nibirds

Bird News Thursday 15th February

The drake Lesser Scaup remains at Kinnegoe Bay, Oxford Island (Albert Boyle & Ed O’Hara).

Great White Egret at Oxford Island (Ed O’Hara).

6 Velvet Scoter off Lough Shore but harder to pick out than of late and spread out amongst Eider. Also a Slavonian Grebe (Stuart McKee).

Short-eared Owl hunting over the shore at the north end of Horse Island this morning (Richard Weyl).

Glaucous Gull on Rathlin the first since October 2022, also 41 Purple Sandpipers (Ric Else / Hazel Watson).

Lesser Scaup, Albert Boyle & Ed O’Hara:

Bird News Wednesday 14th February

3 Cattle Egret were still at Toome (Adam McClure)

A juvenile Iceland Gull was at Corbally Reservoir (Stephen Riddell)

Two Glaucous Gulls were at Portballintrae (John Clarke)

A Spotted Redshank was on the wader scrape at Castle Espie. (Dave Weir).

A Waxwing flock were in the carpark of Lisburn Leisure Centre. (Leia Giesel).

A Great Spotted Woodpecker is visiting a garden in Comber. (Dave Weir).

Waxwings, Leia Giesel.

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dave Weir.

Bird News Tuesday 13th February

The Waxwing flock is still around the Connswater in Belfast. (Stephen Dunbar).

The male Lesser Scaup is still near the marina at Oxford Island. (Ed O'Hara, Richard Caves, Gary White).

A Great White Egret was seen in flight at Killagan Road near Cloughmills, Co. Antrim. (Derek McClean).

The redhead Smew was still at Reedy Flats. (Ed O'Hara).

Four Velvet Scoters were showing well from Loughshore carpark in Belfast Lough. Two Purple Sandpipers are roosting on the concrete structure off Whiteabbey carpark. Two Slavonian Grebes and three Long-tailed Ducks were off Macedon Point. (Dave Weir).

A Merlin was at Kilclief. (David Stirling).

Two Glaucous Gulls were at Portballintrae. (Stephen Riddell).

The male Smew was still off the Bayshore carpark at Ardmore, Lough Neagh. (Gary White).

Five Waxwings were at Glenmore, Hilden outside Lisburn. (Andrew Rowan).

Lesser Scaup, Richard Caves.

Siskin, Juliet Fleming.

Waxwing, Andrew Rowan.

Bird News Monday 12th February

Yesterday an adult White-tailed Eagle was on Upper Lough Erne. (Rodney Moates)

A drake Smew was at the Bayshore Car Park, Ardmore, Lough Neagh (Stephen Fyffe / Declan Murphy / Des Higgins)

The drake Lesser Scaup was showing well today off the Waterside Hide, Kinnego Bay, Oxford Island (Clifford Sharpe / Declan Murphy / Des Higgins)

The Long-tailed Duck is still at Myroe (Martin Deehan)

A Great White Egret was still at Reedy Flats (Ed O’Hara).

Two Great White Egret were at Portmore (Garry Wilkinson)

The Cattle Egret was still present this afternoon at Brankins Island Road, Lough Neagh (Richard Caves)

This sinensis Cormorant was at Kinnegar yesterday, Ed O'Hara:

Lesser Scaup, Danny Gibson:

Lesser Scaup, Aaron Long:

Cattle Egret, Lough Neagh, Richard Caves:

Bird News Sunday 11th February

The Velvet Scoters were still off the Shore Road carpark in BelfastLough. (Ed O'Hara)

A Slavonian Grebe was off Macedon Point in Belfast Lough. (Daniel Newton).

The Cattle Egret was still at Brankins Island Road near Lady Bay, at least two of the Great White Egrets was at Portmore Lough RSPB reserve. 3 Pinkfeet were also on Portmore. (Alan Dickinson).

23 Waxwings were at the entrance to Victoria Park underpass in Belfast. Another 8 Waxwings were in the carpark at B&Q in Holywood Exchange. (Walter, Chris & Ethan Veale).

The redhead Smew and the Great White Egret were at the east end of Reedy Flats, Lough Neagh. (Ivan Quail & Nicky Lynn).

4 Waxwings facing Blaris Fold, Beechland Drive, Lisburn. (Ethan Veale, Ricardo Valente).

The Lesser Scaup was again in Kinnegoe Bay at Oxford Island. (Daniel Newton).

A male Brambling was in a garden in Larne. (Linda Thompson).

2 Red-throated Divers were at Glenarm. (David Clarke & John Pyper).

The Long-tailed Duck was still at Myroe. (Stephen Riddell).

Cattle Egret, Brankins Island Road.

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Michael Latham.

Lesser Scaup, Daniel Newton.

Redhead Smew, Michael Latham.

Brambling, Linda Thompson.

Red-throated Divers, David Clarke.

Long-tailed Duck, Stephen Riddell.

Islay Boat Trip

There are two seats left on the boat trip from Ballycastle to Islay next Saturday 17th February. All the other trips to Islay are booked up so this is the last chance this spring to see the thousands of Barnacle Geese, Sea Eagles and Chough. Contact Jim Wells on 07856235144 if interested.

Bird News Saturday 10th February

A Lesser Scaup was in Kinnegoe Bay at Oxford Island this morning, a Great White Egret flew over the Discovery Centre. (Garry Armstrong).

A Glaucous Gull and a 2nd winter Iceland Gull were at Portballintrae. (John Clarke).

A male Smew was at Carrickreagh Bay, Lower Lough Erne. (Joan Carson, Stephen McClure).

A Great White Egret was at Ardmore with possibly the same later at Reedy Flats. (Clifford Sharpe).

The male Smew and a Merlin were at Reedy Flats. (Aaron Long).

A 1st winter Little Gull and 3 Great White Egrets were at Lough Beg. (Richard Hunter).

9 Velvet Scoter were with the Eider flock of Whiteabbey in Belfast Lough. (Dermot Hughes).

A male Goosander was at Begney Lough outside Dromara and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Drumkeeragh. (Chris Rankin).

Two Spotted Redshanks (the over-wintering bird plus a new individual) were at the south end of Lough Beg this afternoon. Also four Great Egrets. (David Steele)

The 3 Twite were still at Whitehead seafront. (Leia Giesel).

A male Brambling and 2 Tree Sparrows were with a mixed flock of 75 Chaffinch and Linnet on stubble fields at Carmean, Magherafelt. (Godfrey McRoberts).

The Cattle Egret was again in the same field along Brankins Island Road near Lady Bay, Lough Neagh. (Richard Caves).

About 10 Waxwings were still along the Connswater near Victoria Park in Belfast. (Philip McErlean).

Merlin, Michael Latham.

Twite & Stonechat, Leia Giesel.

Cattle Egret, Richard Caves.

Bird News Friday 9th February

A female Brambling is visiting a garden in Portadown (Wendy Munn)

Kinnegar this morning had the adult Iceland Gull & 2 Med Gulls, an adult in winter plumage & a first winter. A second winter Med Gull was at RSPB WoW. (Kevin Kirkham)

The four Cattle Egrets are still at Shore Road, Toome (Jonny Rosborough)

A first-winter Little Gull was still at Lough Beg today, also two Great Egrets, a Hen Harrier and 32 Ruff. (David Steele)

Cattle Egret, Jonny Rosborough:

Drake Red-breasted Merganser, Gerry Bond:

Bird News Thursday 8th February

Yesterday a drake Eider showing features of the northern subspecies, borealis, was at Warren Road, Orlock, Co Down (Jonny Hanna). (Note the sails and lobe shape on the right hand bird)

The Waxwings remain at the entrance to Victoria Park, Belfast (Stephen Dunbar)

Two Waxwing were at Hillsborough Forest Park, at the small grass area as you walk left from the carpark that jutts out into the lake. (Garry Wilkinson)

Unusually a female Pintail was at Lurgan Park (Suzanne Belshaw)

Possible drake borealis Eider (right hand bird), Jonny Hanna:

Bird News Wednesday 7th February

Whitehead seafront from 07.45 - 08.20 had 162 Red-throated Diver and 11 Great Northern Diver flying into Belfast Lough. Approximately 300 Eider Duck were flying out! Yesterday afternoon Portmuck, Islandmagee had 2 Twite. (Ian Enlander).

The Waxwing flock is still along the Connswater River in Belfast. (Stephen Dunbar). 20+ Waxwings were at the entrance to Victoria Park at lunchtime. (Stuart Cossey).

Waxwings were on Coleraine Road in Portstewart this morning. (Stephen Riddell)

A Glaucous Gull was on the beach at Portballintrae. (Stephen Riddell).

A Red-throated Diver was close inshore off the Chaine Memorial Tower at Larne. (Kevin Kirkham).

At least 5 Pinkfeet are with the the Whooper and Greylag flock at Craigantlet. (David Stirling).

The male Smew is at Todd's Corner, Ardmore on the south shore of Lough Neagh. (Clifford Sharpe).

The 4 Cattle Egrets were still along Shore Road, Toomebridge. (Richard Hunter).

The Long-tailed Duck was on the pond in the middle of Myroe. (Gerry Bond).

Waxwing, Stephen Dunbar.

Glaucous Gull, Stephen Riddell.

Waxwing, William Smiton.

Waxwing, John Fraser.

Long-tailed Duck, Gerry Bond.

Buzzard, Bill Guiller.

Events at RSPB WoW

Two forthcoming events at RSPB WoW that may be of interest to local birders are:

Gambia - Project Wild Gambia, Two Decaades, One Mission with Dr Roy Armstrong: https://events.rspb.org.uk/events/66588

One Year - with Brian McCloskey: https://events.rspb.org.uk/events/66593

Bird News Tuesday 6th February

3 Pinkfeet were with Whoopers along Feumore Road near Portmore. (Kevin Kirkham)

The Cattle Egret is just beyond the bridge on Brankin's Island Road, Lough Neagh. (Kevin Kirkham / Richard Caves)

At least 4 Great White Egret are still at Portmore RSPB (Kevin Kirkham)

25-30 Waxwing were still along the Connswater River at Victoria Park (Stephen Dunbar)

A red head Smew and Great White Egret are at Reedy Flats, Lough Neagh (Ed O’Hara)

The Black Redstart along with 3 Twite were seen at Whitehead seafront. 3 Brambling were seen in a garden in Whitehead. (Cameron Moore)

The Long-tailed Duck was still off Steamboat Quay, the Quoile (David Stirling)

A probable Great White Egret flew over Sprucefield just after 2.30 this afternoon. (Suzanne Belshaw)

Cattle Egret, Richard Caves:

Brambling, Cameron Moore:

Bird News Monday 5th February

The Waxwing flock is along the Connswater in Belfast again this morning. (Stephen Dunbar).

About 8 Waxwings are still feeding around Cabin Hill Park, Kings Road in Belfast. (Wilton Farrelly).

A Great White Egret is at Portmore Lough RSPB. (Gary White)

Five Bramblings, 3 males and 2 females, were at Seapark near Helen's Bay this morning. (John McClean).

The 4 Cattle Egrets were still at Shore Road in Toomebridge this afternoon. (Nigel Moore).

A Cattle Egret was in a field off Brankins Island Road about half a mile south of Lady Bay, Lough Neagh. Three Great White Egrets were at Portmore Lough RSPB reserve. (Richard Caves).

The Long-tailed Duck was still at Steamboat Quay on the Quoile, a Peregrine was also hunting in the area. (Gayle & Garry Wilkinson)

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jonny Hanna.