A rare bird has been spotted paying a Christmas visit to Donegal’s shores.
A snow bunting was spotted on the shoreline at Murvagh, just outside Donegal Town on Christmas eve.
The birds are natives of the Arctic Circle from Scandinavia and across Siberia to Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Iceland.
They migrate over the winter to the north of Scotland where they can be seen in the country’s mountains and moors.
They used to be a regular visiter to Dublin’s North Bull Island which is inhabited by so many species of various birds throughout the year.
The male bird becomes almost all white during breeding season but grows a darker plumage to mix in with ground foliage as they search for seeds and other food.
The Donegal visiter was spotted by by Dr Frank Shovlin, of the Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool, who was walking on the beach with his son Frank, aged 13.
