Bird News Tuesday 21st August

A Hen Harrier was quartering wheat fields at the start of the pathway from Groomsport to Ballymacormick point, see picture below. (Ronnie Snoddy).

This morning a female or juvenile Whinchat was on the beach at Newcastle in front of the golf links. (Danny Baillie).

The juvenile Roseate Tern was still at Kinnegar shore, see picture below. (Michael Latham)

A Green Sandpiper was at Dooey, on the Rosguill Atlantic Drive. Also 12 Common Scoter (and a group of Common Dophins) of Melmore am (Oscar Campbell)

Thanks to Ronnie Snoddy for the picture of the Hen Harrier, to Ginny McKee for the pictures of the Red Grouse and the Ringed Plover, to Wilf Swain for the picture of the Wheatear and to Michael Latham for the picture of the juvenile Roseate Tern:

Bird News Monday 20th August.

2 Hobby where at Banagher Glen, Dungiven (Christine Cassidy/Lindsay Hodges)

A Green Sandpiper was in the SW corner of Lough Beg this evening.(David Steele)

RSPB WoW had 4 Ruff, 3 Sanderling, 13 Knot and 220+ Dunlin. (Wilton Farrelly)

15 Sooty Shearwaters, 400 Manxies and a Great Northern Diver Went past Melmore Head 0850-1010.  This afternoon 2 1cy Mediterranean Gulls were off Rosapenna and another 2 (ad and 1cy) were at Carrigart. Also 3 Greenshank and 5 Knot at the latter (Oscar Campbell)

Inishtrahull Boat Trip

There will be a boat trip to Innishtrahull on Tuesday (21st August). We leave Portballintrae at 11am and we will be back for 6pm. We will be using a 12 seat covered rib.

This is our third trip to this fascinating island off the north coast of Donegal. On previous visits we have seen nesting Great Skuas (two pairs with a chick each), a pair of Chough, Storm Petrels (which nest on the island), Bootle Nosed Dolphins, Red Deer and Grey Seals. In addition to visiting Innishrahull we will also use chum to attract Petrels and Shearwaters to our boat. For further information contact Jim Wells on 07856235144.

Bird News Sunday 19th August

A juvenile Little Gull was at RSPB WoW this afternoon (Daniel Newton)

A Ruff was at Myroe (Michael Latham \ Michael Savage)

Myroe had high counts of 1100+ Ringed Plover and 1900+ Dunlin. There were also 5 Med Gulls and a Ruff. The best at Ballykelly has an adult Med Gull. (Garry Armstrong)

Magilligan had a Red-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver and an Arctic Skua. (Wilton Farrelly)

The Barmouth had six Whimbrel, a Bonxie and two Arctic Skua. (Stuart McKee)

A Red Kite was flying over the Hilltown Road Rathriland at lunchtime today. (Karen Elliott)

A Ruff and a Whimbrel were on the rocks opposite Croaghan hide, Oxford Island today (Mark Killops)

Ballycarry Bridge, Larne Lough had  a high count of 17 Little Egret at the high tide roost this afternoon (Ian Enlander)

A juvenile Roseate Tern was at Kinnegar this afternoon (Michael Latham)

Seawatching from the Rathlin West Light throughout the day, the highlights were at least 4 Sooty Shearwaters and 1 Arctic Skua (Ric Else and Hazel Watson)

Melmore Head, Co Donegal had 75 Sooty Shearwaters this morning (0815-1115) plus 2 Great Northern Divers, 6 Arctic Skua and 36 Common Scoter. Rosapenna in the afternoon had 4 Red-throated and one Great Northern Diver, 2 Buzzard, Ruff and 10 Black-tailed Godwits. (Oscar Campbell)

Thanks to Michael Latham for this pic of the Ruff:

Greenshank, Thomas Campbell:

Roseate Tern, Michael Latham:

Bird News Saturday 18th August

5 Garganey were in the south west corner of Lough Beg this morning (Richard Hunter)

A juvenile Black Tern was off Kinnegar shore this morning (Garry Armstrong)

Melmore Head Co Donegal had a Wilson's Petrel at  c2pm. (Eric Randall).  A Great Shearwater,  6 Pomarine Skua and 120 Sooty Shearwaters were seen this morning (Oscar Campbell). Also seen were 2 Common Scoter, 2Arctic Terns, 9 Bonxies, 3Arctic Skua, 10 Whimbrel and a Great Northern Diver. (Eric Randall / Oscar Campbell).

A juvenile Cuckoo was at Banagher Glen. Up to 6 Ruff was with approximately 100 Golden Plover at Myroe. (Lindsay Hodges).

In the evening, Melmore Head had another Great Shearwater plus 15 Sooty Shearwaters and a few Skuas (Eric Randall)

Yesterday 200 Whimbrel and a Little Gull were at Dunfanaghy (Oscar Campbell)

Thanks to Lindsay for the pictures of the Cuckoo and a Kestrel and to Wilf Swain for the picture of the Greenfinch:

Bird News Thursday 16th August

The adult Roseate Tern was still at RSPB WoW this morning (Derek Polley)

Thanks to Christine Cassidy for this pic of Chough at Fanad Head:

 

Bird News Wednesday 15th August

A Peregrine and a Whimbrel were at Reedy Flats on the south shore of Lough Neagh. (Mark Killops).

The Osprey at Lough Beg was seen briefly and distantly again today, see picture below. (Thomas Campbell).

An Arctic Skua was seen from Portmuck this morning (Adam McClure)

Thanks to Thomas for the pictures of the Osprey, Kestrel and Black-tailed Godwit:

Bird News Tuesday 14th August

A Spotted Redshank was at the Peoples Park in Ballymena this afternoon. (David Morrow).

Lough Beg this evening had a juvenile Spotted Redshank, eight Garganey and an Osprey (David Steele)

Yesterday a Roseate Tern and a Ruff were at RSPB WOW (Noeni Bryars) and this afternoon both birds were still there (Colin Mayes)

On Rathlin, the juvenile male Hen Harrier was still present today. 3 Sooty Shearwaters, 1 Arctic Skua, 7 Great Skuas, a Common Scoter and a rather late Puffin were seen offshore from the West Light. (Ric Else and Hazel Watson)

Thanks to David Hill for this pic of Black-tailed Godwits in flight:

Bird News Monday 13th August.

2 Ruff and 3 Common Sandpiper where at Shaw's Lake,Glenanne,Co Armagh. (Neil Cartmill)

Rathlin had a Hen Harrier and a Sooty Shearwater. (Ric and Hazel)

A female Marsh Harrier was seen over Reedy Flats.(Davy Knight)

Sandy Bay, Larne had 2 Sanderling,14 Dunlin,12 Ringed Plover and 7 Turnstone. Glynn had 7 Greenshank, 114 Red-breasted Merganser and a Whimbrel. (Gerald McGeehan/Shireley Dunlop)

A high count of 65 Little Egret where seen from the train between Coleraine and L'derry.(Chris Shaw)

Bird News Sunday 12th August

Belfast WOW reserve at high tide this morning had a Roseate Tern, the winter plumaged Ruff and a Whimbrel. (Garry Armstrong).

A Reed Warbler was at the hide at the Quoile today. (Michael Latham).

A Common Sandpiper was on the Lagan in Lisburn between the Union and Moores bridges. (Eric Randall).

Several Reed Warblers were around the Kinnegoe hide at Oxford Island, see picture below. (Garry Armstrong).

One of the Reed Warblers at Oxford Island and thanks to Michael Latham for the picture of the Sedge Warbler, to Linda Thompson for the picture of the Whimbrel and to Thomas Campbell for the pictures of the Blackcap and the Grey Wagtail:

Bird News Saturday 11th August

This morning St John's Point had a good movement of Manx Shearwaters and 5 Common Scoter in flight (Chris Rankin)

A juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen regularly today at Ballyhay, Donaghadee (Gloria Hayes)

Thanks to Thomas Campbell for this pic of a Redshank from the Barmouth:

Bird News Friday 10th August

An White-winged Black Tern is currently at Inch Lake, Donegal, showing near the Pump House (Theo Campbell / Robert Vaughan)

This evening a huge hirundine roost was at Churchfield Road, Ballycastle. Several thousand Swallows and some Sand Martins dropping into willow biomass. (Clive Mellon)

Bird News Thursday 9th August

RSPB WoW had a Peregrine, 220+ Dunlin, a Roseate Tern, 60+ Curlew and 60+ Lapwing (Derek Polley).

Thanks to Dick Glasgow for the picture of the Willow Warbler and to Wilf Swain for the picture of the Black-tailed Godwit:

Bird News Wednesday 8th August

The juvenile Black Tern was at RSPB WoW with over 200 Dunlin early evening. Water levels are still very low. (Daniel Newton)

An adult Roseate Tern was at RSPB WoW reserve this afternoon (Stuart McKee)

Bird News Tuesday 7th August

On Sunday a Pectoral Sandpiper was at Lady Bay, Lough Neagh (Suzanne Belshaw)

A Pectoral Sandpiper was at Lough Beg this afternoon, on the shoreline at Long Point. Also 32 Ruff, most of them at Church Island. At the southwest corner this evening there was a Green Sandpiper, Turnstone and Whimbrel all over calling but none stopped. (David Steele)

The juvenile Black Tern was at RSPB WoW this evening (Stuart McKee)

Many thanks to Suzanne for the pic of the Pectoral Sandpiper:

Bird News Monday 6th August

A female Hen Harrier was in mid Antrim. (Chris Rankin).

Yesterday a Ruff was at the Barmouth. (Thomas Campbell).

Thanks to Thomas Campbell for the picture of the Mistle Thrush:

Bird News Sunday 5th August

Yesterday the juvenile Black Tern at RSPB WoW disappeared for significant periods of time but was seen again at 7pm (Stuart McKee)

A Tree Pipit and 2 Crossbills over Kinramer, Rathlin this morning. All but the very last handful of Guillemots and Razorbills have now gone from the colonies. Still hundreds of Puffins this morning, but they look as though they will be gone in the next couple of days. (Ric Else and Hazel Watson)

This afternoon RSPB WoW had a Roseate Tern and over 200 Dunlin (Gerard McGeehan / Shirley Dunlop)

Rossnowlagh Donegal had a juv Med Gull, a dark phase Arctic Skua, 6 Great Northern Divers and 106 Common Scoter (Brad Robson)

Male Bullfinch, Wilf Swain:

Ruff, Barmouth, Thomas Campbell:

Bird News Saturday 4th August

The juvenile Black Tern was still at Belfast WOW reserve this morning, see picture below. (Daniel Newton)

6 Ruff were in the south west corner of Lough Beg this morning (Richard Hunter)

A drake Ring-necked Duck was in eclipse plumage at the yacht club end of Quoile Pondage this morning. Also 32 Little Grebes and 2 Common Sandpipers (Chris Murphy)

17 Med Gulls were at Ballykelly Lough Foyle including 14 adults and 3 2nd summer (Brad Robson)


A Hen Harrier was seen near Fivemiletown (Colin Bell)

Black Tern, Daniel Newton:

Bird News Friday 3rd August

A juvenile Black Tern was at RSPB WoW reserve roosting with Terns on the far side opp. the roadside hide (Stuart McKee)

The Wood Sandpiper and a Green Sandpiper where still in SW corner of Lough Beg, an Osprey was also seen.(David Steele)

New juvenile Med Gulls continue to appear. A juvenile Mediterranean Gull was at Cushendall and three juvenile Meds were at Cushendun, two of them had yellow rings on their legs. (Colin Guy)

Common Sandpiper - Thomas Campbell.

Med Gulls, Cushendun, Colin Guy

Bird News Thursday 2nd August

A Wood Sandpiper was in the south west corner of Lough Beg. The Wood Sandpiper was still present this evening, also a Garganey and the first juvenile Ruff of the season. (Jeff Larkin/David Steele).

5 Tree Sparrows were in a crop field at St John's Point. (Philip Watson).

A family party of Sparrowhawks was moving through Ormeau Park in Belfast this morning. (Andrew Johnston).

The juvenile Mediterranean Gull was still at East Strand car-park in Portrush. (Colin Guy)

Thanks to Christine Cassidy for the picture of the Peregrine, to Andrew Johnston for the picture of the Sparrowhawk, to Dick Glasgow for the picture of the Dunnock and to Colin Guy for the picture of the juvenile Mediterranean Gull :