Winter colour from rare visitor

ACCORDING to last Monday’s Irish Examiner, birdwatchers from far and wide travelled to Kylemore Abbey, County Galway, to see a rare American visitor.

The belted kingfisher arrived at Lough Fee on Oct 5. The unusual winds from the Atlantic, which brought us so much rain recently, have a bright side; they also carry exotic birds.

The kingfisher has been welcomed with open arms. The same, alas, could not be said of the first member of its species to visit our shores; that unfortunate bird came to a sticky end. Indeed its demise made minor legal history.