Bullfinch (male) This bird is nearly always seen in pairs unlike other finches which flock together outside the nesting season. As with
most finches, the female has duller colours than the male.
Goldfinch The photo shows this beautiful bird eating thistle seeds, one of it's favourite foods.
Fieldfare This member of the thrush family comes to Inishowen in the winter from Scandinavia.
Redwing Another thrush and another winter visitor. Redwings are often in flocks, in open fields, along with Fieldfares.
Long Tailed Tit This would probably be the smallest Irish bird if it did not have such a long tail.
You often see this bird flitting through hedges in flocks of about twenty. It builds a domed nest lined with hundreds of small feathers.
Skylark A bird famous for it's bubbling song which it sings as it climbs into the sky until almost out of sight. Skylarks make their nests on the ground
hidden in clumps of grass or heather. A place to see and hear Skylarks are the Golf Links and the sand dunes at Lisfannon.
Wren This is a little bird with a big voice. It builds a very distinctive domed shaped nest from moss and leaves which is hidden under a bank or in a wall.
Treecreeper When you spot this bird you could mistake it for a mouse as it almost runs up the trunk of a tree.
Notice it's thin bill for picking insects and grubs from the cracks in the bark. This bird can often be seen in Swan Park if you are quiet and look carefully
Swallow A sure sign that summer is coming is when the Swallow returns from it's winter holidays in the southern hemisphere. They often return to the same barn
or other farm building where they nested the previous summer.
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Kestrel An alternative name for this falcon is Windhover because of it's ability to hover in one place while hunting.
It's food is field mice and small birds etc.
Sparrowhawk Another bird of prey similar to Kestrel. It hunts in a different way, flying close to the ground and taking other birds by surprise.
It can kill birds as big as Rooks.
Buzzard The Buzzard has only returned to Inishowen in the last twenty years. It is a large bird which feeds on prey as big as rabbits. It is often seen
circling in the sky, searching the ground for movement. People sometimes mistake a buzzard for an eagle. Golden Eagles have recently been released in Glenveigh and at least one has
been seen in Inishowen so far.
Wood Pigeon A favourite prey of hawks and falcons, this bird needs to be a fast flyer. The Wood Pigeon is considered a pest by farmers as it eats some of their crops.
Rook Along with the Jacdaw the Rook is one of the commoner crows. It nests in groups called rookeries in tall trees. Although a farmland bird there are rookeries in Swan Park
and along the Mill River beside the GAA pitch. Their nests of twigs are so well placed in the branches that most withstand the winter gales.
Hooded Crow Locally known as Grey Crow, this bird is found all over Inishowen. It used to be shot by hunters (because it eats the eggs of game birds) and was confined to wilder
areas but now it is commoner and can be seen in towns. It eats a wide variety of food including shellfish from the beach which it drops from a height to break the shells. (This picture is a detail from
a painting by Andrew Stock)
Magpie The Magpie is another crow that has increased recently. It even nests in gardens in parts of Dublin.
Everyone knows the rhyme about Magpies that begins - One for sorrow, two for joy... and fortunately they are usually seen in pairs.
The Magpie has a reputation for stealing bright objects and rings and other jewellry have been found in their nests. There is a famous opera called "The thieving magpie".
Lapwing The Lapwing spends time on farmland and the sea coast. Around Buncrana you are more likely to see it in flocks on the beach in winter.
Cuckoo More often heard than seen, the Cuckoo is unique in laying it's eggs in other bird's nests. When the young Cuckoo hatches it immediately rolls the other
birds eggs out of the nest. The other birds feed the young Cuckoo while the adult Cuckoo returns to Africa.
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