely chuffed all the same. The bird appears to be an adult female.
It's noteworthy as a coincidence that this is more or less the same place as held the recent American Bittern. Not connected obviously, but still quite interesting!
Brown Booby, Owenahincha, Co Cork, 2 January 2016 (Photos: Ciaran Cronin)
