Curlew Sandpipers in Northern Ireland a brief history

Over the last few weeks good numbers of Curlew Sandpipers have started to appear, mostly from coastal locations but also from some inland sites. Lough Foyle, Bann Estuary and Belfast Lough usually hold the most records,but some do appear in places like Lough Beg and Larne Lough,they seldom or indeed have ever been recorded in Co's Ferm or Tyrone. Generally an autumn passage migrant some do occur in spring heading for their breeding grounds along the N coast of Siberia, the birds that we see in autumn are heading for the wintering grounds in SW Europe and W.Africa. The first known record for Northern Ireland was a bird shot in 1820.They have more or less been recorded every year since, but numbers do fluctuate quite a bit and some years very small numbers are recorded, down to a few single records ,but some years we get big numbers like 1988 when up to 200 birds were recorded. Of recent times a peak of 85 was recorded in 2005, it looks like this year numbers could reach that figure. At this moment good close views can be obtained at the RSPB Belfast Harbour Reserve from the middle hide, this most handsome of wader is certainly a bird worth looking at.