Osprey - 1, Lough Beg, Co. Londonderry
Marsh Harrier - 1, immature - Lough Beg, Co. Londonderry
Crossbill - 7, Antrim Marina
Below: One of today's Crossbills at Antrim Marina by Ed O'Hara
Below: Dipper by Ed O'Hara, Antrim Castle
Finally, check out these two fantastic images of a Grey Heron at Antrim Castle, also by Ed
Butterfly Update - 1st Wall Browns of 2010
I saw 4 Wall Browns (and also my 1st
Small
Copper) today at Sheepland near Ardglass, Co. Down. Weather was bright
at times
but not particularly warm (temperature probably varied between 11 and 14
deg. C.
depending on sunshine and degree of shelter) and there was a cool NW to
N
wind.
This is as far as I know the first
record of Wall
Brown in 2010 in Northern Ireland, though Small Copper had been seen on
8th May
near Enniskillen in Co. Fermanagh, and 2 at Murlough, Co. Down, on 11th
May.
There were also about 4 Green-veined
Whites (and
3 Orange-tip eggs on Ladys Smock) at nearby St. Patricks Well, and on
Tyrella
Dunes there was a Small White and Green-veined White, a medium-sized
larva of
the Drinker moth (unusually, on a sallow leaf) and what seemed to be a
male
Emperor moth. At Ballykilbeg near Downpatrick, there was a Small White, 4
male
and 3 female Orange-tips, all resting on plants (mostly on ladys Smock)
and a
large caterpillar of the Drinker moth.
Thanks to Ian Rippey for this update
