Birds to See in Donegal in May
90 species listed for May · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
90 bird species on our list for Donegal are recorded regularly in May. Of these, the most often recorded are European Herring Gull, Barn Swallow, Eurasian Wren, Meadow Pipit and Hooded Crow. New this month: Whooper Swan, Tufted Duck, Barnacle Goose and House Martin and 20 more.
New in May24
Leaving after last month7
Residents
(37)Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Recorded all year
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Magpie
Pica picaLC
Recorded all year
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Regularly Nov–Sep
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Recorded all year
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Regularly Dec–Sep
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Regularly Apr–Feb
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
Recorded all year
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Recorded all year
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
Regularly May–Nov
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Regularly May–Mar
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Regularly May–Feb
Summer visitors
(45)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocoraxLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorusLC
Regularly Apr–Jul
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly Jan–Oct
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly May–Sep
Stonechat
Saxicola rubicolaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Regularly May–Jan
Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly May–Dec
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Regularly Jan–Sep
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Regularly Mar–Aug
Corncrake
Crex crexLC
Regularly May–Jul
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arcticaVU
Regularly May–Aug
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Manx Shearwater
Puffinus puffinusLC
Regularly May–Sep
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Regularly Apr–Feb
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly May–Aug
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly May–Jan
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensisLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
Regularly Feb–Sep
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Regularly Feb–Oct
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Regularly May–Feb
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLC
Regularly May–Jul
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaeaLC
Regularly May–Aug
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Regularly May–Feb
Common Swift
Apus apusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striataLC
Regularly May–Jul
Winter visitors
(4)Present outside the breeding season
Passage migrants
(4)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made