Rare Bird Spotted at Leabgarrow

Large numbers of bird-watchers gathered on the island over the weekend to see a very rare vagrant from North America or the Arctic. The Semi-Palmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) has taken up residence on Leabgarrow Strand over the past number of days. It is a small shore bird about seven inches in length with a brown back, white underside, a white neck and throat with a black band. It has orange legs and feet with a black bill and an orange band around it. The discovery is causing great excitement in the bird watching community as it is thought to be the first sighting of the bird in Ireland.