Report sightings to: Email nibirds@live.co.uk, Text: 07973 403 146 or 07870 863 782 or Twitter: @nibirds See local bird pics at: www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk
Bird News Sunday 21st December 2025
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:
Bird News Thursday 18th December 2025
Bird News Wednesday 17th December 2025
The Great White Egret is still present at Owen Roe, Oxford Island NNR (Ed O’Hara).
2 redhead Goosander still on Begney Lough this afternoon (David Nixon).
Bird News Tuesday 16th December 2025
The first winter drake Harlequin Duck was still present at Trá na gCloch, Curranport, north west Donegal (Derek Brennan)
The Great White Egret remains at Owen Roe Flat, Oxford Island (Ed O’Hara)
The Lesser Yellowlegs remains on Rathlin. (Ric Else / Hazel Watson)
Two female Ring-necked Duck were at Dunfanaghy New Lake. Two Cackling Geese were still with the Barnacles there (Derek Brennan)
Up to 9 Little Gulls were seen of Galboly from 11am to 3pm (David Steele)
The Isle of Muck had 2 Whimbrel and 3 Red-throated Diver (Ian Enlander)
The Taiga Bean Geese were still with Pink-feet at the rear of Blanketnook (Chris Ingram)
The two Bittern seem to have been seen at different times at Inch today. One showed well off the Tooban Hide.
A single Woodcock was at Eshnadara,nr Rosslea Co Fermanagh this afternoon (Colin Bell)
Video footage of the Harlequin Duck, Derek Brennan:
Female Ring-necked Duck, Derek Brennan:
Bird News Monday 15th December 2025
Bird News Sunday 14th December 2025
Long-tailed Duck in Ballycastle harbour (Patrick Barton).
Crossbill heard at Glenarrif Forest Park (Chris Hamilton).
Single Whimbrel At Ballymacormack Point (Simon Morton).
Slavonian Grebe at Glynn (Michael Latham).
Lesser Scaup and ringtail Hen Harrier at Portmore Lough (Daniel Newton / Garry Armstrong).
Bird News Saturday 13th December 2025
The best at Portavogie was a Grey Plover and 6+ Purple Sandpipers but no sign of the Black Redstart in half hour search (Bob Watts)
An adult Little Gull was at Red Bay (David Steele)
A Common Gull showing some features of the hybrid was at Millisle. 6 Purple Sandpiper were at Donaghadee (Bob Watts)
2 Green Sandpiper were in the flooded area adjacent to Newry Canal towpath, 0.9 km north of Madden Bridge (between Tandragee and Gilford), Co. Armagh (David Knight)
A Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Hillsborough Park Lake this morning (Dougie Gamble)
Two Great White Egret were at Lough Ross on the Monaghan / Armagh border (John Cusack)
Common Gull, Bob Watts:
Bird News Friday 12th December 2025
Bird News Thursday 11th December 2025
Red Kite yesterday on Rathlin (Ric Else / Hazel Watson).
Long tailed Duck flew by Portstewart Head this morning (Stephen Riddell).
2 Black-throated Divers Carnlough Bay. Barn Swallow feeding over the coast at Galboly. 3 Black-throated Divers in Red Bay from O’Kanes lay-by (David Steele).
Great Spotted Woodpecker on feeders at Belfast Lough RSPB WoW Reserve (Derek Polley).
Merlin at Ramore (Ian Dickey).
Merlin, Ian Dickey:
Bird News Wednesday 10th December 2025
The Green Sandpiper and a drake Goosander were at Corbet Lough, Banbridge (David McCreedy)
A juvenile/ 1st-w White-rumped Sandpiper was with Dunlin at the south end of Lough Beg. A Little Stint was also present. Unusually a Shag was on the lake (presumably blown in by yesterday’s storm) and also three Great Northern Divers. No sign of the Snow Goose (David Steele)
The Lesser Yellowlegs and a Red Kite were on Rathlin today (Jon Biddle)
Bird News Tuesday 9th December 2025
A Bittern was seen again at Inch in Donegal. (Theo Campbell, Chris Ingram).
The Lesser Yellowlegs is still on Rathlin. (Jon Biddle).
Bird News Monday 8th December 2025
1w drake Harlequin still present 8.50am 50m out on surf line with small gull flock @ the Tra na gCloch pin drop, Donegal (Andy Young).
Bittern at 0815 Inch, Donegal (Steve Millar).
2 Great Northern Divers off Owen Roe at the back of the Discovery Centre, Oxford Island NNR. Also adult Peregrine and Great White Egret at Kinnegoe Bay (Ed O’Hara).
Green Sandpiper still at Corbet Lough this morning (David McCreedy).
Red Kite at Rush Hall, near Limavady (John Pudney).
7 Purple Sandpipers and a Merlin at Portrush Coastal Zone (Mel O’Hagan).
Blue phase Snow Goose with 2 Greylags, ringtail Hen Harrier and 2+ Great White Egrets at south end of Lough Beg this morning (Dermot Hughes).
Great White Egret at Reedy Flats this afternoon (John Spratt).
Red Kite, John Pudney:
Bird News Sunday 7th December 2025
One of the Bittern showed this morning off the platform hide at Inch (Jon Biddle)
The first winter drake Harlequin was showing this morning off north west Donegal at: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6Fo5vjRq6uCc4h8e7?g_st=ipc
The Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper were at Corbet Lough, Banbridge (John Spottiswood)
At least 9 Taiga Beans were still with the Pinkfoot flock in fields behind Blanket Nook lake near blue containers). Donegal (Jon Biddle)
The Lesser Yellowlegs was seen yesterday on Rathlin by RSPB volunteers.
At Dunfanaghy New Lake, Co. Donegal: 2 Richardson’s Cackling were still with Barnacles. 2 Pink-feet were also present. 2 female Ring-necked Ducks and a male hybrid Ring-necked x Tufted (Aidan Kelly)
A Snow Bunting was on the beach at Warren Road north of Donaghadee this morning (Richard Weyl)
A drake and female Goosander were at Mill Bay, Larne Lough (Cameron Moore)
Bird News Saturday 6th December 2025
Bird News Friday 5th December 2025
1w drake Harlequin feeding just offshore at Curranport, Donegal (Jon Biddle).
Merlin and Great Northern Diver on Rathlin also Chiffchaff still present yesterday (Ric Else / Hazel Watson).
10+ Taiga Bean Geese still amongst the Pinkfeet flock at Blanket Nook, Donegal (Chris Ingram).
Adult Little Gull with a feeding flock off Galboly / Garron Point (David Steele).
Bittern again at Inch, Donegal late afternoon after a 6 hour wait (Ian Young).
No sign of the 2 Taiga Bean Geese at New Lake, Dunfanaghy in poor conditions this afternoon, but the 2 Cackling Geese with Barnacles, 2 Pinkfeet with Greylags & just over 100 Greenland WFs including 4 or so juvs (Jon Biddle).
Red Kite still present at Myroe (Rev Rhys Jones).
Bird News Thursday 4th December 2025
A Great White Egret and two Great Northern Diver were off Oxford Island (Ed O’Hara)
A Green Sandpiper and 7 Goosander were on Corbet Lake this morning. A Red Kite was also seen. (David McCreedy)
A Black Redstart was near Fishermans Row, Killough (Ann Feltham)
A Black Redstart was at Newcastle Harbour (Danny Baillie)
The Harlequin Duck was again at Curranport, Co Donegal. At Dunfanaghy New Lake, two Taiga Geese were with Whitefronts and Greylags close to the Anglers Car Park. A Green-winged Teal was at the west end. Two Cackling Geese were with the Barnacles. (Ralph Sheperd)
The Spotted Redshank was still at Dundrum South Inner Bay (David Nixon)
Spotted Redshank, David Nixon:
Bird News Wednesday 3rd December 2025
The wing-tagged Red Kite was still around Myroe this morning. (Rev Rhys Jones).
7 Goosanders are on Corbet Lough outside Banbridge, the birds are at the far end of the lough from the carpark. (David McCreedy).
A Great Northern Diver was in Kinnegoe Bay at Oxford Island. (Ed O'Hara).
A Common Sandpiper was at Penny Burn in Derry. (John Spottiswood).
A Great White Egret was at Inishcreenry, Upper Lough Erne in Fermanagh. (Gavin Thomas).
A Carrion Crow was at Sharman House in Bangor. (James Harte).
Great Northern Diver, Ed O'Hara.
Red-throated Diver, Terry Hanna.
Bird News Tuesday 2nd December 2025
Great Northern Diver still present in Portrush Harbour (Rodney Gillan).
11 Taiga Bean Geese still at Blanket Nook, Lough Swilly, Donegal (Chris Ingram).
Drake Lesser Scaup and drake Ring-necked Duck at Portmore Lough (Gavin Thomas).
Ringtail Hen Harrier and female Greater Scaup at Reedy Flats (Gavin Thomas).
2 Red Kites and a Merlin in the Antrim Hills (Ivan Cullen).
Ringtail Hen Harrier at Inch, Donegal (David Hill).
Wing-tagged Red Kite around Myroe (Nigel McFarland).
Great Northern Diver, Rodney Gillan:
Bird News Monday 1st December 2025
The Lesser Yellowlegs remains on Rathlin (Jon Biddle)
40 Purple Sandpiper were at the Coastal Zone, Portrush. A flock of 30 Twite were also present. (Rod Gillan)
The first winter drake Harlequin Duck was seen again at Curransport, north west Donegal, this morning. Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/y8ZN3eJ2VH12A9Fm9?g_st=ipc
A Snow Bunting was feeding on the tide line at Whitepark Bay (Patrick Barton)
Purple Sandpipers, Rod Gillan:















