This Ross's Gull was painted from a long staying bird in Galway a few winters' back. I was fortunate to see it 3 times, and it was my third at that very location. This, and many more original artworks are available on my website www.robertvaughanillustrations.com

I have been trying for a while to get back again and see the Harlequin Duck. Although he has become a little more erratic in his appearances, it is really worth the effort. The moult is advancing rapidly and he is looking stunning, I am really hoping he sticks about for the winter.

I am really looking forward to starting a new and exciting project today, this Golden Eagle being the first of a long list of flora and fauna to be illustrated

A small selection of the Christmas cards that are available on my website. You can see the full range at www.robertvaughanillustrations.com

Having been delighted with a single Snow Bunting on Monday, I was amazed to find 14 on Tuesday, and atleast 24 yesterday in the Leitrim hills! Sadly, they rarely settled for long, flying far and wide while I was doing survey.

A 1st winter Ring-billed Gull was reported near one of my survey sites, so a slight diversion after work yesterday resulted in great views as it fed amongst the gulls and mallards in a small park.

Having spent the day in the hills on a survey and seeing almost nothing yesterday, I was delighted when this snow bunting shuffled out of the heather by my feet and posed so well for almost 15 minutes. Wonderful to see such colour on what seemed like a bleak and barren site.

A few sketches from the weekend. Goosander is generally a scarce and shy species in Ireland, always distant at a few regular sites, so I was delighted with one showing well with mallards in Ramelton town on Saturday. The Coal Tit was one of a few birds during some surveying yesterday.

White-tailed Eagles are becoming an increasingly regular sight in Donegal, and can almost be guaranteed at a few favoured locations. This was a rough study from a few years ago to help me age the birds I was seeing.

This is disgusting in all regards. The crime, the time and the silence. As soon as these crimes have been committed and announcing info won’t risk an investigation, then this should be communicated nationally as fast as possible.

Two new Christmas card designs are still available on my website. A huge thank you to everyone who has bought them, and for the kind feedback, it is really appreciated! Please check out www.robertvaughanillustrations.com for more.

A few sketches of a pair of Bullfinches that were quietly feeding in our garden recently. They looked even better against the autumn colours surrounding them.

I was glad to see the 2 Taiga Bean Geese last week at Dooey in West Donegal. Having managed brief views of 1 of the 9 Taiga's that had been at Inch, it was a great opportunity to be able to take in the structure and details. A Pink-footed sleeping in a roadside field made for a much better subject.

I completed the Swainson's and Grey-cheeked Thrush illustration over the weekend. It was really enjoyable to work on these 2 subtle American vagrants that I was lucky to see earlier this Autumn close to home. #donegalbirding

A big surprise on Saturday was a Bittern appearing at Inch Island, Donegal. I had just started sketching an American Golden Plover when the Bittern flew in and landed infornt of us. Although typically skulky, it was on show regularly until darkness allowing some sketching.

Two new Christmas card designs now available on my website, www.robertvaughanillustrations.com Plenty of other cards, prints and some new originals can also be found there.

Donegal has a poor history of American passerines, so it was a bit of a surprise to hear of a Swainson's Thrush last month. Nobody could then have predicted what would be discovered in the following week, with Grey-cheeked Thrush, Blackpoll Warbler and 4 or 5 Red-eyed Vireos. #donegalbirding

I have just re-stocked on my Christmas cards, including a few new designs that I will share in the coming days. Please have a look at my website to see more www.robertvaughanillustrations.com Many new original paintings and illustrations are also available.

The long overdue 2024 BOC News is now published online at tinyurl.com/BOC-News-2024 Some amazing images and stories from around the Observatory network and a memoriam for the late Steve Wing.

I was really delighted to receive this beautiful book by the incredible @dougalisart.bsky.social this morning. Page after page of stunning art work, I will be pouring over this for days, and no doubt for years to come, using it as inspiration and motivation.

After a recent early morning airport drop off, I continued down to Wexford for the first time in years. I was delighted to find a juvenile American Golden Plover at Tacumshin, before a harrier spectacle. The male Northern Harrier joined a few Hen and Marsh Harriers as the sun set.

One of the Harlequins Ducks I found a few weeks ago has settled down on a quiet little beach in North West Donegal and I was really fortunate to spend a bit of time with it recently. Fingers crossed now that it stays for the winter, what a glorious sight it will be in a few months.

The Ring Ouzel documentary, The 'Silent Valley - the last Irish Ring Ouzels', can now be heard as a podcast on the following link. www.rte.ie/radio/radio1... A massive thank you to Eric Dempsey for his work to highlight their plight.

I am really looking forward to the new radio documentary being aired at 3.00pm today, Monday 27th Oct, on RTÉ Radio1. The ‘Silent Valley - the last Irish Ring Ouzels’, it examines the plight of our Ring Ouzels (down to just one known pair in 2024) and asks if they can be saved?

I am delighted to share some new paintings, illustrations and card designs, all now available on my website. www.robertvaughanillustrations.com As always, a massive thank you to Sara Sirtoli for all her work on this!

"calls into question, why are the Government not doing something about it?" Unfortunately the answer is easy. Managing floods like this would need landscape scale action including rewilding rivers and rewetting land and the government are fundamentally opposed to anything positive for nature

Finders-in-the-Field: Harlequin Ducks in Co.Donegal, an Irish first @robertvaughani.bsky.social and two friends headed to Tory Island for an autumn bird-finding trip and end up landing on a fall of Red-eyed Vireos and Ireland's first and second Harlequin Ducks www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/F...

But then I spotted these 2 ducks asleep in the harbour at Maheroarty. A comical wait for them to pop their heads up, Irelands first Harlequins! Great to hear they are back again this morning. #donegalbirding

It was hard to imagine the day getting much better yesterday after twitching the Grey-cheeked Thrush on Tory, and 3 Red-eyed Vireos appearing to arrive on the island after lunch. #donegalbirding

🇵🇸 Look at this solidarity! Even more great civil society organisations have endorsed our National Demonstration for Palestine tomorrow. See you at the Garden of Remembrance at 12.30pm, all out for Palestine! #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide 🇵🇸

#donegalbirding A lifer today for some of the county’s most enthusiastic and experienced birders - this county-first Swainson’s Thrush should have been heading from Canada to South America, not Málainn Mhóir (Malin More), Gleann Cholm Cille (Glencolumbkille). Photo @delboydonegal.bsky.social

A couple of White-tailed Eagle sketches from earlier in the summer. This tagged female is from a nest in Mountshannon in 2014 and has been settled in Donegal for a few years now.

#donegalbirding birdwatchireland.ie/our-work/adv...

I was in Dublin for a few days earlier in the week, and the timing was perfect for a juvenile Stilt Sandpiper that was found at Broadlough. A beautiful species and my first time to see a juvenile in Ireland, having seen 3 adults previously.

I was delighted to receive this beautiful 2026 calendar from @hollygroganart.bsky.social , it is stunning! Thank you very much Holly and keep up the great work!

I am just back from a wonderful few days in Sweden where I visited the incredible Lars Jonsson exhibition in Stockholm, and then his museum on Gotland. Absolutely mind blowing, the selection and range of work was just unbelievable!

I had a really enjoyable afternoon teaching Watercolour techniques at the Colgan Hall in Cardonagh yesterday. A huge thank you to Sinead Smyth for organising the weekend of events, and for inviting me along. It was lovely to meet so many enthusiastic artists trying something new.

I am really exited to be presenting a Watercolour Workshop this Saturday, August 2nd from 2-4pm, at the Colgan Hall in Cardonagh. I hope it will be a fun and educational event for all. There are still some tickets available, and you can find them here: buytickets.at/artstaysdone...

Finally took possession of this magnificent book, and what an achievement it is by the estimable Ralph Sheppard. Essential and fascinating for #donegalbirding www.corkuniversitypress.com/978178205023...

I was absolutely delighted to receive this beautiful Chough from the very talented Holly Grogan, @hollygroganart.bsky.social It was lovely to swap illustrations and I definitely feel I got a great deal! You can see more of her stunning work at @hollygroganart on Instagram.

Delighted to get this beautiful blackcap illustration from the incredibly talented @robertvaughani.bsky.social as part of an art swap. Rob also included an extra blackcap painting, a sketchbook, acrylic paper, and a bunch of lovely cards, which was such a generous surprise! Thanks again Rob!

Plans were abandoned on Saturday afternoon when I heard about an Orca in Donegal Bay. A couple of Humpbacks, countless Minke and 1000s of Dolphins stretched across the bay. All topped off by regular sightings of the Orca distantly in the bay throughout the evening.

Another really enjoyable day out on Tory Island today. As always, I wasn't as productive as I hoped, but it was just lovely to sit in the sun and sketch for the afternoon.

It was a real pleasure to be invited along to speak about my work as an artist to Glenveagh National Park yesterday. It was part of Natures Classroom: Science and Art in the National Park, a wonderful course for teachers to encourage more Biodiversity education in schools. #glenveaghofficial

Sobering, well written article, the one word missing inexplicably is "sheep", overgrazing in most of our uplands is largely down to unsustainablly high densities of sheep. Deer undoubtedly are a huge issue too, esp Killarney, Wicklow and Glenveagh 🐦 🦉 🌎 theconversation.com/golden-eagle...

Only just now getting the chance to download images from Tory, and scan some sketches, tidied up with colour added at home. I was delighted that the Song Sparrow stayed around for almost a week, and most who travelled to see it were not disappointed.

Weekly birding round-up: 27 Jun - 3 Jul @dunnjons.bsky.social brings you his weekly birding roundup looking back at the best birds from around Britain, Ireland and the Western Palearctic. Read it here www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/W...

A couple of quick sketches of the Song Sparrow just now on Tory Island. Always a bit of excitement to find a rarity, and with boats cancelled due to the weather, I'm the only birder here to enjoy it! Despite the weather, it is regularly singing away from a sheltered corner.

Song Sparrow showing well on Tory this morning #irishrarebirds