ML617260353

Age and sex

Adult Female - 1; Adult Male - 1; Immature Unknown sex - 2

Media notes

Video grab of the family party of Grey-bellied Brants on Dalkey Island (images taken at c.500m range). Left to right: adult female, immature, adult male and another immature.

Observation details

Provisional identification. Family group (pair plus three young) of apparent Grey-bellied Brants (or hybrids?) on Dalkey Island at 09:30 this morning. Scoped from Dillon’s Park (video taken at c500m range). Quite distinctive looking birds with rather uniform dark brown upperparts (reducing contrast with black neck), Brant-like underpart pattern/colour (although not as black) and large white ‘webbing’ on the neck sides (but not joined across the front). The adult male was the most distinctive, the adult female less so but had a darker back than typical ’hrota’ Light-bellied and some of the young were even quite Brant-like. Reminiscent of a similar family group present around Kilcoole and southside parks (e.g. Kilbogget Park) a few winters ago. Three video grabs of the Brant family also attached along with one of a group of typical ‘hrota’ Light-bellied at same range on the island for comparison (compare the colour of the upperparts, contrast between back and neck, underparts and size of neck collars). Still some questions about what these sorts of birds are. Dark end of the spectrum Grey-bellied Brants or hybrid Light-bellied X Black Brant? I’m not sure, but they’re distinctive and easy to pick out in a flock.

Technical information

Dimensions

1451 pixels x 828 pixels

Original file size

247.36 KB