nibirds: Bird News Saturday 20th September

A second-winter Franklin's Gull was at St John's Point at 11am. It sat on the water with other gulls 600ms south-west of the lighthouse before flying off (flycatching) towards Minerstown at 11.30am. Also seen were 2 Mediterranean Gull (adult and first-winter), 2 Goldcrest and a Wheatear (Tim Murphy).

The adult White-rumped Sandpiper was still at Lady Bay, Lough Neagh. (Garry Armstrong)

Belfast Harbour RSPB reserve had a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper and 4 Ruff (Wilton Farrelly)

A Merlin was seen off the Castle Island hide.(Chris Shaw).

Bloody Foreland in Donegal had 31 Great Skua, 3 Pomarine Skua, 2Arctic Skua, 2 Sooty Shearwater, 2 Sabine's Gull, a large unidentified Shearwater and a Peregrine in off the sea. (Chris Ingram).

The RSPB Harbour reserve late afternoon had a little stint, adult curlew sandpiper, jack snipe & 5 snipe. (Bangor RSPB Outing)

Thanks to Dick Glasgow for the pictures of the Buzzard and the Kestrel, to Zach McCreery for the first picture of the White-rumped Sandpiper and Tom McCreery for the second White-rumped Sandpiper picture and to Adam Middleton for the picture of the Kingfisher.