Blessington Street Basin.

"Flowers on the Wall"
Behind the Lodge At Blessington Street Basin

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
A native of North America and a very rare bird in Ireland. This pair, of
unknown origin took up residence for a whole summer at the basin.

Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domest.)
Even the pigeons are interesting here! This striking individual
had bright yellow eyes instead of the more normal orange ones!

Ringed Teal (Callonetta leucophrys)
This female bird was observed for about two months at the Basin and is a species of South
American origin. It is most probably an escapee from a European bird collection,

The Basin Fountain.
 One of the reasons the Basin is so attractive to birds is the regular
recycling of the water through the fountain and subsequent high aeration
which helps to keep the pond clean and fairly algae free.  

Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
There is a healthy population of "tufties" in the Basin, and they seem
to spend their time moving between here and the nearby Royal Canal to feed.

Mandarin Duck (aix galericulata).
This Asian species was first recorded as a feral breeder in Ireland in the late 70's. There are possibly
3 breeding pairs at the Basin and in 2011,  I observed several young birds.

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
I estimate that there are two or three breeding pairs at the Basin and
they seem to spend their time moving between here and the nearby Royal Canal

Smew (Mergellus albellus)
This little duck caused quite a stir when he showed up in 2010.
There was even more excitement when a female turned up later in 2011.
This is a very rare bird in Ireland being a breeding resident of the Arctic Tundra.

"The Lodge" 
The beautiful old water keeper's cottage at Blessington Street Basin has been around for a while!

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
An American species which appears to have established a healthy breeding population
 in and around Dublin. I estimate that two pairs bred at the Basin in 2011

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
At least one pair of herons bred at the Basin in 2011.

White-cheeked Pintail (Anas bahamensis)
A trans-Atlantic species, which has probably escaped from a European bird collection.
I witnessed a pair of these ducks with young in the Basin in 2011

Smew (Mergellus albellus)
This is the female bird which turned up in 2011. I have not yet established
if breeding actually took place. But watch this space! 

Yellow Belly Slider Turtle (Trachemys scripta scripta) 
Just look what turned up in the Basin recently! This turtle is normallyfound in the southern states of America, from Florida to Virginia, and is a popular pet there. Obviously someone in Dublin was not so enamoured and released it to fend for it's self. It will be interesting to see if it can survive in the Basin as it is very much a warm water animal.