Gerry o Neill
Well-known member
Two buzzards displaying south of castlebellingham last monday....
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County Louth (formerly Dundalk Bay) local patch. (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter breffni
- Start date
Two buzzards displaying south of castlebellingham last monday....
I have three Redwings, two Song Thrushes and a gorgeous Mistle Thrush all day in my garden and then I saw my first ever Fieldfare bird walking around amongst them also. I have to say that I was just simply amazed at its beauty. I have been adding sultanas to the seed mix and the Thrushes all just love them. Also a lot of very pretty coloured brown striped headed Chaffinches about and glimpsed the Bullfinches very early this morning and the little Wrens were putting me dizzy trying to get a photo of them. I did manage a couple of Dunnock photos quite happy with finally as they seem to be happy to get much closer during the cold spell and one pottering around back door all day too.
No sign of my small round neckless colourful bobbing birds but had two or three stunning fluffy intruder birds with crests like Larks and very colourful pink and black on their back as they flew away.
No sign of my small round neckless colourful bobbing birds but had two or three stunning fluffy intruder birds with crests like Larks and very colourful pink and black on their back as they flew away.
Gerry o Neill
Well-known member
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I have these lovely birds quite small often on the Niger feeder with sort of fawny greeny chests and today I can see the inside of tail so clearly whilst on Niger feeder and they have jet black inside tails with a snow white thick band the whole way down on left side (when facing me) and two curves at bottom of longish tail. They look the shape of Yellowhammers on the ground but not enough yellow on them and heads striped very similar to Yellowhammers. They have feet with lots of toes like Bunting birds and rather colourful backs and have pale thick beaks. I am beginning to query maybe Cirl Buntings if not duller winter Yellowhammers. Maybe there is another bird similar with this very noticeable different inside tail from usual birds ??? I am also hearing the sip clear high sound.
Trying hard to get picture of the tail and need to go down to get more Niger seed as well as they have ate a whole bag of it of recent. This plain black and white tail inside is very noticeably different as well as a very nice small bird. I have about five or six of them and always together.
Trying hard to get picture of the tail and need to go down to get more Niger seed as well as they have ate a whole bag of it of recent. This plain black and white tail inside is very noticeably different as well as a very nice small bird. I have about five or six of them and always together.
Peter Phillips
Well-known member
Glad to see there has been a bit of a thaw.It might give the birds a chance. Female Brambling in the garden today brightened up things a bit
I saw a vivid red headed Redpoll in the Hawthorn today and hoping he will return for a chance of a photo. I saw loads of the tiniest little bird imaginable in a tree in woods nearby but not sure if juvenile Long Tailed Tits or Goldcrest as only other tiny bird I can think of (there was no sign of adult Long Tailed Tit). They definitely were not Wrens. Need to take new binoculars another day and I also saw one female Bullfinch beside river. I am delighted to see the nesting boxes that were put up in the woods, a great achievement.
I was almost afraid to breathe let alone move today after seeing two adult male Bullfinches sitting on the Clematis on the arch quite close to patio doors. It is the first time I have ever seen the males so close to back door and such absolutely beautiful birds, a female one was near the seed tray on the ground below. Had one beautiful small bird with long thin upturned beak browny with some pale orange and particularly recall a white unusual mark away in back of bird and it stayed ages on Willow tree.
I also had once again a very unusual rounded Sparrow with an awful lot of pale plain fluffy grey on both sides of bird with no white mark at all of Sparrows and beak and head different too. I have seen him a few times and he always makes me think of a Sparrow that looks like he came down from the mountain for the first time ............. He or she also has a lot of black thick flecks down sides like a Brambling and black marks in centre of chest too.
I also had once again a very unusual rounded Sparrow with an awful lot of pale plain fluffy grey on both sides of bird with no white mark at all of Sparrows and beak and head different too. I have seen him a few times and he always makes me think of a Sparrow that looks like he came down from the mountain for the first time ............. He or she also has a lot of black thick flecks down sides like a Brambling and black marks in centre of chest too.
squidge
Wha Whassssat
Walking towards Drogheda town centre this evening I saw hundreds of small birds flying in one group towards Beaulieu and across the river. They were too far away to recognise, I thought maybe they were starlings, Does anybody know what they are and if so is this a regular occurence as I wouldnt mind seeing this spectacle again.
Yesterday the snow bunting was still there and may well stay a few more days. To find the bird park at the harbour at annagassan and walk along the path back towards the saltings along the shore - the bird will be feeding along the path isn the rough grassland.
Oscar and Julie had a slavonian grebe in close at Lurgangreen; there was also a ringtail hen harrier over marsh south.
There was over 1000 greylag geese along with a smattering of pink foots and greenland white fronts in the fields along the road between blackrock and calstlebelliingham, mainly favouring a flooded field south of the garage.
Oscar and Julie had a slavonian grebe in close at Lurgangreen; there was also a ringtail hen harrier over marsh south.
There was over 1000 greylag geese along with a smattering of pink foots and greenland white fronts in the fields along the road between blackrock and calstlebelliingham, mainly favouring a flooded field south of the garage.
sCased around red barnes road and shore road looking for twite today but didnt find them (got a very reliable report of 4 or 5 with a flock of around 30 linnets) - did find redpoll nnd a flock of mostly male reed bunting 11 strong! Otherwise 1200 greylags and a few pink foots and white fronts at mooretown where the ditches are being dug out...
Peter Phillips
Well-known member
Nice flock of Greylag and White fronted Geese at the goose fields at Lurgangreen. White front with collar JOZ among them.
Snow Bunting still on the beach behind the peir feeding among the sea weed and a male and female Long-tailed Duck at Annagassan end of Salterstown
Snow Bunting still on the beach behind the peir feeding among the sea weed and a male and female Long-tailed Duck at Annagassan end of Salterstown
There is a huge Starling roost at Bettystown and you can see them heading from all directions for there each evening. The roost can be seen from a housing estate called Brookside. If you leave Bettystown heading for Laytown, Brookside is on the right hand side as you are leaving Bettystown village. When you enter the housing estate, drive straight and then to the right you will see a copse of trees just outside the estate and this is where the birds roost. Last year was quite a spectacle with the Starlings displaying just before entering the trees. They have not started to display this year yet. I will post here when the displays start. It looks as though the numbers will be on the same line as last year so it will be worth going out to see.
Blackrock
The area just to the south where the fane enters the sea is probably the top spot for variety in Louth - you want the tide on the upper cycle. A slavonian grebe has been hanging around this area (in winter plumage, like a small squat great crested grebe). In blackrock proper, if you walk out opposite the sundial (large bronze sculpture in form of a diving woman), there are thousands of waders along the channel where the river runs over the sand at low tide. Further north coming into red barnes road/shore road there may be twite with a roving flock of linnet. The snow bunting isl ikely to be still at annagassan and two long tailed ducks were seen off salterstown (a bit further south) on Monday. Thera are 1000+ geese in three species in the stubble fields south of blackrock.
The area just to the south where the fane enters the sea is probably the top spot for variety in Louth - you want the tide on the upper cycle. A slavonian grebe has been hanging around this area (in winter plumage, like a small squat great crested grebe). In blackrock proper, if you walk out opposite the sundial (large bronze sculpture in form of a diving woman), there are thousands of waders along the channel where the river runs over the sand at low tide. Further north coming into red barnes road/shore road there may be twite with a roving flock of linnet. The snow bunting isl ikely to be still at annagassan and two long tailed ducks were seen off salterstown (a bit further south) on Monday. Thera are 1000+ geese in three species in the stubble fields south of blackrock.
