On the Slow Boat to Iceland...

This is the story of IJRR, a bird which was ringed in Dublin in February 2014. Until this year, its history has been regular as clockwork, each winter passing through Strangford Lough, Co. Down on its way down to overwinter in Normandy, France, and each spring staging at Killough Harbour in Co. Down, on its way back to Iceland.


This winter it has been recorded as limping by most who have seen it, at Strangford Lough, briefly at Baldoyle, near Dublin, and then at Regneville in Normandy.


Last recorded at Regneville by Philippe Lemarinel on 03 April, the bird was next spotted at St. Aubin's Bay in Jersey, on 09 - 10 April by Caroline Orpin, in a flock of 61 geese.


Next record, from Jean Brown and Judy Down, came from another Channel Island - the tiny island of Herm, just to the east of Guernsey, a first ever record from there:

By this time the bird was solitary, as all the records have been since then.


It next surfaced at the Devon Wildlife Trust reserve at Dawlish Warren, which is at the mouth of the River Exe estuary, recorded from the hide there on 05 May by Lee Collins:

A day later, 06 May, it had shifted up the estuary to the River Clyst mud-bar, where it was recorded from the RSPB Bowling Green Marsh Nature Reserve viewing platform by David Boult.


Clearly realising that it needed to get on the move, yesterday, 07 May, it was seen on the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales, at the Gann, by Derek Grimwood:

Derek has been out at the Gann again this morning, and IJRR has gone.


The Irish Sea has been afflicted by fog over the past number of days, but today seems clearer. I must get out and check Killough Harbour.........................