Bird News Saturday 22nd November

A Slavonian Grebe was off Glynn Station, reasonably close in, looking towards Mill Bay. (Neal Warnock).

A Sparrowhawk was being mobbed by Rooks at Galgorm Castle, Ballymena at lunchtime. (John Loughlin & Irene Miller).

Today Outer and Inner Dundrum Bay produced the following birds: - 50+ mix of Red-throated, Black-throated and Great Northern Divers, 30+ Common Scoter, 6 Purple Sandpiper, Kingfisher, 3 Jacksnipe, 5 Little Egret, 9 Whopper, Kestrel and Bullfinch. ( RSPB Bangor Local Group).

3 Great Northern Diver (2 in flight and one on the water), 2 Red-throated Diver, a Kestrel, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, 55 House Sparrow, 10 Tree Sparrow, 200 Skylark and 1,000 Starling were at St John's Point. 40 Twite and 10 Stonechat were between St John's and Tyrella and 2,000 Golden Plover at Tyrella beach (Tim Murphy).

8 Redwing were at Sion Mills (Brian Hegarty).

2 Red Kite, 4 Great Northern Divers and 61 Twite were at Tyrella this afternoon and a male Merlin was at St.John's Point. (Ronnie Milligan).

A female Brambling was near Ballintoy. (Alex McCooke).

Thanks to Angus Kennedy for the pictures of the Bar-tailed Godwit and the Linnet, to Cameron Moore for the pictures of the Mediterranean Gull and the Red-throated Diver, to Margaret Adamson for the pictures of the Purple Sandpipers and the, unfortunately injured, Common Scoter and to Alex McCooke for the picture of the female Brambling.