nibirds: June 2020

Bird News Tuesday 30th June

A Roseate Tern and two Greenshank were at RSPB WoW (Gerard McGeehan)

Two Green Sandpiper where on a small inland pond in Cullybackey.(Peter McAllister)

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was on a feeder at Lord Wardens Hollow, Bangor (John Thompson). Another Great Spotted Woodpecker was visiting a garden at Sketrick Island, Killinchy (Paul Dorman)

Green Sandpipers - Peter McAllister.

NIEA Guidance for Bird Photography

The NIEA have asked us to remind anyone taking photographs of birds of the current legislation and requirements. You can see this at:

https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/daera/NIEA%20-%20LICENCE%20ADVICE%20-%20Code%20of%20photography%20Guide%20Dec%202018_1.pdf

Bird News Monday 29th June

Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers were visiting feeders at Millbrook Road, Ballysallagh, Bangor (Leslie McKee)

A 3hr seawatch at Fanad, Co Donegal had 3908 Manx, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Storm Petrels,1 Bonxie and 187 Puffins (Chris Ingram)

Common Tern, Stephen Maxwell:

Bird News Sunday 28th June

A Red kite was in the Antrim hills. (Michael Latham).

Thanks to Christine Cunningham for the pictures of the Sedge Warbler and the Reed Bunting:

A summer plumaged male Ruff and a female Cuckoo were in the south west corner of Lough Beg this afternoon. (David Steele).

Thanks to Michael Latham for the picture of the Manx Shearwater and to Mike McLaughlin for the picture of the Tree Sparrows:

Bird News Friday 26th June.

RSPB WOW reserve had... 25 Lapwing and 300 Black-tailed Godwit, also 90-100 Shelduck. It is slightly damp rather than dry.(Derek Polley)

An adult Med Gull was at Portmuck.(Shirley Dunlop/Gerald McGeehan)

A Corncrake was heard calling from agricultural land near Portstewart several times today and has been present daily since 23 June (Alec Tinlin and Ken Perry)

A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over the A1 at Buskhill Road, Newry, Friday evening (Chris Veale)

An extraordinary record of a Shearwater species found alive on Monday at Tramore, Co Waterford has turned out to be a SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER, it was in extremely bad health when found and since died, they are from Australia & Tasmania, it is no surprise that this is the first record for Ireland and the Western Palearctic, it just goes to show that anything can turn up on our shores.

Bird News Thursday 25th June

A Cuckoo was at Benone sand dunes (Jim McKeown)

A Stock Dove and Greenshank were at Giants Park, Belfast (Stuart McKee)

Curlew, Sean Mcaliskey:

Bird News Wednesday 24th June

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming at Dromantine Estate, Co. Down this afternoon. (Daniel Moore).

Thanks to David Clarke for the picture of the Goldfinchs:

Bird News Tuesday 23rd June

A male Ring-necked Duck was on Lough Beg this evening, in the flowering-rush beds off Mullagh (David Steele)

Stonechat, Stonechat:

Guillemot, Mervyn Campbell:

Bird News Monday 22nd June.

The 3 Barnacle Geese where still at Glynn.(Michael Latham)

An Osprey was at Lough Beg this evening.(David Steele)

Our thanks to Michael Latham for the photo of the 3 Barnacle Geese and to Cecil Smyth for the Wheatear.

Bird News Sunday 21st June

Two Roseate Terns were on the far shoreline at Belfast WOW Reserve at lunchtime (Jeff Larkin).

Kearney on the Outer Ards had a Whooper Swan, 65 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and a Knot. (Richard Weyl).

Glynn today had an in-ringed Med Gull, 3 Barnacle Geese amongst the Greylags. There were also two young crows, which resembled Carrion Crows, though they were likely to be hybrid - Hooded x Carrion Crows. (Garth Platt). 3 Greenshank were also present (Gerard McGeehan / Shirley Dunlop)

Thanks to Jonny Rosborough for the picture of the Cuckoo, to Stephen Dunbar for the picture of the Great Skua, to Wilf Swain for the picture of the Buzzard and to Michael Latham for the picture of the Whitethroat:

Bird News Saturday 20th June

A Marsh Harrier was in the Antrim hills this morning. A Roseate Tern was close inshore at Portmuck harbour with an Arctic Skua harassing terns beyond the island. (Jeff Larkin).

Today at 4:30 pm a Red Kite was seen over Buskhill Rd, Newry, Co Down, approaching form the south before heading off east. This is the first known record for this area. (Daniel Moore).

Two pairs of Whinchats were in the hills above Cushendun, see picture below. (Michael Latham)

Thanks to Kenny Moore for the picture of the Kingfisher, to Michael Latham for the picture of the Whinchat, to Mike McLaughlin for the picture of the Reed Bunting and to Wilf Swain for the picture of the Buzzard:

Bird News Friday 19th June

A Cuckoo was near Acton Lake outside Scarva. (Karen Elliott).

Thanks to Ernest Parker for the picture of the Black Guillemot, to Wilf Swain for the picture of the Meadow Pipit and to Julia Moore for the picture of the Wren:

Bird News Thursday 18th June

A Marsh Harrier and a Pink-footed Goose were at Keeble, Rathlin Island this morning. (Ric Else / Hazel Watson)

Leucistic Shag, Big Copeland, Adam Ringland \ Philip McNamara:

Bird News Wednesday 17th June.

2 Whimbrel, 2 Stock Dove and a Greenshank were at Giants Park, Belfast (Stuart McKee)

Bird News Tuesday 16th June

A Sandwich Tern was inland at Long Lough between Ballynahinch and Saintfield. (David Miller).

Thanks to Ian Jackson for the picture of the Sparrowhawk, to Thomas Campbell for the pictures of the Sand Martin and the Dipper, to Wilf Swain for the picture of the Little Egrets and to Terry Hanna for the picture of the juvenile Greenfinch:

Bird News Monday 15th June

An adult Med Gull was at Whitehead (Brian Murphy)

Red Grouse, Brian Redpath:

Bird News Sunday 14th June

A Little Gull was in the channel off Belfast WOW reserve this morning. (Kevin Kirkham-Brown).

A hybrid Carrion x Hooded Crow was outside Strangford, see picture below. (Kevin Kirkham-Brown)

Thanks to Mervyn Campbell for the picture of the Spotted Flycatcher, to Kevin Kirkham-Brown for the picture of the hybrid Crow, to Lindsay Hodges for the picture of the Wheatear and to Michael Latham for the picture of the Grasshopper Warbler:

Bird News Saturday 13th June.

A Black Tern was on the tern colony just offshore in Groomsport late afternoon (James Rooney)

Below is an unsual photograph of a Black Guillemot sitting on a Common Gulls nest, photo was taken at Distance at Carrick by Paul McCullough.

Bird News Friday 12th June

Springwell Forest had three Crossbill and two Cuckoo (Ken Perry and James McDowell)

Great Spotted Woodpecker, north Down, David Rainey:

Male Reed Bunting, Mervyn Campbell:

Bird News Thursday 11th June

A sub-adult Med Gull was at Lady's Bay Lough Neagh (Ed O'Hara). The Egyptian Goose was also seen there (Comghal McQuillan)

40 plus Crossbill were at Ballypatrick Forest near Watertop Farm (Garry Wilkinson)

An Osprey was seen at the Maine Riverside Walk, Cullybackey (Anna Leschinski)

You can see more pictures of local birds at: http://nibirdpics.blogspot.com/

Med Gull - Ed O'Hara

Sedge Warbler - Christine Cunningham

Bird News Wednesday 10th June

A probable Osprey was reported over Lough Melvin today - Ian Wilton-Jones (per Brad Robson)

An Ortolan Bunting and the Marsh Warbler were on Tory Island this morning (Anton Meenan)

Juvenile Coal Tit, Terry Hanna:

Bird News Tuesday 9th June.

2 Garganey where at the RSPB Portmore reserve.(Ed O'Hara)

Our thanks to Ed O'Hara for this pic of an Egyptian Goose it was seen at Lady's Bay Lough Neagh.
Also to Terry Hanna for the male Greenfinch and to Alastair McLean for the Song Thrush.

Bird News Monday 8th June

Yesterday a Great Skua was at the Bann Estuary (Alan Faulkner)

Two Scaup were at Dargan, Belfast Lough (Stuart McKee)

Late News is that six Ruddy Shelduck were seen at Dundrum Bay on Thursday 4th June (Wallis Jefferson)

A Marsh Warbler is on Tory Island (Anton Meenan)

Juvenile Lesser Redpoll, Andrew Poots:

Bird News Sunday 7th June

A 1st year Little Gull was at Lady Bay on the south shore of Lough Neagh this morning. (Ed O'Hara).

Another 1st year Little Gull was at Bay Road in Larne. (Jason Bain).

A Cuckoo was at Ballyboley Forest. (Julia Moore).

An Osprey was at Largy Road, Crumlin this evening. (Paul Toner).

Thanks to Ed O'Hara for the first picture of the Little Gull, to Jason Bain for the second picture of the Little Gull and to Julia Moore for the picture of the Cuckoo: