Sam Bayley

I am no longer posting on X, but will be continuing on Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/sambay… and Instagram: instagram.com/bayley1576?igs… or Facebook: facebook.com/share/1CGeotRa…

@Lufbrabird87910 @bomah @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE No colour rings suitable at the time

@SamBayley2 @bomah @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE Colour-ringed I hope.

As part of regular monitoring of birds at The Lough in Cork City, @bomah and I ringed an adult Ring-billed Gull yesterday. Didn’t realise, but seems to be the first to be ringed in Britain or Ireland. Look forward to learning where it goes! @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE

@JeremyG48563901 @bomah @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE Was quite a surprise!

@SamBayley2 @bomah @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE Stunning bird, well done

@bomah @RichardTMills BWW at Whites Marsh today so likely the same

@RichardTMills @SamBayley2 BRO, ringed at Clogheen Marsh Nov 2024 and has been seen in the area six times. The other two with only one leg on show can't be assigned to a project although very likely that BWW is also from Clogheen in Jan 2025 and hasn't been seen since. OY could be from Iceland

Always fun cherry picking the more colourful black-tailed godwits at White's Marsh. A couple of knots there as well. @bomah @SamBayley2

Challenging night surveying farmland and marsh. Lots of birds present, but a complete lack of wind. Just three birds caught were 2 Snipe and a Golden Plover that gave a long run around @_BTO @BirdWatchIE @NPWSIreland

Cracking couple of recovery details back recently. A Black-headed Gull seen at @fotawildlife on 22nd Dec was ringed as a nestling in Gotaland, Sweden in 2001 24yrs! A Barn Owl found dead at Roscarberry, Cork on 5th Jan was ringed as a nestling just outside Kildare last year!

The last session of the year at Clogheen Marsh with 71 birds. Highlights being 2 Snipe, 2 Jack Snipe, 9 Chiffchaff including another Siberian, a Sparrowhawk, a 3 year old Goldcrest, a Mallard and a retrap Pintail from December last year @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE

@mattthesparrow @robmhowe65 @NWDLT @WiltsBirdClub Cracking! Nice full adult too, so hopefully a few years ago

I always tell my team that Siskins have high recovery rates and give us good data. Yesterday we ringed 76 Siskins along with 74 Redpolls. This male Siskin was the star of the day though because he was wearing a Swedish ring. We can't wait to find out where and when he was ringed.

Visit to Killarney NP today and managed to find two metal ringed Black-headed Gull at Ross Castle. Both first seen here in 2022. A 2014 chick from Poland and a 2019 chick from Finland. Not a bad 30 minutes! @_BTO @NPWSIreland @BirdWatchIE

Dazzling season last night was quiet with just 2 Ringed Plover. Amazingly one of the birds had already been ringed as a chick in Wales in 2020 and I had caught this bird before in exactly the same spot in 2021! Hopefully now find where it breeds @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE

@BirdingGardener You will have to catch one of those one day! Merry Christmas mate

Capel. Green Sandpiper. 60 Fieldfare and 240 Redwing.

A gusty session at Clogheen Marsh with 47 just birds of 15 species. Highlights included 3 Snipe, a Grey Wagtail, 3 Chiffchaff inc a Siberian, a Scandi Blackbird and biggest surprise of a Barn Owl as well as seeing one of the ringed Firecrests from early Nov @NPWSIreland @_BTO

First dazzling session in what seems like ages due to the bad weather. Managed 9 birds of 6 species across a few locations - a Dunlin, 2 Skylark, 3 Meadow Pipit, a Snipe, a Dipper and a Stonechat @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE

@BirdGuides Had the same with one in Ireland of a Kittiwake ringed on 21st June as a breeding adult on Skelligs, Kerry this year and shot for food 5km south of Nuuk on 20th Sept.

A Kittiwake ringed as a chick in Scotland in June 2023 was recently recovered off the west coast of Greenland in surprising circumstances: bit.ly/3Yzd6Id

Clogheen Marsh winter ringing session today ended with 106 birds of 16 species. Highlights were 5 Redwing, 2 Scandi Chaffinch, 11 Chiffchaff and a Water Rail. Amazingly though, one of the Redwing was already wearing an Icelandic ring! @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE

A ‘Red’ week for me. Assisting with the start of two fantastic Irish research projects - one on Red-billed Chough and one on Red Grouse. Really looking forward to seeing how these develop over the next few years @UCC @NPWSIreland @Jamesoneillii

@Crane_Spotter @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE We get about 50/50 Scandi/icelandic down here, whilst mainly Icelandic further north.

@SamBayley2 @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE Brill to see the two Redwing types together, and also the Sibe, Sam!

Latest session at Clogheen Marsh was a small net set but still 67 birds of 13 species, with ridiculous number of Chiffchaff still present! 16 ringed inc a classic Siberian, also two Redwing (Scandi and Icelandic) and a retrap Firecrest from 17/11 @NPWSIreland @_BTO @BirdWatchIE

Great recovery! Orphaned Herring Gull 24N:C from Cork City was taken in by Wildlife Rescue Cork and released on 20th August. On 27th Nov it was seen on San Lorenzo beach in Gijon, Spain. Just the 7th Irish Herring Gull to be seen in Spain! @_BTO @BirdWatchIE @NPWSIreland