Two Great White Egrets are at Owen Roes Flat at Oxford Island. (Ed O'Hara).
Bird News Monday 29th December 2025
1+ Velvet Scoter with scattered rafts of Common Scoter off Murlough Beach, also a Black-throated Diver and 49 Sanderling. The Spotted Redshank remains at Dundrum. (Stuart Cossey).
The Purple Sandpiper is still at Whitehead and a Black Redstart at the Rangers Club, Whitehead (Ivan Quail).
1st winter Harlequin still Tra na gCloch, Donegal (Richard Woods).
Male Brambling in a Whitehead garden (Cameron Moore).
27 Mediterranean Gulls at Cloghey Beach all adults bar one 1st winter (Chris Shaw)
Black Redstart, Whitehead, Jonny Rosborough:
Bird News Sunday 28th December 2025
The drake Harlequin Duck was still at Curranport, Co Donegal (Chris Veale)
The three Ring-necked Duck were still at the west end of Dunfanaghy New Lake (Neal Warnock)
The Lesser Yellowlegs was still on Rathlin (Jon Biddle)
An immature male Black Redstart was on Newcastle Beach / Islands Park (Mel O’Hagan)
A Bittern was seen in flight this afternoon at Inch, Donegal (Aaron Long / Ian Young)
A Green Sandpiper was on the River Maine at Slaght (David Steele)
A pair of Mandarin were on the Rover Maine (Leia Getty)
A Green Sandpiper was also at Corbet Lough, Banbridge (Nathan Gilbert)
Circa 10 Purple Sandpiper and 2 Whimbrel were on Lighthouse Island, Copeland (Brian Sutton)
The Purple Sandpiper remains at Whitehead (Steven Farquhar)
At Horse Island 2 Black-throated Diver and 3 Slavonian Grebe. Another 3 Slavonian Grebe were in Greyabbey Bay (Richard Weyl)
Lesser Yellowlegs, Jon Biddle:
Black Redstart, Mel O’Hagan:
Bird News Saturday 27th December 2025
A male and female Great Spotted Woodpecker in a garden on Drumlough Road, Rathfriland. (Chris Veale).
A Great White Egret was near the Kilmore Lodge on the Upper Lough Erne. (John Cusack).
The hybrid Ring-billed x Common Gull was still at Millisle. (Michael Latham).
The Purple Sandpiper was still at Whitehead seafront. (Ian Enlander).
The Harlequin Duck was seen again at Meenaclady Beach in Donegal. (Robin Pollard).
Purple Sandpiper, Cameron Moore.
Goosanders, Cameron Moore.
Purple Sandpiper, Ian Enlander.
Hybrid Ring-billed x Common Gull, Michael Latham.
Bird News Boxing Day 2025
Great Northern Diver still in the harbour at Portrush with another one on the Ramore Head side of the harbour wall on sea (Aaron Long). 2 Great Northern Divers still in Portrush harbour mid afternoon (Tim Davis).
Great Northern Diver in flight over Newcastle bay (Bob Watts).
2 Great White Egrets at Oxford Island NNR (Ed O’Hara).
The 1st winter drake Harlequin is still at Tra na gCloch, Curranport, Donegal. Bittern again at Inch, Donegal seen twice in flight. 220 Pinkfeet at Blanket Nook (Garry Armstrong / Wilton Farrelly / Philip West / David Steele).
Lesser Yellowlegs still on Rathlin into its 9th week also Great Northern Diver and two flocks of Purple Sandpipers (Ric Else / Hazel Watson / Leia Getty).
2 Green Sandpipers and 1 Common Sandpiper still at Corbet Lough this morning (David McCreedy).
2 Red Kites (untagged) still in Antrim Hills (Michael Latham).
Great White Egret at the south end of Lough Beg (Steven Fyffe).
Pair of Mandarin Duck along the River Maine, Ballymena (Jonny Rosborough).
Great White Egret still Lough Ross Co Armagh this afternoon (John Spottiswood).
Great Spotted Woodpecker at Cregagh Wood (Ian Enlander).
Great White Egret at Quoile (Liam O’Hara).
5 Pinkfeet in with Whitefronts and geese at Myroe (Dylan Thomas).
Adult Iceland Gull at Enniskillen dump and a 1st winter Mediterranean Gull at the Round O (Ronan Owens).
3 Ring-necked Duck (m & 2 fem) also hybrid Ring-necked x Tufted at Dunfanaghy New Lakes (Wilton Farrelly / David Steele / Garry Armstrong / Philip West).
Male and female Goosander at Ballycarry Bridge also Purple Sandpipers at Whtehead (Cameron Moore).
Lesser Yellowlegs, Ric Else.
Red Kite, Michael Latham.
Great Northern Diver, James Armour.
Bird News Christmas Day 2025
We wish all readers and contributors a very happy Christmas.
Two Red Kite were in the Antrim Hills this morning (Michael Latham)
The south end of Lough Beg had 24 Ruff, two Great White Egret, Great Northern Diver and a Hen Harrier (David Steele)
The hybrid Ring-billed x Common Gull (now 21 years old) was still at Millisle. Two other Common Gull ringed from the Copelands in 2005 and 2009 were also present (Gareth Platt)
Black Guillemot, Victoria Park, Juliet Fleming:
Hybrid Ring-billed x Common Gull, Gareth Platt:
Bird News Wednesday 24th December 2025
A male Long-tailed Duck and 2 Great White Egrets were at Reedy Flats on the south shore of Lough Neagh. (Garry Armstrong).
A Great White Egret was at Owen Roes Flat at Oxford Island. (Ed O'Hara).
A Woodcock was at Altnawalk Cross, near Roslea, Co Fermanagh this morning. (Colin Bell).
The Bittern was seen again off the Platform at Inch in Donegal. (Searlas Anderson).
Two Greenshank were in Victoria Park. (Simon Morton).
1 Black-throated Diver and 3 female Common Scoter were off Carnlough. (Aaron Long).
A Red Kite was in the Antrim hills. (Laura Rose Millar).
A drake Goosander was at Glassdrumman Lough and a Great White Egret at Lough Ross both Co. Armagh. (Joe Devlin).
A Swallow was reported in Newtownards. (Birdguides).
The Spotted Redshank was at the wader roost on the Dundrum side of the Moneycarragh River, in Dundrum South Inner Bay. (David Nixon)
A 1st winter Mediterranean Gull was at Antrim Marina. (Gareth Platt)
Red Kite, Laura Rose Millar.
Mediterranean Gull, Gareth Platt.
Bird News Tuesday 23rd December 2025
2 Jack Snipe at Harbour Meadows, Belfast Lough (Stuart Cossey).
4+ Great Northern & several Red-throated Divers in Newcastle Harbour (Michael Latham).
Single Great Northern Diver in Portrush Harbour (Juliet Fleming).
20+ Grey Plovers at Green Island, North Dundrum Bay (Michael Latham).
5 Long-eared Owls and a Woodcock at dusk at the University of Coleraine (John Clarke).
Three Great Northern Divers were at Castle Caldwell on Lower Lough Erne. (Jamie Dillon).
Great Northern Diver, Juliet Fleming.
Red-throated Diver, Michael Latham.
Great Northern Diver, Michael Latham.
Bird News Monday 22nd December 2025
Two red head Goosanders a were on the River Maine at Slaght, near Ballymena (David Steele)
Two Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper were at Corbett Lough (Neal Warnock)
A Green Sandpiper was at Loughbrickland Lake on the eastern shore, with the Lapwings (Neal Warnock)
Two Great Northern Diver were in Portrush Harbour this morning (Eddie Manthorpe)
The male Harequin Duck was showing at Tra Na gCloch, Co. Donegal this afternoon. (Victor Caschera)
Video of the impressive looking Harlequin by Victor Caschera:
Bird News Sunday 21st December 2025
The Harlequin Duck is still at Trá na gClock in Donegal this morning, later moving to Magheroarty Pier. (James Organ).
The ringtail Hen Harrier was at Portmore again. (Michael Latham).
The Great White Egret and one of the Great Northern Divers was at Oxford Island. Reedy Flats had 3 Great Northern Divers, 2 Great White Egrets and a Merlin. (Ed O'Hara).
11 White- fronted Geese were at Myroe. (Dylan Thomas).
The Bittern was seen again from the platform at Inch in Donegal. (Derek Brennan).
Hen Harrier, Michael Latham.
Harlequin Duck, Wilson Gardiner.
Bird News Saturday 20th December 2025
The 1st winter drake Harlequin still at Tra na gCloch near Curranport, Donegal (Chris Ingram / Jim Wells).
Great White Egret at Oxford Island NNR off Owen Roe (Jamie Dillon / Ed O’Hara).
7 Greater Scaup at Inch, Donegal (Leia Getty).
2 Great Northern Divers remain at Lough Beg also 3 Pinkfeet, 2 ringtail Hen Harriers and 3 Great White Egrets (David Steele).
Ringtail Hen Harrier at Culnady (John Spottiswood).
Common Sandpiper along the River Lagan this evening (Mel O’Hagan).
Single Great White Egret at Lough Ross (John Cusack).
Single Twite at Gulladuff, Derry (John Spottiswood).
Common Sandpiper, Mel O'Hagan.
Great White Egret, Ed O'Hara.
Raven, Rod Gillan.
Bird News Friday 19th December 2025
A Cattle Egret was at Diamond Lane, near Portmore RSPb (Jim Wells)
The two Great Northern Divers were still off Oxford Island. Two Great White Egrets and a Hen Harrier were seen on Owen Roe (Ed O’Hara)
A Pink-footed Goose was with the Greylags at Lady Bay (Jim Wells)
The Lesser Yellowlegs was still on Rathlin (Jon Biddle)
Cattle Egret, Wilson Gardiner:
Great Northern Divers, Ed O’Hara:
Pink-footed Goose, Wilson Gardiner:
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