Clare Island Survey — Aves. 20 25 



Wallace has seen one immature bird at Belmullet ; resident and nearly 

 as common as the Kestrel about Westport (Good) ; breeds wherever 

 planting advances, as about Dingle, but seldom seen in the mountainous 

 and treeless districts. 



Falco candicans, J. F. Gmel. Greenland Falcon. — During the visitation of 

 this species in 1905, on 10th March, a light-keeper on Clare Island saw 

 "a White Hawk the size of a Sea-Gull eating a Curlew.'' 1 Greenland 

 Falcons have twice been obtained on Achill, and Black Bock has more 

 than one such record. On the Mullet they have occurred so frequently 

 as to be almost annual visitors, appearing oftenest in March and April, 

 while in 1905 Wallace observed one, presumably the same, on the 11th, 

 13th, and 14th May. A series have been obtained on the Donegal 

 coast, and again on the Blaskets and Skalligs in Kerry, the west coast 

 and its islands being the part of Ireland most frequently visited. The 

 Iceland Falcon is extremely rare. 



Falco peregrinus, Tunstall. Peregrine Falcon.— Resident on Clare Island; 

 one pair at least breed on the western cliffs. It breeds on Achill and 

 Duvillaun, and along the north coast of Mayo there are several eyries, as 

 well as on the inland cliffs. The same may be said of the precipitous 

 coasts and isles of Donegal and Kerry ; the Skelligs and Blaskets 

 being favourite homes of this species, which loves the vicinity of large 

 sea-bird colonies, and it frequently visits for plunder other rocks, like 

 Black Bock (Mayo), where there is no suitable nesting -site. Patten 

 found three pellets, one composed of the white breast-feathers of the 

 Kittiwake, another of black Puffin's feathers, and the third of hair and 

 teeth of a rat; and Praeger got Cuckoo's feathers at a Peregrine's 

 plueking-place. Wallace notices an increase of Peregrines on the 

 Mullet during October. 



Falco aesalon, Tunstall. Merlin. —In September, 1910, Patten saw a Merlin 

 on several dates capturing Pipits and Wagtails near the shore, and 

 finally two of these Falcons chasing each other. The Merlin is resident 

 and breeds on Achill and through all the mountainous parts of the 

 western counties, being frequent in Donegal, Mayo, and Connemara, 

 though nowhere numerous. In Connemara it lays habitually on islets 

 in the bog-lakes (Leybourne Popham). 



Falco tinnunculus, Linn. Kestrel. — Common and resident on Clare Island 

 Achill, and all through the western littoral, and is found on the island 



1 " Irish Naturalist," 1906, p. 201. 

 R. I. A. PEOC, VOL. XXXI. D 20 



