Rare visit of Mediterranean Warbler to Cork

A rare visitor to Irish shores was spotted in County Cork on Saturday.

In a week that saw the first Cuckoo to arrive in Ireland this year and an influx of the colourful Hoopoe, the not so common Western Subalpine Warbler (Curruca iberiae) was sighted on the south coast.

The sighting was reported to irishbirding.com and was made at Galley Head, which is situated a short distance south of the town of Rosscarbery.

The Subalpine Warbler is a summer migrant usually found in the Mediterranean region, particularly in north-west Africa, Portugal, Spain, southern France and the far north-west corner of Italy.

The bird usually returns to the region in March and April from its winter quarters in Africa.

Similar to the earlier than scheduled arrival of the Cuckoo on Wednesday and the influx of hundreds of Hoopoe, the current weather conditions may have played a part in the small warbler frequenting the south coast of Ireland.

The bird species has been recorded in Cork on 25 occasions since 1962 when it was spotted on Cape Clear Island, with sightings in the subsequent 63 years reported in Dursey Island, Old Head of Kinsale, Toe Head, Knockadoon Head and Crookhaven.

The last sighting of the warbler in Cork was at Mizen Head in 2020, according to BirdWatch Cork.

Meanwhile, the first reported sighting of a Cuckoo in Ireland in 2025 was made in County Waterford on Wednesday afternoon.

Birdwatcher Vera Roche reported her sighting of the distinctive bird in song on bogland at Ballygunner Mór (Ballygunnermore), located to the southeast of Waterford City, to irishbirding.com.

The last sighting of a Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) in Ireland was recorded on 31 August 2024 at Cahore in County Wexford.

The arrival of one of the most recognisable and well-known of all Irish bird species comes a week earlier than the first sighting in 2024 when the bird was spotted in Bodyke, County Clare, on 8 April.

As reported first on WeathÉire, another relatively rare visitor to Irish and northwest European shores has been spotted in increasing numbers across Ireland in recent weeks.

More than 90 sightings of the distinctive and colourful Hoopoe have been made to irishbirding.com during March, which is double the number of sightings made during 2023 and 2024 combined.

The first sighting was reported by Sally Bolger on March 8th in Bantry, County Cork, with the next sighting coming in Kinsale 13 days later on March 21st.

Since then, 91 other sightings have been made in counties Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Wexford, Louth, Galway, Kilkenny, Derry and Down.