When the Egyptian Vulture that was first found last July in Donegal was refound in Roscommon a few weeks ago and was sticking around I couldn’t resist the temptation and had to take a trip up to check it out.
This is the first and possibly only Egyptian Vulture that will ever be found in Ireland with there usual range spanning from Southern Spain and Northern Africa all the way over to the Middle East and Asia. I just had to see it!
So one morning i set off and headed up to Roscommon in search for the Vulture. There was a dead sheep carcass that he had been feeding on for the last view days and that seemed to be the most reliable spot to see him in so thats where i went. Upon arrival there was no sign of the Vulture but i met another birder who told me he was there earlier in the morning and should return again sometime.
Sure enough about 30 mins later as we were looking at a Buzzard behind us i turned around and took a quick glimpse through my camera and what was there only an Egyptian Vulture feeding on the sheep carcass. Ill never forget the time i first set eyes on this beautiful raptor. It looks so out of place in a random field up in Roscommon and actually along with the extremely fine and sunny weather that was in it Roscommon felt more like the middle of Spain that day.
After a while the bird flew off and gave great flight views over the next hour or so over the surrounding fields and was amazing to watch as it soared high in the thermals scouting out the land below it. I overexposed a few of my shots as i wasn’t used to shooting white birds in flight but I’m still delighted with some of the shots i got and can’t complain as even seeing the bird was an amazing experience and one i will never forget.
