Bird News Friday 30th September

The Ring-billed Gull was still at the Round O in Enniskillen. (Brad Robson).

A Ramore Head sea watch (10:00-10:45) produced 67 Kittiwake, 3 Red-throated Diver, a single Manx Shearwater and 13 Whooper Swan. Also present were 8 Purple Sandpiper, a single Sanderling and a lone Wheatear. (Dean Jones).

2 Curlew Sandpipers were at Ballykelly Bank in Lough Foyle this morning. (David Hill).

Thanks to David Hill for the picture of the Curlew Sandpiper with Ringed Plover and to Wilf Swain for the picture of the Turnstones.

 

 

Bird News Thursday 29th September

The adult Little Stint, a Peregrine, Sparrowhawk. 2 Ruff and 2 Sandwich Tern, 70 Knot and 12 Common Tern were at RSPB Belfast WOW (Stephen Maxwell / Derek Polley)

A single Bonxie, 5 Red throated Diver and a lone Wheatear were present at Ramore Head Portrush at 09:30 this morning. (Dean Woodfin Jones)

Along the north coast Bengore Head (Bengore Head is to the east of Giant's Causeway near Dunseverick), over 6 hours had 2 juvenile Sabine's Gull, 13 Great Skua, 4 Arctic Skua and a Grey Phalarope (Stephen Foster)

Two Whooper Swans flew over Coleraine this morning (John Clarke)

Thanks to Frank Murphy for this pic of a male Sparrowhawk and to Robin Vage for the Pink-footed Goose that was at Islandhill on Tuesday:

 

 

Bird News Wednesday 28th September

The adult Little Stint and one Curlew Sandpiper were at RSPB WOW Belfast. (Gerard McGeehan).

This morning 2 Long-eared Owls were at the Upper Ballynahinch Road end of Windmill Road, Annahilt, sitting on fence posts 100 metres apart approx 500 yards up the road. (Garry Wilkinson).

An adult winter Mediterranean Gull, 2 Little Egret and 650 Black-tailed Godwit where at Whitehouse Lagoon. 4 Arctic Tern, 50 Common Tern and 34 Sandwich Tern where at Kinnegar Shore.(Tim Murphy).

A Kingfisher was at Mersey Street Bridge, east Belfast (Harry Byron)

Bird News Tuesday 27th September

An adult Little Stint was at RSPB Belfast WOW. A Pink-footed Goose was at Island Hill for 10 mins (Robin Vage)

On Monday a Gannet was in flight over J7 of the M1 (Sprucefield) and 2 Wheatear at Kearney (Stephen Foster)

Thanks to Robin for this pic of the Little Stint which is extremely well marked:

 

Bird News Monday 26th September

The report of 2 White-rumped Sandpipers was a case of mistaken identification.

5 Curlew Sandpipers are at Belfast Lough RSPB WOW reserve (Tony Dodds).

2 Med Gull were at Portrush East Strand. 6 Wheatear and 2 Common Scoter were seen at Ramore Head, portrush. (Matthew Tickner)

Bird News Sunday 25th September

A Pectoral Sandpiper was at Balls Point, Lough Foyle (Garry Armstrong). Possibly the same bird was seen later at Myroe. Also at Myroe were 4 Curlew Sandpipers, Two Little Stint and a Merlin (Gerard McGeehan, Shirley Dunlop, Carol Gillespie, Daniel Newton)

An Osprey was at Downhill (Jeff Larkin) and seen later at Magilligan Point (Petr Sramek and Petr Suvorov)

Five Pink-footed Geese were in a stubble field on the way out to Magilligan Point. (Wilton Farrelly)

Four adult Med Gulls were at Ballykelly (Philip West)

A Ruff was at Kirkiston, Co Down (Richard Weyl)

At least 30 Little Egrets were at Dundrum Inner Bay, Co Down (John Moore)

The Bairds Sandpiper was searched for at RSPB WOW Belfast but not seen.

Thanks to Nigel Moore for this pic of a Little Stint at Myroe. You can see more local bird pics at http://nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Bird News Saturday 24th September

The Bairds Sandpiper was still at RSPB WOW, this morning, in front of the Observation Room. (Dennis Weir / Garry Armstrong) A Curlew Sandpiper and a Ruff were also present.

An adult Med Gull and 2 Curlew Sandpiper were at the Bann estuary. (Matthew Tickner)

There was no sign of the Bairds at RSPB WOW Belfast from twelve to three. Four juv Common Terns, a juv Arctic Tern and two Curlew Sands were present (Stuart McKee)

Thanks to Cameron Moore for the picture of a Peregrine and to Linda Thompson for the picture of the Curlew Sandpiper.

 

 

Bird News Friday 23rd September

A juvenile Bairds Sandpiper is at RSPB WOW, Belfast (Neal Warnock). The bird was still showing at 6:30pm (in the north east corner). Up to two Curlew Sandpipers were also present.

Lough Beg today had a high count of 28 Little Egrets, also an arrival of Ruff with 26 seen including 17 juveniles on the fields at Mullagh. (David Steele)

A single Ruff was at Dundrum South Inner Bay today. (David Nixon)

Myroe had the Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 3 Little Stints, a Curlew Sandpiper, a Pectoral Sandpiper, a Bairds Sandpiper, and two Peregrines. (Garry Wilkinson / Nigel Moore)

Thanks to David Hill for this pic of a Little Stint and Dunlin at Myroe today:

Pectoral Sandpiper, Nigel Moore:

Bird News Thursday 22nd September

The Baird’s Sandpiper and the Buff-breasted Sandpiper were showing well on the turf fields at Myroe. Also present 2 Little Stint and 1 Curlew Sandpiper. Balls Point had Two hundred Brent  Geese. (Hill Dick and Peter Robinson)

Belfast Lough RSPB WOW reserve at low tide had 3 Ruff, 2 Scaup, a Kingfisher, Brent Goose and a Little Egret, there were also just 3 Common Terns left. (Derek Polley).

Bird News Wednesday 21st September

The Bairds Sandpiper, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, 2 Little Stints, a Curlew Sandpiper and a Merlin were at Myroe turf fields (Jeff Larkin)

The Mediterranean Gull was still at the north promenade, Newcastle (Leonard Charles)

Bird News Tuesday 29th September

2 Greenshank, 5 Ruff, 7 Pintail, 85 Shoveler, 22 Little Egret were at Lough Beg today. (Gareth Bareham, Matthew Tickner).

Thanks to David Nixon for the picture of the Kittiwakes, part of a flock of 150 roosting around the Rock Pool in Newcastle.

Blogger Issues

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Possible Belted Kingfisher

A report has been received of a possible Belted Kingfisher, seen in Lower Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh by Ian Wilton-Jones on Wednesday 14th September. The bird in question was just south of Castle Caldwell in an area only accessible by boat. It was seen from a Kayak.

The location is Ned's Island just North of Rough Island and East of Ferny Island. The bird was looked for today from a boat, by Brad Robson but without success.
Feedback on the picture and video is welcome from anyone who may have experience of the species. Thanks also to Ian for sending in this record.



The bird was videoed (also at this site where the quality may be better: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/po2wgwlnbhl9fhj/AABPNBI9awnDHY52iQ9_j7BOa?dl=0 ):