Bird News Wednesday 31st March

The first winter Glaucous Gull was again at the Barmouth, on the pier on the Portstewart side this morning. (John Spottiswood)

A Spotted Redshank is roosting at Castle Espie WWT.

The adult Ring-billed Gull was at the Round 'O', Enniskillen and a 2nd winter Iceland Gull was at Erneside, Enniskillen today.(Ronan Owens)

Swallows, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaff are widely reported (Lee Maginnis, Fulton Somerville, Clive Mellon, Brian Murphy)

Great White Egret was still at Portmore Lough, 4  Sand Martin over Antrim town and another 5 at Harryville, B'mena.(Richard Gray)

A male Black Redstart and two Wheatear were along The Harbour Highway, Larne (Ed Simpson)

Our thanks to Comghal McQuillian for the photo of a freshly arrived Willow Warbler. 

Bird News Tuesday 30th March

A 1st winter Bonaparte's Gull is at the south end of Ballyfrench Bay about 1km north of Portavogie. (Billy Miskelly).

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Killymuck, Ballinderry (Patrick Devlin)

A Wheatear was at Loughshore Park, Belfast Lough this morning (David Stirling)

11 Greenland Whitefronts are at Myroe (Bob Watts)

The drake American Wigeon is still at Glynn (Wilton Farrelly)

A Willow Warbler was at Newry Road, Kilkeel (Kerry Leonard). Another was at Craigavon Lakes (Brian Nelson)

A Ring-necked Parakeet was seen near Victoria Park, Belfast (Ronald Surgenor)

14 Whooper Swan were in field next to Lough Shark this morning. (Mike McLaughlin)

The Iceland Gull remains at the Waterworks and an adult Iceland Gull was at Whitehouse Lagoon (Chris Murphy)

A Swallow was seen in Portrush (Peter Mellor)

A Grey Partridge has been found at Bangor West see picture below. (per Derek Polley) If you are aware of where it could have originated or if you can assist in releasing it, please get in touch with us.

A local birder is selling a pair of Leica binoculars 8x42HD, Ultravid, in mint condition with case, for £850. If of interest, please email us at nibirds@live.co.uk and we will pass on your interest. 

Male Wheatear, David Stirling:

American Wigeon, Wilton Farrelly:

Grey Partridge per Derek Polley:

Please note that during the breeding season we will not publish pictures of birds at nest sites nor provide site details for raptor sightings.

Bird News Monday 29th March

 A pair of Garganey were present again on Lough Shark, Co. Armagh. (Joe Devlin).

A first winter Glaucous Gull was at the Barmouth (Bob Watts)

A Little Gull was at Lough Shark this morning. (Sharon Carroll).

A Mediterranean Gull was off the hide at the Barmouth. (Martin Deehan).

The Black Redstart was still along the cliffs at the southern end of Killard. (Stuart McKee).

12 Greenland Whitefronts were at Myroe this evening. (John Spottiswood).

A Great White Egret and male Ring-necked Duck were at the south end of Lough Beg this evening, also an impressive 60 Little Egrets (a record count for the Beg). (David Steele)

A 1st winter Mediterranean Gull was at Cloughey and a Carrion Crow at Ballywalter. (Kevin Kirkham).

Thanks to Stuart McKee for the pictures of the Black Redstart:

Bird News Sunday 28th March

The male Black Redstart was still at Killard, under the cliffs on the south side.

Two Mediterranean Gulls were at RSPB WoW this morning (Derek Polley)

The hybrid Ring-billed Gull is still at Millisle. (Richard Weyl)

The first winter Iceland Gull was at Belfast Waterworks. An adult Iceland Gull as at Kinnegar Shore. (Stuart McKee)

A summer plumages Little Gull and a Spotted Redshank were at Kinnegar Shore this afternoon (Kevin Kirkham)

Brambling, Owen Beckett:

Iceland Gulls, Stuart McKee:

There are more pictures of local birds at http://nibirdpics.blogspot.com/

Bird News Saturday 27th March

Two pairs of Garganey were at Lough Shark this morning, Co. Armagh. (Joe Devlin).

The Black Redstart was still at Killard. The 1st winter Glaucous Gull was in Ardglass. 

The red head Goosander was still at Begney Lough outside Dromara. (Garry Armstrong).

The American Wigeon was at Glynn outside Larne. (Robert Watts).

A Swallow was seen in Coleraine, first reported one this spring.(John Clarke)

2 Swallow where seen at Lough Shark this afternoon but no sign of the Garganeys.(John Spottiswood)

A White Wagtail and a Med Gull where north of Ballyquinton Point.(Richard Weyl)

A male Brambling was visiting a garden near Hillsborough (Owen Beckett)

Sand Martins, Chiffchaff and Sandwich Terns are now widely reported.

Late report from Wednesday.... a Lesser Whitethroat was coming to garden feeders in Coleraine, see photo below, any comments welcome. 

,Our thanks to Michael Latham for the photo of the Glaucous Gull, also a photo of the Lesser Whitethroat visiting a garden in Coleraine. Also to Joe Devlin for the photo of the Garganey  

Bird News Friday 26th March

 One of the Great White Egrets was at Portmore RSPB, it was in the channel to the right of the viewing platform. (Tom Troughton).

Two Sandwich Terns had made it as far north as the Barmouth this morning. (Robert Watts).

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

A 1st winter Glaucous Gull was at Ardglass harbour. (David Nixon).

The Black Redstart was still at the Ballyhornan end of Killard. (Ronald Surgenor).

Thanks to Juliet Fleming for the picture of the Tree Sparrow, to Brad Robson for the picture of the Ring-billed Gull, to David Nixon for the picture of the Glaucous Gull and to Comghal McQuillan for the picture of the Peregrine:

Bird News Thursday 25th March

Yesterday a Long-tailed Skua was at Belfast International Airport (Jim Kitchen). The bird is still present today although it is frequenting an area of the airport that is not accessible. Interestingly, a Long-tailed Skua was at Bristol Airport, 12th - 14th March.

This morning a Pink-footed Goose flew over Orlock and 9 Twite were at nearby Sandeel Bay. (Richard Weyl)

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

The Great White Egret was at Reedy Flats this morning (Comghal McQuillan)

The adult Ring-billed Gull was at Carrickfergus today (Zoe Anderson)

We would like to pass on our best wishes to Ric and Hazel who are leaving Rathlin this week to return to England. Since arriving on Rathlin their sightings have been a regular feature on this Blog. Their welcome to birders visiting the island has been greatly appreciated. We wish them all the best in their next venture and hope that they will still return some day soon!

Long-tailed Skua, Robin Kitchen:

A video of the Long-tailed Skua is below:

Great White Egret, Comhhal McQuillan:

Bird News Wednesday 24th March

A Velvet Scoter flew west past Ballymacormick Point this morning. (James Andrew).

A Barn Owl was along the Blaris Road in Lisburn at 4am this morning. (Garry Wilkinson).

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen in flight off the Belmont Road at Pirrie Road, Belfast (Daniel Newton)

A Great White Egret and Merlin were at Reedy Flats but no sign of the Black-necked Grebe. One of the Great Egrets was again at Portmore and a White-fronted and 2 Pink-footed Geese were in fields to the right off the lane leading to Portmore. (Jeff Larkin)

A 2nd winter Iceland Gull was on the north foreshore of Belfast Lough, seen from Dargan Road. (Chris Murphy).

A 2nd calendar year Red Kite was on Rathlin. (Ric Else & Hazel Watson).

A single Mediterranean Gull was at Belfast WOW reserve. (Daniel Newton).

Bird News Tuesday 23rd March

 The Black-necked Grebe was again at Reedy Flats on the south shore of Lough Neagh. (Billy Miskelly).

A Wheatear (first of the season) was on Rathlin along with 7 Crossbill. Yesterday 2 Snow Buntings were present..(Ric Else/Hazel Watson) 

The male Ring-necked Duck was seen again at Lough Beg today and two Sand Martins also seen. Later on, two redhead Goosanders were on the River Main at Slaght near Ballymena.(David Steele)

Our thanks to Adam Ringland for the photo of a Wheatear taken at Helens Bay.

Bird News Monday 22nd March

The adult Ring-billed Gull was at the Round O, Enniskillen. 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker were also in east Fermanagh. (Brad Robson)

A Sand Martin was on the River Maine near Cullybackey (Richard Gray)

Whooper Swans have been on the move today with many flocks reported.

Thanks to everyone who sends pictures in but we do not publish pictures of birds at nest sites.

Bird News Sunday 21st March

The Black-necked Grebe has returned to Reedy Flats on the south shore of Lough Neagh, a Merlin was also present. (Garry Armstrong,  Ed O’Hara).

One of the first winter Glaucous Gulls was at the Barmouth. A Sand Martin was at Magilligan Point (Bob Watts)

Chiffchaff are now widely reported - thanks to everyone for sending in their sightings.

A Red Kite was near Minerstown, Co Down (Michael Latham).

The two Great White Egrets were still at Portmore this morning. (Kenneth Brewster). The red head Smew was in the channel to the right of the viewing platform. (Garry Armstrong).

The possible Black-bellied Dipper was at Downhill Forest. 10 Greenland White-fronted Geese and a Carrion Crow were at Myroe (Peter Hamilton)

The Black Redstart was at the far end of the beach at Killard. (David Stirling).

A Wheatear was at Balls Point, Lough Foyle (Jimmy Clancy)

The American Wigeon was still at Glynn (John Spottiswood)

A summer plumaged Black-throated Diver was north of Portaferry in Strangford Lough. (Michael Latham). 

A Crossbill was present at Peatlands Park. (Mike McLaughlin).

Red Kite, Michael Latham:

Dipper (this is the bird with the very dark belly), Downhill Forest, Peter Hamilton

Greenland White-fronted Geese, Peter Hamilton:

Black Redstart, David Stirling:

Bird News Saturday 20th March

The Spotted Redshank was still in Dundrum Inner Bay south this morning.

3 Crossbills and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were at Peatlands Park this morning. There was also was a Chiffchaff singing at Craigavon Lakes on 17th (Brian Nelson)

The Smew and Great White Egret were seen at Portmore Lough this morning (Ed O’Hara)

Two first winter Glaucous Gulls are at the Barmouth (Theo Campbell). 

One of the red-head Goosanders was still on Begney Lough outside Dromara. (Garry Armstrong)

An adult male Black Redstart was on the beach on the south side of Killard. (Chris and Rachel Veale)

39 Sanderling were on the  beach at Castlerock  this morning with 27 Whoopers flying west (Richard Gray)

The American Wigeon is still at Glynn. Two adult Med Gulls were also present.( Brian Halligan)

An injured Greenland-white-fronted Goose was with the Nutgrove Whooper Swan and Greylag flock, off Bucks Head Road near Seaforde, today. It was limping and spending time sitting on the ground. 76 Whoopers were there.(David Nixon).

A singing Chiffchaff was at the Quoile Pondage this morning. (Martin Rooney).

15 Manx Shearwater where off Burial  Island this morning.(Richard Weyl)

Our thanks to Ed O'Hara for the photo of the Great White Egret, Little Egret to the left 

Bird News Friday 19th March

A presumed drake Lesser Scaup was seen distantly at the west end of Portmore Lough. The Great White Egret was also present (Wilton Farrelly)

The Iceland Gull was still present at the playing fields in Coleraine (Stephen Riddell)

The adult Ring-billed Gull was still at the Round O, Enniskillen.

A Pik-footed Goose was with 300 Greylags at Derrytrasna, Lough Neagh (Ed O'Hara) 

On the east side of Strangford Lough were 63 Slavonian Grebe (12 at Newtownards Sailing Club,  3 at Chapel island, 46 between Greyabbey Bay and Kircubbin and 2 at Horse Island),  4 Black-throated Diver at Horse Island and 5 Long-tailed Duck  off Newtownards Sailing Club. (Richard Weyl)

3 Iceland Gulls were at Enniskillen Dump (1 ad and 2 juvs) (Brad Robson) A singing Chiffchaff and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Pubble Forest (Amy Burns)

Pink-footed Goose, Ed O'Hara:

Bird News Thursday 18th March

Four Pink-footed Geese were at Ann’s Point. 24 Slavonian Grebe were at Greyabbey Bay South and a further 7 off Kircubbin Yacht Club. Two second year Mediterranean Gull were off Cloughy (Wilton Farrelly)

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Glenone Forest, Portglenone. (Dermot Doherty).

11 Twite were at Sheep Point in Groomsport this morning. (Richard Weyl).

Thanks to Garry Wilkinson for the picture of the Great Spotted Woodpecker from his garden:

Bird News Wednesday 17th

On the south shore of Lough Neagh a Marsh Harrier and a Merlin were at Reedy Flat and a Pink-foot was with Greylags at Corkey Point to the west of Ardmore. (Ed O'Hara)

A Great White Egret remains at Portmore Lough (Michael Latham)  Four Black-tailed Godwit were also present (Ian Clarke)

A Black-necked Grebe is at Mill Bay, Inch, Co Donegal (Derek Brennan)

The first winter Iceland Gull was again in Coleraine at the playing fields (S Riddell)

This morning, three Med Gulls (2 adult, 1 1st summer) flew over, calling, at Pond Park Road in Lisburn. (Kerry Leonard)

A Brambling was visiting feeders in Newcastle (Andrew Crory)

A Chiffchaff was singing on the Coleraine University Campus (James McDowell)

A Red Kite was seen at Spa Golf Course, Ballinahinch (Thomas Cullen)

The drake American Wigeon was still at Glynn (Neal Warnock)

96 Whooper Swans were in fields beside Magheralagan Lake in mid-Down this morning. (Ron Price)

Iceland Gull, Stephen Riddell:

Kingfishers, Jonathan Rossborough:

You can see more local bird pics at: http://nibirdpics.blogspot.com/

 

Bird News Tuesday 16th March.

The Great White Egret still showing at RSPB Portmore Lough reserve. (David Hughes)

A Sandwich Tern was at the Lagan Lookout, Belfast (Aaron Devlin)

A Chiffchaff was singing at Carrickfergus (Shirley Dunloy)

A Chough was seen at Rathlin Harbour today (Douglas Cecil)

Our thanks to Brian Redpath for his photo of a male  Sparrowhawk. 

BTO BBS.....

 The BTO-led Breeding Bird Survey is a key project for monitoring breeding bird numbers in Northern Ireland. Over the past 25 years it has revealed extraordinary trends in the populations of our common bird species, including increases of 1,540% in Blackcap, 1,305% in Buzzard and 485% in Goldfinch. The latest BBS Report can be found at the following link, with NI results on pages 22-23: https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/breeding-bird-survey-report/breeding-bird-survey-2019 We need many more BBS volunteers in Northern Ireland if we are to determine trends for our less common breeding bird species, some of which are declining. That's where you come in! What is involved? BBS requires a limited time commitment of only two to three visits to a designated 1km survey square between April and June each year. What skill level is required? For BBS you should be able to identify most common bird species by song and call. Other than that the methodology is straightforward. How to participate? Simply contact the BTO NI Officer at stephen.hewitt@bto.org and let him know the general area you might be interested in surveying. BBS is fun! It allows you to visit parts of the countryside you might not otherwise see, monitor the bird populations of your chosen square over the years, and enjoy listening to bird songs and calls, whilst knowing that you are contributing important data. What about accessing private land? Not all BBS squares require access to private land. Some squares can be covered along minor roads or public access tracks. It may be possible for BTO to make minor changes to existing survey routes to make access easier. BTO also has an introductory letter for landowners that you can request from the BTO NI Officer (stephen.hewitt@bto.org). Training Course BTO NI plans to run an online BBS training course on Sat 27th Mar, you can book onto this for FREE at the following link: Sat 27th March - 10:00-12:00 - https://www.bto.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=933 Lockdown Restrictions BTO is hopeful that volunteers will be again able to participate in solitary outdoor surveys in Northern Ireland from early April. --

Stephen Hewitt

Bird News Monday 15th March

 The Ring-billed Gull was still at Carrick harbour this morning. (David Stirling).

A 2nd calendar year Mediterranean Gull was inland at Kilmore Lough in County Fermanagh. (Brad Robson).

Thanks to Alastair McLean for the picture of the Grey Wagtail:

Bird News Sunday 14th March

The American Wigeon was at Glynn again this morning and the Ring-billed Gull was at Carrickfergus Harbour. (Tony Dodds).

The two red-head Goosander were still at Begney Lough outside Dromara. (Garry Armstrong).

Three Pink-footed Geese were just north of Greyabbey and 10 Sandwich Tern were at Portaferry (Michael Latham)

The Ring-billed Gull was still at The Round O, Enniskillen (Brad Robson)

A possible Mealy Redpoll and a possible Greenland Redpoll were with a flock of Lesser Redpoll at a garden in Co Armagh (Andrew Poots)

Pink-footed Geese, Michael Latham:

Possible Greenland Redpoll, Andrew Poots:

Possible Mealy Redpoll, Andrew Poots:

Bird News Saturday 13th March

The Ring-billed Gull was still at Carrickfergus this morning. (Guy Hamilton).

A Ring-necked Duck was at Lough Beg.(David Steele)

The American Wigeon was at Glynn again this morning.  (Cameron Moore).

24 Twite were between Briggs Rocks and Orlock Point, Co Down (Wilton Farrelly)

11 Greenland Whitefronts where at Myroe along with approx. 190 Whooper Swan and 40 Greylags. (Richard Gray) A single Pink-footed Goose was also present (Martin Deehan)

18 Sandwich Tern where seen at Portaferry today,( the highest count of the winter was 24), Sandwich Terns which didn't overwinter will now be returning.(John Foster)

80+Whooper Swan seen at Lough Shark(John Spottiswood)

Our thanks to Guy Hamilton for the Ring-billed Gull, also to Michael Latham for the American Wigeon. 

Bird News Friday 12th March

 A 1st winter Iceland Gull was at Kinnegar shore in Belfast Lough. (Stuart McKee).

The Spotted Redshank was still in the channel running through Dundrum Inner Bay south. (David Nixon).

50 Whooper Swans, 30 Greylags and 100+ Brent Geese were at Myroe. (Peter Hamilton).

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

The American Wigeon was still at Glynn in Larne Lough this afternoon. 

The Ring-billed Gull was still at Carrickfergus. 

Two or three hybrid Carrion x Hooded Crow hybrids were at Kinnegar shore. (Mike McLaughlin).

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was in Lough Park, Ballynahinch. (Alastair Rae).

Thanks to Peter Hamilton for the picture of the Red-breasted Merganser, to Alastair McLean for the picture of the Black Guillemot and to Mike McLaughlin for the picture of the hybrid Carrion x Hooded Crow:

Bird News Thursday 11th March

The drake American Wigeon was still at Glynn and the first winter Glaucous Gull at Burger King, Coleraine (Martin Deehan)

Two female Goosanders were still at Lough Begney, Dromara, half way along the Lough from the town on the far shore. (Garry Wilkinson)

Unusually a drake Red-breasted Merganser was on the river at Glarryford near Ballymena (David McClean)

Red-breasted Merganser, David McClean:

Bird News Wednesday 10th March

The American Wigeon is still at Glynn this morning, along with a Slavonian Grebe. (Brian Halligan)

The apparent Black-bellied Dipper was at Downhill Forest, below the Waterwheel (John Spottiswood)

There has been no sign today of the Ross’s Gull, there was a 2nd winter Glaucous Gull this evening. (Chris Murphy)

Our thanks to Cameron Moore for the photo of the American Wigeon. 

Bird News Tuesday 9th March

The first winter Ross’s Gull was in Killough Harbour again at 10am. It was roosting in the Inner Harbour but disappeared. It was back on the inner bay at 12:05. The 1st winter Glaucous Gull is still present (Chris Murphy)

Begney Lough, Co Down had three Goosander this morning (David Nixon)

At Glynn, the American Wigeon, an adult Iceland Gull and an adult Mediterannean Gull were present (Gerard McGeehan \ Shirley Dunlop, Cameron Moore).

The Marsh Harrier and the Pink-footed Goose were both still at Reedy Flat on the south shore of Lough Neagh. (Ed O'Hara).

A single Pink-foot was with 40 Greylags and 250 Whoopers at Myroe. (Martin Deehan).

Thanks to Cameron Moore for the picture of the American Wigeon:

Bird News Monday 8th March

The drake American Wigeon was at Glynn this morning. (Brian Halligan)

The first winter Iceland Gull was again in Coleraine this morning and the Glaucous Gull was still at Burger King (John Clarke)

An adult Mediterranean Gull was on Portrush beach this morning (S Riddell)

The first Sand Martin of the spring was seen today at the River Bush / Bushfoot Strand (Juliet Fleming)

A Chiffchaff was at Portmore Lough (Dermot Hughes)

A high count of 23 Raven were at Knockmany Forest, Co Tyrone (Annette Elkin)

A first winter Glaucous Gull was in Killough Harbour. A Red Kite was seen yesterday. (Chris Murphy)

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Hillsborough Park (Garry Wilkinson)

A Green Sandpiper was on the River Maine at Slaght near Ballymena. Two Goosander have also been present (David Steele)

Peregrine. Jonathan Cooke:

Mediterannean Gull, Stephen Riddell:

RSPB Local Talk

Shetlands or Wetlands - Nigel Moore

In this talk, Nigel will share his experiences of travelling to and spending two weeks on the Shetland Isles in the summer of 2019. 

A winner of the portfolio section of the Work of NI Bird Photographers in 2020, Nigel had a number of target species to photograph, and the talk will be well illustrated with the resulting images.

If you are interested in booking a place, please email colin.graham@rspb.org.uk

Once your booking is confirmed, Colin will email you a Zoom link.

Bird News Sunday 7th March

The drake American Wigeon was seen again at Glynn. 3 Mediterranean Gull were also present (Ian Enlander)

4 Pink-footed Geese were at Ann’s Point, and 5 Long-tailed Duck and 8 Slavonian Grebe were off Newtownards Yacht Club (Wilton Farrelly)

The Great White Egret was still at Portmore Lough RSPB this morning.  (Kevin Kirkham).

A Marsh Harrier was at Reedy Flat, also present was the Pinkfoot which was with 300 Greylags.(Ed O'Hara).

3 Mediterranean Gull were at Kinnegar Shore this morning (Jonny Clark)

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Tardree Forest, Antrim (Kevin Carson)

A high count of 27 Black Guillemots were at Portmuck (Robert McDowell)

Rathlin today had Two Snow Buntings and a Stock Dove. Also a White-tailed Eagle was seen yesterday which seemed to depart in the direction of Scotland. (Ric Else and Hazel Watson).

A Merlin was at Mountnorris in Co. Armagh. (Joe Devlin).

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Mount Stewart (Stephen Dunbar)

Drake American Wigeon, Cameron Moore:

Great White Egret, Kevin Kirkham:

Mediterannean Gull, Jonny Clark:

Bird News Saturday 6th March

A probable Black-bellied Dipper was at Downhill Forest, Co Londonderry - see pictures below (Theo Campbell)

At Whitehead, 40 Red-throated Diver and 5 Great Northern Diver were counted flying into Belfast Lough (Ian Enlander).

The red head Smew was still present at Portmore RSPB this morning, one of the Great White Egrets was also present. (Garry Armstrong).

A single Pinkfoot was with 150 Greylags at Reedy Flats on the south shore of Lough Neagh. A Peregrine, Merlin and 3 Pintail were also present. (Ed O'Hara).

The male Black Redstart was on Greencastle beach this afternoon by the lifeboat station. (John Spottiswood) 

2 female Goosanders where on Lough Begney nr Dromora, but they seem to be there briefly before moving on. (David Nixon)

The Ring-billed Gull still present at the Round O in E'killen (Ronan Owens)

A Whimbrel has just flown over Killough (7.30pm); earlier today there was an adult 'argentatus' Herring Gull and a drake Shoveler (a rarity in Killough)  (Chris Murphy)

Probable Black-bellied Dipper, Downhll Forest, Theo Campbell: