Bird News Wednesday 26th August 2026

Late news from yesterday of a single Swift over Hillsborough Lake (Garry Wilkinson).

Juvenile Black Tern, Lough Beg…covering a wide circuit over the main lake and a dozen juvenile Common Terns also present (David Steele).

Osprey still at the northern end of Lough Beg, perching in the same big willow tree (distant scope views from Long Point Wood). 6 Great White Egrets, one at Long Point, roosting with Little Egrets on the small wooded island, 4 south of Church Island and one at south end (David Steele).

Juvenile Grey Plover in the Bann Estuary (John Clarke).

Chough still at Torr Head; the same Manx bird which was on Rathlin in the spring (Ric Else, Hazel Watson).

Arctic Skua amongst large numbers of feeding Razorbill, Terns and Gannets close inshore at Carnalea (Richard Weyl).

Peregrine, Laura Rose:

Great White Egrets, David Steele:

Bird News Tuesday 25th August 2026

A ring-tail Hen Harrier was off the viewing platform at Inch, Donegal (Theo Campbell)

The Osprey was still at the Quoile this morning (David Stirling)

Two Green Sandpipers were at Blackstaff River and a Stock Dove at Ardilea, Dundrum Bay, this morning. The Osprey was in flight, at the Yacht club end of Quoile Pondage at lunchtime. (David Nixon / Philip McHaffie)

Bird News Monday 24th August 2026

An immature Marsh Harrier was at Starbog Road in the Antrim Hills moving north west. Same area as one seen 10 days ago. (Clive Mellon).

An Osprey was at the Quoile. (David Stirling). The Osprey is still present in front of the hide at the Quoile, it has a blue ring on its left leg. (Chris Murphy).

Bird News Sunday 23rd August 2026

Common Sandpiper at Traad Point. 12 adult Whooper Swan with one young south of Traad Point (Mark Smyth).

Marsh Harrier at Todd’s Corner, Ardmore. Single Ruff at the east end of Reedy Flats and 4 more Ruff at the west end (Garry Armstrong, Oscar Campbell).

3 Ruff at Lady Bay (David Clarke, John Pyper).

3 dark and a single phase Arctic Skuas chasing Sandwich Terns and at least 2 Little Gulls of which one an adult at Magilligan Point. Also porpoises and bottle nose dolphins (Michael Latham, Nathan Gilbert).

Osprey at Lough Beg 1220 perched up on a big willow tree at the north end, also Great White Egret (David Steele). Still at north end of Lough Beg this evening. Very distant but still viewable from Long Wood (Aaron Long, Daniel Newton, Ian Young).

Wheatear at Ramore Head (Chris Hamilton).

At least one Green Sandpiper still at Seagahan Dam Co Armagh still with Common Sandpiper (John Spottiswood).

Ruff, David Clarke:

Arctic Skua, Michael Latham:

Bird News Saturday 22nd August 2026

Magilligan had 2 adult Little Gulls, an Arctic Skua, Kestrel and 3 Common Scoter. The best at the Barmouth was a single Ruff and Whimbrel and an adult Med Gull.(Garry Armstrong / David Steele)

An Arctic Skua was at Briggs Rocks, Co Down this morning (Richard Weyl)

Two Red Kites were in the Antrim Hills. Also seen were a Hen Harrier, Kestrel, Wheatear and a high count of 48 Raven (Stephen Farquhar)

Kinnegar Shore had an adult Mediterranean Gull (Daniel Newton)

2 Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper were at Seagahan Resevoir, south of Markethill (Clifford Sharpe)

A Ruff was at Lady’s Bay, and a Common Sandpiper at Bartins Bay, Lough Neagh (Richard Caves)

Two Osprey were seen east of Emerson’s Sand-pit. A Garganey was at Reedy Flats (Oscar Campbell)

Ruff, Lady’s Bay, unfortunately with extensive blue green algae (Richard Caves)

Bird News Friday 21st August 2026

A juvenile female Peregrine and 3 Mediterranean Gulls were at Myroe. An adult Mediterranean Gull was at Donnybrewer, Lough Foyle. (Theo Campbell, Paul McSwiggin).

8 Ruff were at Myroe this morning. (James McDowell et al).

4 Mediterranean Gulls were at Ballykelly marsh, 2 adults, 1 juvenile and 1 sub adult, also a juvenile Peregrine. (David McCreedy, Clifford Sharpe,  Mike McLaughlin).

A juvenile Ruff was at Belfast Lough RSPB WoW reserve. (Stuart Cossey).

A blue Fulmar was off Melmore Head in Donegal this morning. (Oscar Campbell).

A juvenile Mediterranean Gull was at Lady Bay this evening. (Garry Armstrong).

A dark juvenile Arctic Skua was off Shell Pool, Castlerock this evening heading west. 4 adult Mediterranean Gulls and 2 Whimbrels the best at Bann Estuary this evening.  (John Spottiswood).

A couple of hours from Galboly this evening had a single juvenile Great Skua, juvenile Arctic Skua and two Arctic Terns. (David Steele).

15 Mediterranean Gull were at Ratallagh shore between Portavogie and Cloughey. One was a Belgian ringed bird previously seen at Cloughey beach, another was a German ringed bird. (Graham McElwaine).

Three Mediterranean Gulls were at Carlingford Lough. A 3rd calendar bird feeding at Ballagan, 2nd calendar bird and 3rd calendar bird roosting at Mill Bay. (Stephen Foster).

2 Whimbrel and a Wheatear were at Killard Point. (Richard Caves).

Ruff, John Clarke.

Wheatear, Richard Caves.

 

Bird News Thursday 20th August 2026

Last night a Ruff was at Myroe (Martin Deehan)

Today Myroe had a Little Stint and two Ruff (Martin Deehan)

Two Whimbrel were at Ballycarry Bridge (Ian Enlander)

A juvenile Little Gull was at Long Point, Lough Beg (David Steele)

A juvenile Mediterranean Gull and two Whimbrel were at the Bann Estuary (John Spottiswood)

A juvenile Cuckoo was at Ballyquinton Point (Hugh Thurgate)

Bird News Wednesday 19th August 2026

Desertas/Feas Petrel from Melmore Head, Co Donegal at 8am and a further sighting at 840 possibly a second bird. Also 20 Sooty Shearwaters in a 5 hour seawatch (Oscar Campbell).

Ringtail Hen Harrier at Portmore Lough (Richard Gray).

Ruff, Common Sandpiper and 43 Dunlin at Belfast Lough WoW Reserve (Gerard McGeehan).

13 species of wader Bann Estuary this evening included 4 Common Sandpipers, Whimbrel, 9 Knots, 21 Bar-tailed Godwits and Greenshank. 60+ small waders. (John Spottiswood).

Bird News Tuesday 18th August 2026

 A Chough and 2 Twite were at Torr Head. (Derek Brennan).

Melmore Head in Donegal this morning had 2 Cory's Shearwaters, 1 Sooty and 1200 Manx Shearwater, plus Puffin, 2 Arctic and 3 Great Skua and singles of Great Northern and Red-throated Divers. (Oscar Campbell).

A Mediterranean Gull was at the East Strand carpark in Portrush. (John Clarke).

An Osprey was at Portmore this afternoon. (Richard Caves).

The Black-headed or Grey-headed Yellow Wagtail was again off the platform at Inch in Donegal. Distant, so no  calls heard. (Derek Brennan).

A Cory's Shearwater was close in off Fanad Head in Donegal. (Oscar Campbell).

A juvenile Wheatear was near the quarry below Slieve Donard in the Mournes. (Roger Woodward).

A Ruff was at Dargan this morning. (Suzanne Belshaw)

Mediterranean Gull, John Clarke.

Ruff, Suzanne Belshaw.

Golden Plover, Pauline Johnson.

Bird News Monday 17th August 2026

A small fall of warblers including 8 Chiffchaff, a Whitethroat and an unstreaked acro were in the trees leading down the path to the hide at RSPB WoW. A Ruff and Common Sandpiper were also present (Stuart McKee)

A ringtail Hen Harrier was at Portmore RSPB (Shane Brighton / Dermot Hughes)

The immature Marsh Harrier was on the rocks at Oxford Island (Shane Brighton)

Two Common Sandpiper were along the river Lagan this evening (Mel O’Hagan)

First year Herring Gull, Mel O’Hagan:

Bird News Sunday 16th August 2026

An immature Marsh Harrier was on the rocks off Croaghan hide at Oxford Island, presumably the bird from Ardmore and Reedy yesterday. (Garry Armstrong).

The Spotted Redshank is still at Lough Mourne, Co. Antrim. (Ivan Quail et al).

The Osprey is still at the Bann Estuary. (Aaron Long).

A Great White Egret is at Lough Beg. A Wood Sandpiper was also present along the western shoreline south of Church Island. (David Steele).

A Slavonian Grebe was off Glynn in Larne Lough. (Ivan Quail).

Five Whimbrel were at Belfast Lough RSPB WoW reserve. (Stuart McKee).

A juvenile Kestrel was over Black Mountain. (Shane Brighton).

The Bann Estuary had 17 Whimbrels, 3 adult Mediterranean Gull and a Kestrel. (John Spottiswood).

Either a Grey-headed or Black-headed Yellow Wagtail was at Inch in Donegal. (Derek Brennan).

A female Great Spotted Woodpecker is visiting a garden in Harmony Hill, Lisburn. (Noeni Bryars).

Spotted Redshank, Ivan Quail.

Bird News Saturday 15th September 2026

An immature Marsh Harrier was at Todd’s Point, Ardmore, Lough Neagh. The bird subsequently moved to Reedy Flats (Garry Armstrong) A Whimbrel was also there (Oscar Campbell)

Melmore Head Donegal in 2 hrs this morning had 14 Cory's, 7 Sooty, c3000 Manx, 1 Bonxie, 1 Arctic Skua, 9 Whimbrel & 2 Great Northern Diver (Eric Randall)

An Osprey was at Carnmore Viewpoint / Kimran Lough, near Fivemiletown this afternoon (Colin Bell)

A Green Sandpiper was at Blanketnook (Derek Brennan)

Yesterday an Osprey was at Lowrys Lake, Armagh (John Anderson)

3 Cory’s Shearwater and a Sabines Gull were seen from Fanad Head today (Michael Latham / Nathan Gilbert)

A Glaucous Gull was on the slipway at Killybeggs (Aaron Long / Stephen Dunbar)

Glaucous Gull, Aaron Long: