As we continue to explore the SE coast, we’ll look for Terns, Lapwings, and Godwits around Wexford, and hope for a chance at the hard-to-find Bearded Reedling.
Heading West, we’ll stop in for a visit to Cork, Ireland’s Second City, and explore the ruins of Drombeg, before heading to Glengarriff for the night. The next day will be dedicated to the 80 mile Ring of Beara loop- the locals’ preferred alternative to the touristy Ring of Kerry. This drive will feature picturesque towns, great scenery, wildflowers, butterflies- and hopefully some good birds like Red-billed Chough.
No trip to Ireland is complete without a visit to the Cliffs of Moher, which is not only a UNESCO site for its unparalleled beauty, but also an Important Bird Area for its populations of seabirds like Atlantic Puffin, Northern Fulmar, Black-legged Kittiwake, Manx Shearwater, and Razorbill. From there we’ll explore The Burren.This National Park is home to the Glacial Karst Plateau, a unique landscape that hosts a variety of interesting and beautiful plants and flowers, Ireland’s best assortment of butterflies, as well as Common Cuckoos, and possible raptors like Eurasian Kestrel and Eurasian Sparrowhawk.
We’ll end our trip with a healthy does of Irish culture in Galway, famed for its traditional music scene, and look for any of the Irish coastal birds we may not have found yet like Eurasian Oystercatcher, Ruddy Turnstone, and Common Ringed Plover. On our last full day in country we’ll explore Shannon Callows with a representative of Birdwatch Ireland to learn about the important conservation work being done in country with a hope of finding inland specialties like Woodcock, Snipe, Curlew, or Spotted Crake.
