Bird News Saturday 9th August 2025

An Osprey was at the Barmouth at 6.30 this morning. (Kenny Moore). 2 birds yesterday evening according to local fishermen (per John Clarke). The Osprey is still present at 10.30. (Ian Dickey).

Late news from yesterday evening of a Quail calling at Crindle (Richard Donaghey).

Sub-adult spoonbill at Quoile hide at 10:30am. (Dermot Hughes).

Dark phase Arctic Skua off the hide at the Barmouth. (Michael Latham).

The Little Ringed Plover, Ruff and Whimbrel were at Belfast Lough RSPB WoW reserve. (Daniel Newton).

Five Stock Doves near Glenwherry between Larne and Ballymena. (Jim Wells).

About 50 Whimbrel were at the Bann Estuary. (John Clarke).

Yesterday evening 2 Sooty Shearwaters and 2 Storm Petrels were off Rathlin. (Ric Else & Hazel Watson).

The Quail was still calling around Crindle near Myroe. (Sean Gibson)

A Green Sandpiper was on the River Maine at Slaght this evening. (David Steele).

Arctic Skua, Michael Latham.

Bird News Friday 8th August 2025

An Osprey and 4 Mediterranean Gull were at the Barmouth. A Ruff was on the Bann estuary (Theo Campbell)

A Goosander was at Glynn (Sean Gibson)

A Ruff and 2 Common Sandpiper were at RSPB WoW (Stuart Cossey)

An Osprey was at Portmore RSPB this evening (Garry Armstrong)

2 Arctic Skua were off Magilligan (Sean Gibson)

Whimbrel, Dundrum Inner Bay, David Clarke:

Bird News Thursday 7th August 2025

 The Little Ringed Plover is still at Belfast Lough RSPB WoW reserve this morning. (Daniel Newton). The Spoonbill is also still at the reserve. (Jake Grant).

An Osprey was at the Bann Estuary. (John Clarke).

Two Wood Sandpipers, four Ruff, a Common Sandpiper, Water Rail with chick and a Viking Gull were at Blanket Nook/Inch in Donegal. (Theo Campbell, Chris Ingram).

A flock of 8 Twite were on Fairhead. (Jim Wells)

Carrigart in Donegal had four Mediterranean Gulls, a Little Gull and a juvenile Cuckoo. (Oscar Campbell).

19 Mediterranean Gulls at Myroe this pm plus a further 3 at Ballykelly. (All adult or 2nd year birds.) (Matthew Tickner).

An Arctic Skua was near Rinagree and a Wheatear was at Harbour Hill, Portstewart on the north coast. (Juliet Fleming).

Arctic Skua, Juliet Fleming.

Bird News Wednesday 6th August 2025

2 Wood Sandpipers at Inch, Co Donegal (Derek Brennan).

Arctic Skua from Ramore Head, also a Wheatear (Juliet Fleming).

Osprey and Red Kite in the Antrim Hills, the former heading towards Woodburn (Michael Latham).

3 Arctic Skuas off Portstewart Strand (Jonny Rosborough).

Little Gull at Lady Bay (Sean Gibson).

Wood Sandpiper, 13 Ruff (2 juveniles), Garganey and juvenile Mediterranean Gull at Lough Beg this evening (David Steele).

Dark phase Arctic Skua off Rinagree Point (Tom Garner).

Red-necked Phalarope at Blanket Nook, Co Donegal (Derek Brennan).

Arctic Skua, 60 Whimbrel and 9 Common Scoter past Portstewart this evening (Matthew Tickner).

Osprey, Michael Latham:

Wood Sandpiper, Derek Brennan:

Bird News Tuesday 5th August 2025

2 Bonxies and 3 Arctic Skua went past Ringaree, Portstewart this morning (Stephen Riddell)

A Long-eared Owl, possibly grounded by the wind, was in a field at Mount Druid, Ballintoy this morning (Patrick Barton)

A young Long-eared Owl was showing well at Castle Espie (Jonathan Clark)

A Little Stint and 45 Whimbrel were at the Bann Estuary (Matthew Tickner)

Four Arctic Skua and a Little Gull were at Magilligan (Jonny Rosborough)

Seawatches continued today with the westerly \ north westerly winds. These included:

Rocky Point, Donegal, 8:20 to 10:20, had 58 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Bonxie and a Pomarine Skua. (John O'Boyle)

Bloody Foreland, Donegal, 7:30 to 13:30, had 151 Sooty Shearwaters, 3 Great Shearwater, 3 Corys, 14 Storm Petrel, 1 Wilsons Petrel, 5 Pomarine Skua and 8 Arctic Skua. (Theo Campbell, Derek Brennan and Chris Ingram)

Melmore Head, Donegal in six hours had a Wilsons Petrel, 3 Storm Petrel, a Great Shearwater, 70 Sooty Shearwater, an adult Sabines Gull, 3 Great Skua, 2 Arctic Skua and a high count of 129 Whimbrel (Oscar Campbell)

Two Arctic Skuas were seen at Ramore this afternoon (Gerard McGeehan)

Long-eared Owl, Jonathan Clark:

Arctic Skua, Stephen Riddell:

Great Skua, Stephen Riddell:

Bird News Monday 4th August 2025

 The Spoonbill and 2 Common Sandpipers were at Belfast Lough RSPB WoW reserve this morning. A Little Ringed Plover was present this afternoon. (Jake Grant).

Four Ravens were in L'Derry city centre. (Theo Campbell).

A Mediterranean Gull was at East Strand carpark in Portrush this morning and an Arctic Skua was off Landsdown carpark. (John Clarke).

Melmore Head in Donegal had 4 Great, 1 Cory's, 30 Sooty and 2,000 Manx Shearwaters, a Sabines Gull, 25 Arctic Tern and 50 Whimbrel. (Oscar Campbell).

A Balearic Shearwater and a Great Skua were at Ramore Head this evening. (Matthew Tickner).

Mediterranean Gull, John Clarke.

Bird News Sunday 3rd August 2025

Spoonbill again at Belfast Lough WoW also Little Gull, 4 Common Sandpipers (Michael Latham).

Hen Harrier reported at Quoile but no sign of Spoonbill (per David Stirling).

Juvenile Ruff on Rathlin (Hazel Watson).

Goosander at Glynn (Gerard McGeehan / Shirley Dunlop).

Spoonbill, Michael Latham:

Bird News Saturday 2nd August 2025

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

An Osprey was in the Knockmoyle area of the River Strule, Omagh, early morning (Steven Fyffe)

The Spoonbill was again off the Quoile hide this morning (Dan Baillie / David Stirling)

3 Whimbrel were at the Bann Estuary (John Spottiswood)

2 Mediterranean Gull flew over Ballymacormick Point, Groomsport (Bob Watts)

Osprey, Steven Fyffe:

Bird News Friday 1st August 2025

 A Barn Owl was near Black Mountain outside Belfast at 6am this morning. (Stuart Cossey)

A Spoonbill was reported at the Quoile. (Ann Marie Smith, David Stirling).

The Wood Sandpiper was still at Inch in Donegal. (Derek Brennan).

A Whimbrel was at Belfast Lough RSPB WoW reserve. (Dot Blakely).

The Osprey was still at Portmore this evening. (Garry Armstrong).

Wood Sandpiper Derek Brennan.

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Noeni Bryars.

Bird News Thursday 31st July 2025

Marsh Harrier Croaghan Island, Oxford Island NR (Ed O’Hara).

Female Ring-necked Duck at Corbally Res (John Clarke).

Great Spotted Woodpecker on feeders in Lambeg garden for past 3 days (Noeni Byers).

Little Ringed Plover and Ruff at Belfast Lough WoW this evening (Michael Latham).

Twite has successfully bred on Rathlin (Ric Else / Hazel Watson).

Orca seen in Donegal Bay, Co Donegal yesterday and today (per Stephen Dunbar).

Bird News Wednesday 30th July 2025

The Green Sandpiper was still along Canal Bank Road, Poyntzpass (Joe Devlin)

A Little Stint remains at Blanketnook, Co Donegal (Derek Brennan)

The dark phase Arctic Skua was still at the Bann Estuary (Stephen Riddell). Another was off Portstewart (Jonny Rosborough)

The Spoonbill, Little Ringed Plover and Ruff are all still at RSPB WoW (Gerard McGeehan)

A Wood Sandpiper was heard at Ballymacormick Point, Groomsport with a Whimbrel also there. A moulting juvenile Mediterranean Gull was at Groomsport Harbour (Anthony McGeehan)

Lady Bay, Lough Neagh this evening had 3 Little Gull and unusually a Sanderling (Aaron Long)

Little Stint, Derek Brennan:

Arctic Skua, Stephen Riddell:

Bird News Tuesday 29th July 2025

 The Spoonbill and a Ruff were at Belfast Lough RSPB WoW reserve this morning. (Daniel Newton).

A female or juvenile Marsh Harrier flew west over Oxford Island this morning. (Ed O'Hara).

A Wood Sandpiper is off the viewing platform at Inch in Donegal. (Derek Brennan).