There are still plenty of opportunities to add new species to the Waterford list - and some
of the species missing (when the list below was originally compiled 31 July 2004) are surprising, e.g. American
Wigeon.
The list below attempt to cover all such species reported at least twice in Ireland from
1950 to 2001. Species are ranked by the total number of individuals accepted as having occurred in that period,
as published in the IRBC Checklist of the Birds of Ireland and updated in the annual Irish Bird Report. While these
rankings may provide some basis for predicting future additions to the Waterford list, factors such as habitat availability,
patterns of observer coverage, and pure chance will also play a role. Watch this space...
Latest additions (subject to formal IRBC acceptance of those
marked [P]):
Chimney Swift (November 2005), originally ranked =53.
Bean Goose [P] (December 2003), originally ranked 2;
White Stork [P] (2003), originally ranked =19.
Update 21 Jan 2012.
rank
Species
Scientific name
Irish total
1950-2001
1
*White-rumped Sandpiper
Calidris fuscicollis
100+
2
*Bean Goose
Anser fabalis
100+
3
American Wigeon
Anas americana
50-99
4
Ortolan Bunting
Emberiza hortulana
50-99
5
Wilson's Phalarope
Phalaropus tricolor
50-99
6
Short-toed Lark
Calandrella brachydactyla
50-99
7
*Rose-coloured Starling
Sturnus roseus
20-49
8
*Bluethroat
Luscinia svecica
20-49
9
Temminck's Stint
Calidris temminckii
20-49
10
*Subalpine Warbler
Sylvia cantillans
20-49
11
Wilson's Petrel
Oceanites oceanicus
20-49
=13
*Bee-eater
Merops apiaster
20-49
=13
Red-throated Pipit
Anthus cervinus
20-49
14
Little Bunting
Emberiza pusilla
20-49
15
Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchos
20-49
16
Bearded Tit
Panurus biarmicus
20-49
17
*Red-rumped Swallow
Hirundo daurica
20-49
=19
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Limicola falcinellus
10-19
=19
*White Stork
Ciconia ciconia
10-19
=21
Ferruginous Duck
Aythya nyroca
10-19
=21
Laughing Gull
Larus atricilla
10-19
=23
Purple Heron
Ardea purpurea
10-19
=23
Shore Lark
Eremophila alpestris
10-19
24
Ross's Gull
Rhodostethia rosea
10-19
=26
Rough-legged Buzzard
Buteo lagopus
10-19
=26
Rustic Bunting
Emberiza rustica
10-19
=28
Black-winged Pratincole
Glareola nordmanni
10-19
=28
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
10-19
29
American Black Duck
Anas rubripes
10-19
=35
Aquatic Warbler
Acrocephalus paludicola
10-19
=35
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
10-19
=35
Kentish Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
10-19
=35
Little Shearwater
Puffinus assimilis
10-19
=35
Stilt Sandpiper
Micropalama himantopus
10-19
=35
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
10-19
=39
Black-browed Albatross
Diomedea melanophris
5-9
=39
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
5-9
=39
Pacific Golden Plover
Pluvialis fulva
5-9
=39
Savi's Warbler
Locustella luscinioides
5-9
=44
Caspian Tern
Sterna caspia
5-9
=44
*Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
5-9
=44
Dartford Warbler
Sylvia undata
5-9
=44
Snowy Owl
Nyctea scandiaca
5-9
=44
Upland Sandpiper
Bartramia longicauda
5-9
=53
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
5-9
=53
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
5-9
=53
*Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
5-9
=53
Franklin's Gull
Larus pipixcan
5-9
=53
Gull-billed Tern
Sterna nilotica
5-9
=53
King Eider
Somateria spectabilis
5-9
=53
Olive-backed Pipit
Anthus hodgsoni
5-9
=53
Rose-breasted Grosbreak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
5-9
=53
White-billed Diver
Gavia adamsii
5-9
=57
Arctic Warbler
Phylloscopus borealis
5-9
=57
Black-headed Bunting
Emberiza melanocephala
5-9
=57
Dusky Warbler
Phylloscopus fuscatus
5-9
=57
Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps
5-9
=59
Roller
Coracias garrulus
5-9
=59
Serin
Serinus serinus
5-9
=69
*Citrine Wagtail
Motacilla citreola
<5
=69
*Desert Wheatear
Oenanthe deserti
<5
=69
frigatebird species
Fregata sp.
<5
=69
Great Snipe
Gallinago media
<5
=69
Grey-cheeked Thrush
Catharus minimus
<5
=69
Marsh Sandpiper
Tringa stagnatilis
<5
=69
Paddyfield Warbler
Acrocephalus agricola
<5
=69
Swainson's Thrush
Catharus ustulatus
<5
=69
Thayer's Gull
Larus thayeri
<5
=69
Yellow-breasted Bunting
Emberiza aureola
<5
=78
Arctic Redpoll
Carduelis hornemanni
<5
=78
Belted Kingfisher
Ceryle alcyon
<5
=78
Black-eared Wheatear
Oenanthe hispanica
<5
=78
Elegant Tern
Sterna elegans
<5
=78
Pied Wheatear
Oenanthe pleschanka
<5
=78
Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
<5
=78
Solitary Sandpiper
Tringa solitaria
<5
=78
Thrush Nightingale
Luscinia luscinia
<5
=99
Western Sandpiper
Calidris mauri
<5
=99
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
<5
=99
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
<5
=99
Black-and-white Warbler
Mniotilta varia
<5
=99
Bobolink
Dolichonyx oryzivorus
<5
=99
*Buff-bellied Pipit
Anthus rubescens
<5
=99
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
Hippolais pallida
<5
=99
Fan-tailed Warbler
Cisticola juncidis
<5
=99
Great Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus arundinaceus
<5
=99
Great Spotted Cuckoo
Clamator glandarius
<5
=99
Little Owl
Athene noctua
<5
=99
Marsh Warbler
Acrocephalus palustris
<5
=99
Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapilla
<5
=99
Pallid Swift
Apus pallidus
<5
=99
Pechora Pipit
Anthus gustavi
<5
=99
Pine Bunting
Emberiza leucocephalos
<5
=99
Rock Thrush
Monticola saxatilis
<5
=99
Rufous Bush Robin
Cercotrichas galactotes
<5
=99
Sardinian Warbler
Sylvia melanocephala
<5
=99
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Calidris acuminata
<5
=99
Short-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus griseus
<5
=99
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
<5
=102
Little Swift
Apus affinis
<5
=102
Red-necked Stint
Calidris ruficollis
<5
=102
Sora
Porzana carolina
<5
=105
Great Knot
Calidris tenuirostris
<5
=105
Hume's Warbler
Phylloscopus humei
<5
=105
Sooty Tern
Sterna fuscata
<5
*Subsequently added (at least
provisionally) to Co Waterford list, but some records have not yet been formally accepted by (or submitted to) the Irish Rare
Birds Committee. Old claims of at least two further species (Ferruginous Duck and Rough-legged Buzzard) remain unsubstantiated.