Bird News Tuesday 28th May

A Little Gull was at the Castle Island hide at the Quoile. (Craig Nash).

2 Reed Warblers were in the reed bed beside the Kinnego Hide at Oxford Island, see pictures below. (Ed O'Hara/Noel Austin).

A Waxwing was in a garden in Hillsborough. (Mandy Cromie/Paul McCullough).

Thanks to today's photographers, to Noel Austin for the first Reed Warbler picture and for the Common Tern picture, to Ed O'Hara for the second Reed Warbler picture, to Craig Nash for the Dunlin picture, to David Hill for the Chiffchaff picture, to Alistair Prentice for the Skylark picture, to Martina Boyle for the Black Guillemot and Fulmar pictures and to Stephen Maxwell for the atmospheric Raven picture. You can see more NI bird pictures at www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk

Bird News Monday 27th May.

3 pair of Reed Warbler were off the Kinnego hide at Oxford Island (Ed.O'Hara)

 

Whitehead seafront had an adult Med Gull + 1 wheatear this afternoon (Ian Enlander)

2 Whinchat, 2 Wheatear and a Jay were along Glenhead Road at Glenwherry (Richard Gray)

There has been no reports of the Subalpine Warbler, been seen to-day on Copeland Island.

Yesterday Briggs Rocks had 1 Brent Goose,  4 Whimbrel, 2 Sanderling, 1 Great Northern Diver,  1 Red-throated Diver and 1 Wheatear. Today it had 1 Red-throated Diver, 2 Wheatears and 3 Whimbrel (Colin Guy)

Our thanks to Alistair Prentice for this photo of a Stonechat. Bill Guiller for the Wheatear and to John Clarke for the young Long-eared Owl. Also to Ed. O'Hara for a pic of one of the Reed Warblers at Oxford Island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subalpine Warbler

Thanks to Shane Wolsey for the above picture of a first summer female Subalpine warbler, ringed today on Copeland, Co Down. An excellent find! This is the fourth record with the previous ones being:

1937 - An immature struck the Maidens lightstation, Co. Antrim on 13th June 1937

1967 - One was again trapped at Copeland Island Bird Observatory, Co. Down on 28th May 1967

1990 - A female was found by Dave Allen at Killough, Co. Down on 20th May 1990

Bird News Sunday 26th May

A first year female Subalpine Warbler was at Copeland Bird Observatory. (Shane Wolsey).

A Whinchat and a calling Cuckoo were at Capanagh Forest, Co Antrim, this morning. (Ron Price).

The Cattle Egret was still on the island at Hillsborough lake. In Co Fermanagh 4 Garden Warbler and a calling Cuckoo were at Crom. (Keith Bennett).

At least 3 Cuckoos' were heard at Murlough, Co Down this morning. (Kevin Kirkham-Brown).

A Pectoral Sandpiper was on Tory Island and the Curlew Sandpiper was still present. (Brad Robson).

The female Hen Harrier was hunting at Church Bay on Rathlin Island this morning. (Alistair Prentice).

 A Cuckoo was at Balyness Mountian, near Fivemiletown, Co Tyrone this afternoon. (Colin Bell).

A male Garganey and 3 Cuckoo were at Portmore Lough RSPB reserve this afternoon. 3 Reed Warblers were in the reed bed beside Kinnegoe Hide at Oxford Island this morning. (Ed O'Hara).

There were 2 male Scaup off the Castle Island hide at the Quoile. (Chris Henry).

Thanks to today's photographers, to Ed O'Hara for the picture of the Cuckoo from Portmore and the picture of the Black-tailed Godwit, to Stephen Maxwell for the picture of the Arctic Tern from Belfast Lough RSPB reserve, to Alistair Prentice for the picture of the Hen Harrier from Rathlin and for the picture of the Stonechat and to Lindsay Hodges for the picture of the Grey Heron and the picture of the Mute Swan defending its nest from all comers. You can see more NI bird pictures at

www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk

Bird News Saturday 25th May

The Tawny Owl was calling at 4:45 and seen briefly at Castle Ward. (Maurice Hanafin, Seamus Enright). Please note that the Bread Festival is on today and the Van Morrison concert tomorrow!

A Sabine's Gull flew past Bloody Foreland this morning. Also 5 Black-throated Diver, 5 Great Northern Diver and a Storm Petrel past (Chris Ingram).

A 1st winter Little Gull was at Belfast Lough RSPB reserve, see picture below. (Ed O'Hara).

 A Cuckoo, a Peregrine, 3 Wheatear, a Buzzard and a Red Squirrel were in the Glenoo Mountain area, near Fivemiletown this morning. (Colin Bell).

A Cuckoo was at Murlough and a Whitethroat at Tyrella. (Tom & Zach McCreery).

Tory Island off Donegal today had an adult Curlew Sandpiper, 3 Mealy Redpoll, 2 Glaucous Gull, a Whitethroat, 4 Chiffchaff, a Redwing, a Goldcrest, 10 Whimbrel, 4 White Wagtail, a Great Skua and 3 Black-tailed Godwits. (Brad Robson).

A female Hen Harrier was on the east side of Rathlin this evening. (Alistair Prentice.)

At least two Great Spotted Woodpecker (probably three) were at Colebrooke in Fermanagh (Dave Allen, Clive Mellon et al).

  A boat trip up the Lagan today revealed many terns nesting on the disused quays and 2 Manx Shearwaters were off Loughshore Park in Belfast Lough this afternoon. (Roger Woodward).

Thanks to today's photographers, to Zach McCreery for the picture of the Meadow Pipit, to Ed O'Hara for the pictures of the Little Gull and the Black Guillemot and to Lindsay Hodges for the picture of the Bullfinches. You can see more NI bird pictures at  www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

 

Bird News Friday 24th May.

Not a lot of local news to-day, just some from Tory Island which had 1 ad Glaucous Gull, 2 pale phase Arctic Skua, 7 Corncrake, 17 White Wagtail, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Whimbrel.(B.Robson)

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was beside the towpath on the Red bridge end of Belvoir forest on Wednesday (Eamon O’carroll)

Our thanks to Christine Cassidy for this fine photo of a Wheatear.

 

Bird News Thursday 23rd May

The Cattle Egret was on the island at Hillsborough Lake at 1.20pm.see photo below.  (Lindsay Hodges)

Our thanks to Alistair Prentice for this photograph of a Raven. Also to Noel Austin for the Mistle Thrush and the House Martin and finally Lindsay Hodges photo of the Cattle Egret.

Bird News Wednesday 22nd May

The Tawny Owl was heard at Castle Ward tonight (Adam Middleton)

Coney Island near Killough had a Whimbrel, a Sanderling, a Wheatear, 3 Dunlin and 4 Ringed Plover. Tree Sparrows are nesting in a nest box in a Killough Garden. (Chris Murphy).

On Rathlin a Pomarine Skua was eating a Kittiwake below the RSPB observation point, a Peregrine was over Church Bay and a Raven was stealing Guillemot eggs on the west side of the island. (Alistair Prentice).

A first summer Little Gull was at Belfast Lough RSPB reserve. (Bird Guides).

The adult Mediterranean Gull x Black-headed Gull was still at Belfast Harbour Lagoon (Stuart McKee).

The White-tailed Eagle was to the north of Capanagh and 4 Buzzard and a Merlin at Agnew's Hill (Cameron Moore).

An Osprey was present on Monday and Tuesday on a farm pond just off Audley's Town Road between Castle Ward and Strangford Lough. (Craig Nash).

A Red Grouse was at Llendrum Windfarm near Fivemiletown this evening. (Colin Bell).

Yesterday 3 Cuckoo's were calling, one of them showing well, at Murlough.

Thanks to today's photographers, to Stephen Maxwell for the Tawny Owl pictures, to Alistair Prentice for the pictures of a Buzzard being mobbed by Ravens on Rathlin and to Angus Kennedy for the Cuckoo, Kestrel and Sedge Warbler pictures. You can see more NI bird pictures at www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

 

Bird News Tuesday 21st May

The Tawny Owl is still present at the sunken garden in Castleward N.T. Strangford.

A Marsh Harrier was at Inishmore, Upper Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh (Giles Knight)

The Cattle Egret was seen going onto the island in Hillsborough Lake at 15.30 and was still present at 16.15.(Suzanne Belshaw)
 

The Little Gull was still at RSPB Belfast Harbour Reserve and the Med x BLack-headed Gull is still on the larger island.  A Cuckoo was also calling on the waste land opposite the reserve on Airport Road West (Chris Sturgenor)

Two Spotted Flycatchers and a male Yellow Wagtail were the best on Tory Island today (Davy Hunter)

 

 

Our thanks to Craig Nash for the two wonderful pics. of the Castleward Tawny Owl. Also to Noel Austin for his fine image of a White Wagtail.

 

 

 

Bird News Monday 20th May

The Tawny Owl was seen again at Castle Ward, a pair of Spotted Flycatchers was also present. (Sam & Andrea Scott).

An Osprey was over Clough in Co. Down at 5.15 this evening. (Adam McClure).

A Garganey was off the hide at the Quoile, see picture below. (Craig Nash).

A single Curlew Sandpiper and 2 Sanderling were with a large flock of waders, including at least 400 Ringed Plovers and 250 Dunlin, at Dundrum Inner Bay North. A single Cuckoo was at Murlough Nature Reserve. (Ian Jackson & David Nixon).

An Osprey was at Larne Lough at 9.45am before flying off north (Cameron Moore).  

A first-summer Little Gull and the adult hybrid Mediterranean x Black-headed Gull were at Belfast harbour Lagoon (Stuart McKee).    

Yesterday evening 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker were at Drum Manor Forest near Cookstown (Seamus and Ciaran Burns).    

A Short-eared Owl was taken into care at the Avian Care Trust (per Margaret Adamson).

Thanks to today's photographers, to Stephen Maxwell for the first picture of the Tawny Owl, to Andrea Scott for the second picture of the Tawny Owl, to Craig Nash for the pictures of the Garganey from the Quoile, to Dick Glasgow for the first Sedge Warbler picture, to Martina Boyle for the picture of the Iceland Gull, to Alistair Prentice for the second Sedge Warbler picture, to Stuart McKee for the pictures of the hybrid Mediterranean x Black-headed Gull and to Cameron Moore for the pictures of the Osprey from Larne Lough. You can see more NI bird pictures at www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk

 

 

 

Bird news Sunday 19th May.

The Tawny Owl was still calling early morning at Castle Ward (I.Graham)

A White-tailed Eagle and a Wheatear were at Capanagh (Gerard McGeehan).
In the Antrim Hills were 1 male Whinchat at Glenwherry, 1 pr Whinchats at Altnahinch, 1 Cuckoo at Altarichard. Red Grouse were calling at Capanagh, Altarichard and Slievanorra (Keith Bennett)

An Osprey was seen flying north at Murlough Co Down this morning (Brian Magee)

A Greater Spotted Woodpecker was seen and heard drumming at Drum Manor Forest Park in Cookstown.(Diane Jameson)

A Cuckoo was calling this morning above Breen Oakwood and another  2 Cuckoo calling & sighted at Drumack Rd, Rasharkin.(Celine Loughlin)

At Burial Island 13 Red-throated Diver and a Great-Northern Diver. Yesterday at Knockinelder Bay 15 Sanderling.(R.Weyl)

Two Mealy Redpoll and 3 Spotted Flycatchers were on Rathlin Island.(N.Warnock)

A first-summer Little Gull, first-summer Mediterranean Gull and adult Mediterranean x Black-headed Gull were at Belfast Harbour Lagoon. 7 summer-plumage Red-throated Diver were off Loughshore Park (Stuart McKee).

 

 

Tawny Owl - Food for Thought?

A number of people have asked us about the likely status of the Tawny Owl at Castle Ward.

Assuming that the bird shows no signs of captivity (eg a non BTO ring, feather \ bare part damage), then could it be possible that this is NI's first naturally occurring Tawny Owl?

Tawny Owl is a widespread breeding resident in GB. However more recently and importantly, breeding has been confirmed in the Isle of Man. Tawny Owl is also regarded as sedentary but ringing recoveries have included a bird ringed in Wales that was recovered in Scotland - so movements can occur, particularly of young birds. It is therefore tempting to think that from Castle Ward, you are within sight of Tawny Owls on the coast of Great Britain and the Isle of Man.

The location is also fitting with where a Tawny Owl (or any westward expanding species) could be expected. It is coastal and within a few miles of Castle Ward, birders were watching a Montagu's Harrier on its migration, the week before.

It is also worth highlighting a recent NI record. On the 17/02/2012, Paul McCullogh and Anne Dowling found a dead Tawny Owl in the Kennedy Way Industrial Estate, Belfast. It was found on the Bog Meadows side of the factory and it was not ringed etc. Contrary to earlier reports, it was not in the loading bay and had not come off a lorry! Local falconers when asked had no information to indicate it was an escaped bird. On the back of the publicity over the Castle Ward Tawny Owl, there have also been recent reports of a calling bird in Carrickfergus.

Tawny Owl , found dead in Belfast in 2012 - Paul McCullogh

However, it is also known that the situation with raptors in NI is complex due to escaped falconry birds. The recent Gyr Falcon at the Giants Causeway is a prime case in point. It was in the right location and the right habitat - but was ringed. Unlike Tawny Owl, Gyr Falcons are also known to move considerable distances.

The Castle Ward Tawny Owl is wary and has to date not shown any reported behavior to indicate that it was once in captivity (nor does it show a ring). Irrespective of status, it has to be said that seeing and hearing a Tawny Owl in this habitat in Ireland, in such a grand and majestic location is a wonderful experience.

If you have any information on Tawny Owls (either for GB or Ireland, and perhaps the status of birds within falconry) that you feel will help inform the current situation, please feel free to email us at nibirds@live.co.uk