Bird News Saturday 23rd February

At Murlough Bay, Co Down were 1pr Velvet Scoter, 12 Long-tailed Duck, 10 Red-throated Diver, all with >1000 scoter flock. A female Merlin was at Ballyquintin Point (Keith Bennett)

At Craigavon North lake was the long staying Little Gull. in the Portmore area were 300 + Whooper Swans and 1 Bewick Swan (Ed O'Hara)

13 Long-tailed Duck and 5 Red-throated Diver were off Rhanbuoy Park, Carrickfergus (Wilton Farrelly)

The Green-winged Teal was still at Barr Hall on the Outer Ards. (Joe Lamont/ Keith Bennett). 

 A Little Egret was at Anns Point and a Sandwich Tern at Portaferry. 3 Raven were at Ballyquinton Point (Joe Lamont)

A Black-necked Grebe was visible from the Causeway to Inch. Also an impressive count of 43 Yellowhammers in the area (Christine Cassidy / Inishowen Wildlife Club)

Two drake Smew were still at Inch, Donegal.

A Chiffchaff was today in Whiteabbey Co. Antrim. Also a Coromorant at Hillsborough Lake Co, Down seemed to be showing signs of the continental type (Paul McCullough)

Rathlin Island had Long-tailed duck, Purple Sandpiper and a Merlin (Neal Warnock)

An adult Ring-billed Gull was at Whitehouse Lagoon (Wilton Farrelly)

At Strangford Lough a female Merlin, 2 Grey Plover, 8 Greenshank, 9 Knot, 300 Greylag, 500 Golden Plover and good numbers of Pintail were seen along the Inner Ards. Other birds of interest included a Red throated Diver at Newcastle Road, Kearney, also 3/4 Sinensis Cormorants at Lough Cowey and a Little Egret at Salt Water Brigg. (Bangor RSPB local group / Fulton Somerville / Jim Whitla)

A male and a female Brambling were in a garden in Waterloo Park in Belfast. 2 Snow Bunting were at Wolf Hill and 20 Snow Bunting at the old landfill site along Hightown Road above Glengormley (Larry Toal)

Along the north coast 2 Red-legged Partridge were at Broighter Road, a Little Egret at Myroe Levels and a female Merlin at Crindle (Theo Campbell)

50 Razorbill were seen in flat calm conditions between Portrush East Strand and the Skerries. 3 Waxwing were at a farm along the Ballymoney to Ballybogy Road (Richard Gray)

The second-winter Mediterranean Gull was still at Whiteabbey shore (Stuart McKee)

A Little Egret was at the Enler River along Grahamstown Road in Dundonald (Derek Polley)

Thanks to Ed for this pic of the Little Gull and to Alistair Prentice for the Redwing and to Joe Lamont for the Barr Hall Green-winged Teal. The Merlin was taken by Fulton Somerville.