Hawfinch at Curraghchase

Following on from my successful Brambling outing I set off to Limerick to try and find the Hawfinch flock that has been regularly reported here all winter. The UK has seen a real invasion this winter, but Ireland has not been so blessed, with only a few scattered records. The exception is a flock of 20 or so at Curraghchase. The weather was pretty crappy, but I arrived during a gap between showers, and quickly located a few birds. After a bit of rather damp chasing around I eventually got good views of this fantastic bird. I saw 7 birds in total, but I'm sure there were more.

On the way out a splendid Jay flew across the road, my first for Ireland!

ebird list for the day.

Male Hawfinch (all black secondaries)

Female Hawfinch (greyish secondaries)