An ibis in Ireland?

Galvasean

Hi guys,
I'm no expert in ornithology and/or bird watching but I got a strange sighting today. I saw a bunch of oystercatchers in a football field on the Malahide Road (between Coolock and Kinsealy) and among them was a bird which looked a lot like the guy on the right of this picture:


Same colour, with the long perculiar beak. He was a bit bigger than the oystercatchers. Could I have actually see an ibis? Are they known to visit Ireland or could it possibly have escaped from Dublin zoo?

cuddlycavies

Curlew?

yellowlabrador

I've seen ibis in West Cork

Judgement Day

Quite possibly it was a Glossy Ibis as there have been quite a lot of East coast sightings this year. If you check the Irish Birding site here you can see for yourself: http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web

Feargal as Luimneach

There was a couple of glossy ibis in Portmarnock in August, but the most likey bird you saw was probably a curlew. Here's a photo:


Go back tomorrow and take a photo and post it up. (Hopefully the bird will still be there). We will be able to tell you what it is!

Galvasean

Definately wasn't a glossy ibis (good ol' google image search).
I think it was a curlew alright. It was darker than the one pictured above, but the beak was very similar.

tricky D

The OP pic source is:
http://www.schmoker.org/BirdPics/GLIB.html

Possible Glossy Ibis (right) with White-faced Ibis, Holbrook Reservoir, Otero County, Colorado, 8/9/02.

The birds in the photo don't have any patterning on their backs, have more tuft-like feathers at the top of the thigh and the neck is longer than a Curlew. Couldn't possibly agree that it's a Curlew. (They're regulars around these parts) Quote above seems more on the money.

Galvasean

tricky D wrote: »

The OP pic source is:
http://www.schmoker.org/BirdPics/GLIB.html


The birds in the photo don't have any patterning on their backs, have more tuft-like feathers at the top of the thigh and the neck is longer than a Curlew. Couldn't possibly agree that it's a Curlew. (They're regulars around these parts) Quote above seems more on the money.

I had never heard of a curlew before this thread. I googled 'brown + ibis' and got that image which looks vaguely like what I saw. However now that I know what a curlew is I am fairly sure that is what I saw.

Judgement Day

Galvasean wrote: »

I had never heard of a curlew before this thread. I googled 'brown + ibis' and got that image which looks vaguely like what I saw. However now that I know what a curlew is I am fairly sure that is what I saw.

Where have you been living? Never heard of a Curlew but perhaps you know the sound - try this: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/curlew/

Galvasean

Sounds very familiar. Think i've heard them down near Booterstown DART station

MB Lacey

Sorry to bring a downer on this thread, but since we're talking about Curlews maybe you'd look at this report on the birdwatch ireland page describing how Curlews are now in real danger in Ireland.
http://www.birdwatchireland.ie/Ourwork/CryoftheCurlewAppeal/tabid/1106/Default.aspx

Galvasean

Someone mentioned ibis(i?) were sighted in Portmarnock recently. Where they in the same area that the ducks hang out?

What is plural for ibis?

Judgement Day

Galvasean wrote: »

Someone mentioned ibis(i?) were sighted in Portmarnock recently. Where they in the same area that the ducks hang out?

What is plural for ibis?

Ibises and Wikipedia seem to agree. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibis

MB Lacey

Galvasean wrote: »

Someone mentioned ibis(i?) were sighted in Portmarnock recently. Where they in the same area that the ducks hang out?

What is plural for ibis?

That's exactly where they were - where else would you get a rare visiting bird except on the grass outside the texaco garage in portmarnock?! :rolleyes:
It was an adult and juvenile, they came onto that grass bit sometimes to feed, but they hung out more on the reeds further out near the water. I got photos of them near the little bridge.
Great birds to see.