nibirds

Bird News Sunday 3rd July

A female Blue-winged Teal was in Church Bay at Lough Beg. (David Steele).

A Common Sandpiper was at Kinnegar in Belfast Lough. (DanielNewton).

Two Greenshank, one in summer plumage, and two summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwits were at Glynn in Larne Lough. (Gerard McGeehan).

A Common Sandpiper was along the Clanrye River, Newry Estuary this morning. (Frank Carroll).

Thanks to Stephen Maxwell for the pictures of the adult and young Mediterranean Gulls and to Jason Bain for the picture of the Buzzard.

Bird News Sunday 3rd July

A female Blue-winged Teal was in Church Bay at Lough Beg. (David Steele).

A Common Sandpiper was at Kinnegar in Belfast Lough. (Daniel Newton).

Bird News Saturday 2nd July

At least one pair of Mediterranean Gulls with young were still present at RSPB Belfast Lough WOW Reserve.(Noeni Bryars)

Yesterday evening 32 Bar-tailed Godwits were near Kilclief in the Strangford Narrows. (Toni Costello).

Also yesterday a Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank were at RSPB Belfast Lough WOW Reserve. (Daniel Newton).

A Great Skua, Raven, Buzzard, Stonechat and Whitethroat along with Golden Hare were present on Rathlin Island on the RSPB guided walk today. (Jim McKeown).

A mixed pair of a female Carrion Crow and a male Hooded Crow have bred in Groomsport producing two hybrid young which have fledged and can be seen around Groomsport harbour, see pictures below. (Gareth Platt).

Thanks to Noeni Bryars for the picture of the Mediterranean Gull, to Linda Thompson for the picture montage of the Spotted Flycatchers and to Gareth Platt for the pictures of the hybrid Crows.

Bird News Saturday 2nd July

At least one pair of Mediterranean Gulls with young were still present at RSPB Belfast Lough WOW Reserve.(Noeni Bryars)

Yesterday evening 32 Bar-tailed Godwits were near Kilclief in the Strangford Narrows. (Toni Costello).

Also yesterday a Common Sandpiper and a Greenshank were at RSPB Belfast Lough WOW Reserve. (Daniel Newton).

A Great Skua, Raven, Buzzard, Stonechat and Whitethroat along with Golden Hare were present on Rathlin Island on the RSPB guided walk today. (Jim McKeown).

Thanks to Noeni Bryars for the picture of the Mediterranean Gull and to Linda Thompson for the picture montage of the Spotted Flycatchers.

Bird News Friday 1st July.

No fresh news to-day.

Bird News Wednesday 29th June

Four Med Gulls (2 adult, 2 second summer) were at RSPB Belfast WOW (Gerard McGeehan)

Yesterday 1000 Knot were on islands in Limestone Rocks area of Carlingford Lough (Stephen Foster).

The Ring-billed Gull was still at The Round O, Enniskillen (Brad Robson)

Copeland Bird Observatory today had 1 Buzzard, 1 Cuckoo, 50 Puffins and 1500 rafting Manx Shearwaters. (Chris Acheson)

Thanks to Gareth Platt for the picture of a juvenile Peregrine and to Cameron Moore for the picture of the Spotted Flycatcher:

Bird News Tuesday 28th June

A Red Kite was seen over the southern edges of Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, at about 12.40pm today. (Jerry Sharpley)

Thanks to Cameron Moore for this pic of a male Hen Harrier (not taken at a nesting site):

Bird News Monday 27th June

A Mediterranean Gull was feeding in silage fields at Glenwherry in the Antrim Hills (Neal Warnock)

An imm. Golden Eagle was in Co Antrim. 12 Crossbill where also noted. (David Steele)

Bird News Sunday 26th June

The 1st summer Ring-billed Gull was back in Enniskillen at the Round O this evening (Brad Robson)

Crossbills were seen at Crawford's Cars, Tempo, Co Fermanagh and a small group of them at Crocknagrally Forest near Fivemiletown (Colin Bell)

Bird News Saturday 25th June

A juvenile and an adult male Great Spotted Woodpecker were seen at Derryhubbert, Peatlands Park today (David Nixon)

Thanks to David for this pic of the juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker:

Bird News Friday 24th June

Yesterday an Osprey was at Lough Melvin in Co. Fermanagh. (Irish Birding).

A Great Skua flew past the West Light on Rathlin today. (Robert McDowell)

Thanks to Angus Kennedy for the picture of a Grey Wagtail, to Linda Thompson for the picture of the Whitethroat and to Robert McDowell for the picture of the Fulmar.

Bird News Thursday 23rd June

A White-tailed Eagle was at Upper Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh on Monday (Sarah McCaffrey per Brad Robson)

The Ring-billed Gull was still at The Round O, Enniskillen (Brad Robson)

Bird News Wednesday 22nd June

The Ring-billed Gull was still at the Round O, Enniskillen. (Brad Robson)

Thanks to Nigel Moore for this pic of an adult and three young Mediterranean Gulls at RSPB Belfast WOW Reserve:

Bird News Tuesday 21st June

No news so far today.

Thanks to Stephen Maxwell for this picture of a Mediterranean Gull.

Bird News Monday 20th June.

No fresh news so far.

Spotted Flycatcher - Tony Donaldson

Bird News Sunday 19th June

An adult summer plumages Greenshank was at RSPB WOW Reserve. (Stuart McKee).

Thanks to Dessie Loughrey for the picture of the Puffin.

Bird News Saturday 18th June

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen at Antrim Boat Club (Jeff Larkin)

A Red Kite, probably untagged, was seen at Murlough Bay, Co Antrim (Philip McErlean)

Bird News Friday 17th June.

No fresh news to-day.

Young Swallows - Tom McCreery.

Bird News Thursday 16th May

The 1st summer Ring-billed Gull was still at the Round O jetty in Enniskillen this morning. (Birdguides).

An Osprey was reported at Lough Melvin, Co. Fermanagh, last Saturday and may still be around.

A Corn Bunting has been reported from Bushmills: http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/89146/Corn_Bunting.html

Thanks to James O'Neill for the picture of the Ring-billed Gull.

Bird News Wednesday 15th June

The first summer Ring-billed Gull was still at The Round O, Enniskillen (Brad Robson)

A Nightingale has been reported from Glenarm on the 12th and 13th June. See: http://www.irishbirding.com/birds/web/Display/sighting/89133/Nightingale.html

Whitehead Peregrine Watch, this Saturday - Please note, unfortunately the Peregrines have deserted the nest site at Whitehead - this appears to be entirely natural - and this event has been cancelled.

If you have any rare or scarce bird news, you can email us at: nibirds@live.co.uk

Thanks to Angus Keenedy for this pic of a singing Whitethroat and Brad Robson for the Ring-billed Gull:

Bird News Tuesday 14th June

A first summer Ring-billed Gull was at the Round O, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh - possibly the first county record (Brad Robson) see Brad's pic below

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was in Tollymore forest park.(Toni Castello)

Bird News Sunday 12th June

An Osprey was seen to fly south-west over the Copeland Islands. A Sooty Shearwater was also seen this evening (CBO)

A Red-throated Diver was at Burial Island, Co Down (Richard Weyl).

A Cuckoo was calling this evening in Glarryford Co Antrim. (Nigel Turner).

A Cuckoo was also heard at Cappanagh Forest this morning. (Linda Thompson).

Yesterday an adult Mediterranean Gull was at Glynn in Larne Lough, see picture below. (Gareth Platt).

A juvenile Iceland Gull was on Tory Island. (Birdguides).

Thanks to Linda for the pictures of the Willow Warbler and the Tree Sparrow and to Gareth Platt for the pictures of the Mediterranean Gull and the Red-breasted Merganser.

Bird News Saturday 11th June

No news so far today.

Bird News Friday 10th June

The male Lesser Scaup still near Gravel Ridge Island, Lower Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh (Brad Robson)

Thanks to Eamon Meenan for this picture of a summer plumages Great Northern Diver on Tory Island:

Also thanks to Mark Smyth for this pic of a Painted Lady Butterfly in a garden at Antrim:

Bird News Thursday 9th June

5 Whitethroat were at Groomsport (Dot Blakely)

Thanks to Grace Meenan for this pic of the White-tailed Eagle that was on Tory Island, earlier this week.

Look out for Painted Lady Butterflies as there has been an influx of this migrant. The one below was in a garden in Londonderry and taken by Christine Cunningham:

Bird News Wednesday 8th June

The male Lesser Scaup was again off Gravel Ridge Island Lower Lough Erne Fermanagh this morning, a 1st summer Little Gull was also present on the reserve. (Brad Robson).

Yesterday evening three Garganey (two males and a female) and a female Ruff were in the southwest corner of Lough Beg. (David Steele).

2 Garden Warbler were singing this evening in car park area at foot of Magho cliffs path, Shore Road, Co Fermanagh (Brad Robson)

Thanks to Brad for these pictures of the of the Lesser Scaup and to William Smiton for the picture of the Gannet taken on last nights boat trip to the Gobbins.

Bird News Tuesday 7th June

A drake Lesser Scaup was at Lower Lough Erne Islands RSPB reserve, Co Fermanagh, on the main lough near Gravel (or Great) Ridge Island - but not visible from the mainland shore. Also 1 male Ruff, 2 Knot and 2 Long-tailed Duck were also present. (Brad Robson)

Great-spotted Woodpeckers continue to be reported from Co Fermanagh with 3 in Reilly Wood near Derrylin (Dermot Hughes) and 2 at Crom (John Sey)

The Little Stint was still at RSPB Belfast WOW (Stuart McKee)

Thanks to Brad for these pics of the Lesser Scaup:

Bird News Monday 6th June.

3 Red Kite where seen on the Dromore Rd, Castlewellan.(Paul Allen)

An Osprey was seen flying over the Copand Islands. Also good numbers of migrant Painted Lady Butterfly's seen on the island (CBO).

Cuckoo - James McQueen.

Bird News Sunday 5th June

The male Ruff was showing well at Portmore Lough (Laura Smith)

A Hawfinch was on Tory Island at West Town (Anton Meehan).

5 Whimbrel were at Ballyquintin Point in Co, Down. (Philip West).

65 Crossbill were at Teiges Hill near Brookeborough in Fermanagh (Clive Mellon).

A Garganey was on Meadow Pool at Portmore. (Birdguides).

A Cuckoo was at Cappenagh Forest. (Brian Halligan)

Thanks to Dessie Loughrey for the picture of the Kingfisher and to Wilf Swain for the picture of the Cuckoo.

Bird News Saturday 4th June

The Little Stint was at the RSPB WOW Reserve, Belfast and a summer plumaged Sanderling on Kinnegar shore. (Garry Armstrong).

A Cuckoo was calling around Murlough Nature Reserve. (Gerard McLaughlin)

A Quail was singing in the south-west corner of Lough Beg (Birdguides)

Thanks to Christine Cassidy for this pic of Black Guillemots:

Bird News Friday 3rd June.

The Mediterranean Gulls at Belfast Lough RSPB WOW reserve have now hatched young. (Derek Polley)

Thanks to Dessie Loughrey for the picture of the Peregrine, to Christine Cassidy for the picture of the Sand Martin and to Derek Polley for the picture of the Common Tern.