nibirds

Bird News Sunday 22nd March 2026

The Oriental Turtle Dove was seen again at Harmony Hill in Lisburn. (Michael Latham).

Yesterday the Black Redstart was still at Whitehead seafront. (Cameron Moore).

The Harlequin Duck and 2 Long-tailed Duck are still present inside Magheroarty Pier, Co. Donegal. (Kevin Cronin).

Nine Twite were at Kearney. (Daniel Newton).

A male Ring-necked Duck was seen distantly at Portmore. (Ivan Quail).

One of the Little Gulls was off Strand Island view point, Lough Beg. (Daniel Newton).

An adult Bonaparte’s Gull is with the Black-headed Gull flock at Church Island, Lough Beg. (David Steele).

A Great White Egret was just off the hide at Portmore. (Aidan Donohoe)

On Wednesday afternoon a Barn Owl was seen on the Shore Road approaching Strangford, it flew from Isle O Valla across the road towards the shore. (Roisin Scullion).

Two Sandwich Terns were at the mouth of Larne Lough. (Dave Craig).

Black Redstart, Cameron Moore.

Bird News Saturday 21st March 2026

A drake Ring-necked Duck is with Pochard at Craigavon North Lake (Conor McCoy)

Four House Martins where at the Leisure Centre at Craigavon Lakes (Aidan Donohoe)

11 Glossy Ibis and a Green Sandpiper were seen on a boat trip at Lough Beg (Michael Latham)

Seven Swallows were seen at Ballycastle (Tomás Hand)

A Great White Egret was in the fields behind Nicholl’s Garage, Toome (Michael Latham)

There again were no sightings of the Oriental Turtle Dove despite extensive searching.

Glossy Ibis, Lough Beg, Michael Latham:

Drake Ring-necked Duck, Ed O’Hara:

Bird News Friday 20th March 2026

A Bittern showed briefly again at Inch in Donegal, 3 Ruff and a Swallow were also present. (Chris Ingram). A 2nd Bittern was subsequentially seen in flight. (Chris Ingram, Theo Campbell).

A Brambling was at Windmill Road in Hillsborough. (Stephen Bingham, Garry Wilkinson).

A sub adult White Tailed Eagle going NNE over Springwell Forest near Coleraine. (Clive Mellon).

A single Pinkfoot was still with Greylags and Whoopers at Annadorn near Seaforde. (Maurice McNeely).

A Slavonian Grebe and a Sandwich Tern were off Kinnegar shore in Belfast Lough. (Stuart Cossey).

The Harlequin Duck is still showing well from Magheraroarty Pier, Co. Donegal (Victor Caschera).

Two adult Little Gulls still at Church Island, Lough Beg, also two Great Northern Divers and 144 Pintail. (David Steele).

Flock of eleven Glossy Ibis, Toome-end of Lough Beg at sunset, presumably same as seen on 25th February, restless but eventually settled in dense trees with egrets, so likely roosting there. (David Steele).

The Black Redstart was still at Whitehead seafront, a female Brambling was in a garden in Whitehead, there was no sign of the male Brambling. (Cameron Moore)

The adult Ring-billed Gull was at the Round "O" in Enniskillen again. (Ronan Owens).

The Oriental Turtle Dove was not seen today.

Black Redstart, Cameron Moore.

Female Brambling, Cameron Moore.

Bird News Thursday 19th March 2026

The drake Harlequin Duck was again at Magheroarty Pier this morning.

The Oriental Turtle Dove only put in a brief appearance at 5:35pm (Eric Dempsey)

3 Mediterranean Gull were at RSPB WoW (Derek Polley)

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Castlewellan Forest Park (Shelagh Henry)

Chiffchaff are now widely reported.

Bird News Wednesday 18th March 2026

The Oriental Turtle Dove was seen again at Harmony Hill in Lisburn. (Robert Vaughan, Derek Brennan).

On the east side of Strangford Lough 33 Slavonian Grebe (28 in Greyabbey Bay and 5 north of Newtownards Sailing Club). Also 10 Great-northern Diver off Horse Island. A Ruff was still present in flooded fields north of Kirkiston yesterday. (Richard Weyl).

The Harlequin Duck is still at Magheroarty Pier in Donegal. (Peter Phillips).

2 Great White Egrets are at the rear of Nichols garage Toomebridge in a flooded field. (Philip West).

9 Snow Bunting were at Slieve Bearnagh summit, Co, Down. (Darren Ellis).

The Ferruginous Duck is still at Ballysaggart Lough. (Robert Vaughan).

The Brambling was seen again in a garden in Whitehead. The Greenland Whitefront was seen again in Steele's Point, Islandmagee. (Cameron Moore).

The Chough was seen again on Copeland, it has a blue or green ring, 2 Swallows were also present. (Richard Donaghey, James McNair).

Three Red-throated Divers were at Ballyholme Esplanade in Bangor. (Paul Hunter)

The first Wheatear of the year was at Donaghadee. (Stephen Foster).

Ferruginous Duck, Robert Vaughan.

Oriental Turtle Dove, Richard Caves.

Brambling, Cameron Moore.

Red-throated Divers, Paul Hunter.

Wheatear, Stephen Foster.

Bird News Tuesday 17th March 2026

The Oriental Turtle Dove has been seen briefly in flight early this morning at Harmony Hill, Lisburn (Garry Wilkinson / Brian Carruthers). The bird was seen again at its favoured location at 11:45 (Stephen Dunbar) and again early afternoon (Mark Stewart). The bird was still present late afternoon (Niall Mulvenna / Stuart Cossey / Mark Getty). If visiting please park sensibly and do not obstruct drives. The bird favours the tall pines and is best viewed with a scope.

Two Great White Egret are at Portmore (Alan Dickson)

The two Russian White-fronts are still at Reedy Flats (John Coveney)

A juvenile Black-throated Diver was still in Red Bay along with a Sandwich Tern (a presumed migrant). Gaboly had a Great Skua and a Manx Shearwater (David Steele)

The adult Iceland Gull was in the gull roost at RSPB WoW this evening (Daniel Newton)

Oriental Turtle Dove, Mark Stewart:

Oriental Turtle Dove, Michael Latham:

Oriental Turtle Dove, Mark Stewart:

Iceland Gull, Daniel Newton:

Bird News Monday 16th March 2026.

The Oriental Turtle Dove was seen briefly in trees on Harmony Hill in Lisburn early this morning but not subsequently. (Seamus Enright). The Turtle Dove was then seen again in the same area early afternoon, in pine trees behind the side road at Harmony Hill. (Dave Fox). The bird was still present this evening. (Wilton Farrelly).

The Harlequin Duck and 2 Long-tailed Ducks were at Magheraroarty in Donegal. (Eric Randall).

The single Pinkfoot was with 50 Greylags in a field off the Buckshead Road at Nutgrove. There was no sign of the Russian Whitefronts. (David Nixon).

A Chough was at Copeland Bird Observatory.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Castle Archdale Country Park in Fermanagh. (Sharon Spratt)

Oriental Turtle Dove, Victor Caschera.

Oriental Turtle Dove, David McCreedy:

Bird News Sunday 15th March 2026

A Oriental Turtle Dove was reported yesterday in Lisburn, in the Harmony Hill / Belsize Road area (per Chris Rankin) The bird has been looked for today but so far, without success. This would be a first record for Ireland.

The Lesser Yellowlegs was still on Rathlin (Ric Else)

A female Greater Scaup was at Oxford Island (Garry Armstrong)

The Harlequin Duck was again at Magheroarty (Robert Vaughan)

A Merlin was hunting pipits around the pier at Portballintrae (Simon Morton)

4 Snow Bunting were seen up Slieve Commedagh, the Mournes yesterday (per Stuart Cossey)

The adult Ring-billed Gull was again at the Round O, Enniskillen (Matthew Dean)

A Purple Sandpiper was at Macedon Point, Belfast Lough (Margaret Woodward)

Two Mediterranean Gulls were at WOW RSPB Belfast (Paul Hunter)

Oriental Turtle Dove (26th February):

Oriental Turtle Dove (12th March):

Bird News Saturday 14th March 2026

The Harlequin Duck was in the harbour at Magheraroarty, just below carpark. (Robert Vaughan).

The two Russian White-fronts and two Great White Egrets were in the centre of Reedy Flats. (Garry Armstrong, Ed O'Hara).

A Tundra Bean Goose is at Inch Levels in Donegal, with Greylags at the top of the lane leading down to the Tready carpark. (Derek Brennan).

The Cattle Egret is still at Brankins Island Road near Portmore. (Birdguides).

An adult Iceland Gull was on Kinnegar shore. (Michael Latham).

Juvenile Black-throated Diver from O’Kane’s lay-by, Red Bay also six Great Northern Divers and twelve Red-throated Divers. Four Great Northern Divers another dozen Red-throated Divers and two pairs of Common Scoter from the Cushenilt lay-by opposite the salmon farm. (David Steele).

A Dark-bellied Brent was in Killough Harbour. (Chris Murphy).

Four Mediterranean Gulls were at Belfast Lough RSPB WoW reserve this evening. (Daniel Newton).

The Greenland White-front is still at Steele's Point in Larne Lough, a Brambling is still visiting a garden in Whitehead. (Cameron Moore).

Great Spotted Woodpeckers Crom estate & Galloon jetty, 2 Great white Egret watermill, 5 female Ring-necked Ducks lake on inishmore road County Fermanagh. 1 Great White Egret Portmore Lough County Antrim. (Gerard Murray, John Cusack).

Tundra Bean Goose, Derek Brennan.

Iceland Gull, Michael Latham.

Brambling, Cameron Moore.

Greenland White-front, Cameron Moore.

Bird News Friday 13th March 2026

4 Goosander were still at Lough Island Reavy, Co Down (Clive Mellon)

A Great White Egret was still at Portmore (Daniel Newton)

Two Little Gulls were at Church Island, Lough Beg (David Steele)

The Cattle Egret was again at Brankins Island Road, Lough Neagh (Richard Caves)

A Dark-bellied Brent was with the Brent Geese at Newcastle (Conor Roddy)

Sand Martins and Chiffchaff are now widely reported.

Just a reminder that we will not publish raptor sightings in potential breeding localities.

Cattle Egret, Richard Caves:

Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Conor Roddy:

Bird News Thursday 12th March 2026

Two adult Little Gulls still at Church Island, Lough Beg also c.150 Sand Martins feeding in cold and wet conditions. (David Steele).

A Great White Egret was at Reedy Flats. (Conor Roddy).

Great White Egret, Conor Roddy.

Whooper Swans, Conor Roddy.

NIOC Photographic Competition Results

The final NIOC public meeting of the Spring season will be held in The Lecture Theatre, Greenmount Resource Centre, CAFRE, on Wednesday 26th March 2025 at 7.30pm sharp.

The address is on the attached poster. It is the Work of N Ireland Bird Photographers Show, when all the entries to our Photographic Competition will be shown, with the Judges comments given on each image, and the presentation of the awards.

This is always a wonderful evening and we hope you can attend. Everyone is welcome so bring a friend!