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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Northern Ireland Local Patch (2 Viewers)

Del Charles said:
Are you in Tom Ennis class?

Hi Derek
Yes I am in Tom Ennis's class. I highly recommend him as an excellent teacher. He doesn't just call out the answer when you are puzzled by a bird ...he gets you to describe it and analyse it against what you already know, which means that you learn the skills to become an independent bird watcher. I am very lucky to have found the class again after a lapse of 30! years.

Norma
 
Hello Norma,my freind Mike knows Tommy very well and indeed i saw him at the reserve last Sunday.He is a real gentleman and is a top class birdwatcher and as you say a few hours in the company of a man like that is worth more than pouring over books etc.I remember seeing some lectures he gave to the Antrim RSPB group 20 odd years ago and he is a fantastic speaker and his knowledge seemingly endless!I also lapsed from birdwatching for about 18 years Norma!But it is never too late to return!
All the best
Derek
ps,still jealous of the dowitcher! :C
 
Del Charles said:
Hello Norma,my freind Mike knows Tommy very well and indeed i saw him at the reserve last Sunday.He is a real gentleman and is a top class birdwatcher and as you say a few hours in the company of a man like that is worth more than pouring over books etc.I remember seeing some lectures he gave to the Antrim RSPB group 20 odd years ago and he is a fantastic speaker and his knowledge seemingly endless!I also lapsed from birdwatching for about 18 years Norma!But it is never too late to return!
All the best
Derek
ps,still jealous of the dowitcher! :C

As for the dowitcher - if I had been on my own I'd have probably got to dowitcher with the help of my trusty ID guide but I don't think I'd have nailed it as short billed.. I looked up the species on google and found a few images in winter plumage. None of my guide books shows it in winter feathers.

Norma
 
Hello Norma,totally agree.You would have got to Dowitcher ok but then it would get interesting.Very careful attention is needed to tell Short Billed from Long Billed and it is one of the most difficult ids of all irish birds.Thats when you need to call in the experts or else shoot it! {only jokeing!}
All the best
Derek
 
Hi folks,
well done on the dowitcher Norma.

I had to go to the airport early this morning, so I went onto Portmore Lough and then Oxford Island.

On the road between Glenavy and the Lough was a flock of 300+ Greylag plus
2 Pink-footed geese, than a flock of 50 - 60 Golden plover flew acros the road as I went on to PL.

The lough had the usual Tufted Duck, Pochard, Mallard, Teal, Mute Swan, GCGrebes PLUS a Female Smew which was feeding just in front of the hide AND a pair of Ruddy Duck.

Oxford Island had displaying Goldeneye, Grey Herons starting to nest and a very nice pair of Gadwall.

All in all a very pleasant day

Rgds Roger
 
Roger&out said:
a flock of 300+ Greylag plus
2 Pink-footed geese, than a flock of 50 - 60 Golden plover flew acros the road as I went on to PL.

The lough had the usual Tufted Duck, Pochard, Mallard, Teal, Mute Swan, GCGrebes PLUS a Female Smew which was feeding just in front of the hide AND a pair of Ruddy Duck.

Oxford Island had displaying Goldeneye, Grey Herons starting to nest and a very nice pair of Gadwall.
Rgds Roger

Hi Roger,
You had the birds that I was missing today along the Ards peninsula. Delighted to hear you found a female smew plus the golden plover.
Weather was a beautifully mild 17 C with a strong south westerly wind.

We went to Island Hill and walked out to the Island. Tide was well out but saw brent, shelduck, ringed plover, grey plover, dunlin, curlew, turnstone, greenfinch and linnet plus 3 dunnock chasing each other through the bushes.

Between Groomsport, Orlock Head and Donaghadee found GC Grebe, many groups of eider in twos or threes. black guillemot, about 100 common gulls sitting on a rock just outside Donaghadee..no other birds were on the rock apart from one or two BH gulls. Further along were rocks only containing herring gulls. Saw a BH gull attacking and chasing an immature herring gull that wanted to sit on the same rock.

At Millisle were about 50 + Brent geese, eider, red breasted merganser, razorbill, stonechat.
At North end of Strangford Lough were about 600(or more) redshank and further away a few dunlin, shelduck and brent. Unusually that was all in a spot that normally presents quite a varied selection. Have the waders started to migrate? No golden plovers or lapwing anywhere today.

Norma
 
Good to meet you today Roger. In addition to yours, I got a nice Kestrel on my way home. Got a quick snatch of it hovering through the windscreen, but needless to say it was gone before I got a decent shot. Did the MacDonald's do the trick?


Norma,
You've been going very well recently. Popped in to Belfast harbour on my way home. No lapwing there either.
 
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Hello Roger,Norma and Tully!
Well done Roger,i am going to go to Portmore Tomorrow so hopefully will find the Smew and Pinkfeets,i here that a Lesser Scaup has been found as well.
Norma,waders are on the move already and everything is gearing up for a big push north!
All the best
Derek
 
Hi Roger & Co
I took the chance of an early finish in Derry today to have a look along the coast between Quigley’s Point and Muff. The tide was in so there were only a few spots with birds.
My first were a pair of Eider Ducks followed by 4 more and then a Heron. I told you they were following me around. Still too far away for a decent pic.
Next stop gave me

Brent Geese (25)
Oystercatcher (20)
Redshank (20) including a one-legged one.
Greenshank (2)
Mallard pair
I was very pleased as for this novice, the Eider and Greenshank were firsts.

I then headed for the Barmouth via the Fulmers at Downhill.

There I found
Oystercatcher – plenty
Redshank
Golden Plover – more than plenty
Dunlin a few
Shelduck and a pair of Golden Eye
Beside me two wee birds were flitting about which I was taking to be Meadow Pipits without looking at them. Voice is still a blank book for me. However, closer inspection resulted in Stonechat.
So at the Barmouth with G Plover and Stonechat I had two more firsts.

Must be difficult for experienced folks who have seen them all before. I had a really good day!
 
Hello Tully.
Fantastic day.Eiders are cracking birds and Greenshanks are always a great bird even for an experienced watcher.That bit of coastline at Downhill and the Barmouth is one of the most beautiful in the north.You,re pipits if they were at the actual Barmouth causeway may have been Rock Pipits but if they were on the more sandy areas were probably Meadows.Stonechats are great wee birds too!
Well Done,all the best
Derek
 
Hello everyone spring is in the air!
At Larne first thing out of the fog came two Sandwhich Terns complete with their passports.The male Eiders offshore were displaying to the females and i quickly located the adult summer Med Gull.A quick trip round to Ballycarry where once again i did not see the Green Winged Teal infact i could see nothing with the early morning fog!
At Carrickfergus Harbour 5 Black Guillemots were engaged in their curious courtship.This is well worth seeing.Five Brent Geese on the shore at Greenisland were unusual for Belfast Lough and 60/70 Waxwings were still at berry bushes near Whitehouse.At Whitehouse lagoon 1 first winter Iceland Gull was present.
At Dargan Bay and the North Foreshore Tip the totals were 14 Iceland 2 Glaucous and 3 Med Gulls.
The best spot of the day i made was at the carpark at Portmore Lough where i spotted a Norma in full winter plumage! No sign of the Smew or Lesser Scaup but all the usual ducks and grebes etc. and Ireland lost the rugby!
All the best
Derek
 

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Hello everyone,
Met Derek at Portmore - thanks for the quick digiscoping lesson!
I went up to to see if I could spot the female smew.
Stopped along the way to get a closer view of 32 whooper swans on Brankins Island Road. Also found 100+ greylag geese. However one goose looked different with a chestnut rump and a very pronounced eye ring. Turns out it was an Egyptian Goose which had been spotted duing the week in RSPB Belfast Harbour. There is some suggestion that it may have come from Norfolk where there is a feral population.
On the water at Bartin's Bay was a whooper swan with a broken wing. Is there a bird rescue service here in NI?

Didn't spot the female smew at Portmore but saw a chow (dog) playing with some children on the pond where the snipe nest. The dog was in the water and chasing around the marsh and it put up at least one snipe. I wonder if they can prevent animals from being taken onto the reserve. :h?:

Sat for lunch at the feeders to watch the tree sparrows (plus dunnock, house sparrow, chaffinch, greatt tit and blue tit), and then drove back east to find the mist hadn't lifted all day.

Derek our messages have crossed in the ether...the med gulls look so glamorous - like actors and actresses in stage makeup!...and you didn't say you had found terns!

Norma
 
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Hello Norma,Yes 2 Sandwich Terns flew into Larne first thing,settled on the rocks and promptly fell asleep! One had a grey metal ring on but i could not make out any writing on it.And 3 Buzzards displaying near Moira was a great site too!
All the best Derek.
ps i think one of the shots of the med gull looks like a bank robber!
 

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Tullys post the other day inspired me to head to the North Coast.I started at the car park at Portrush.I invested in a loaf of bread hopeing to entice the Ring Billed Gull but had no luck.The local pigeons and gulls seemed happy though.Offshore Gannets,Auks,Kittiwakes and Fulmars were another sign spring is on the way.At the harbour a Red Throted Diver came within 5 feet.Im not sure if he is injured but he seemed to have no problem catching fish.At nearby Portstewart point 70Razorbills were feeding in a loose flock and more Gannets and Kittiwakes passed.An Iceland Gull flew past lazeily.
At the Bann Estury 55 Sanderling and 1Skylark were on the beach.I put the wellys on and waded into the small marsh.10 Snipe but no sign of the hoped for Jack Snipe!
I checked Hutchinsons Quay on the River Bann at Kilrea for any Sand Martins but none seemed to have arrived but 2 Grey Wagtails added a splash of colour.Finally i checked the Whooper Flocks around Lough Beg and Toome but could find no Bewicks or Geese
All the Best
Derek
 

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The Thrush's Nest

My 80 year old father recited this poem from memory today and I thought I'd share it with you..given the fact that Spring is here and we are all out looking for our summer breeders.


THE THRUSH'S NEST
by John Clare
Within a thick and spreading hawthorn bush,
That overhung a molehill large and round,
I heard from morn to eve a merry thrush
Sing hymns to sunrise, and I drank the sound
With joy; and often, an intruding guest,
I watched her secret toil from day to day.
How true she warped the moss, to form a nest,
And modelled it within with wood and clay;
And by and by, like heath-bells gilt with dew,
There lay her shining eggs, as bright as flowers,
Ink-spotted over shells of greeny blue;
And there I witnessed in the sunny hours
A brood of Nature's minstrels chirp and fly,
Glad as the sunshine and the laughing sky.
 
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Lovely Norma,
Today I met up with the Antrim group of the RSPB as they left Portmore in the mist having failed to find the Smew. We went looking for it at Craigavon lakes to no avail, but on examining a group of Tufted Duck a couple of us noticed an odd one. it had grey sides and odd shaped head and as keeping company with a female pochard wondered if it was a hybrid. however, as the light improved, Ray Bennet correctly called it as a Ring-Necked duck, apparently quite rare. After a visit to Oxford Island I went back for a pic. Light was a little more suitable but it was far away, so apologies for the quality
 

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Hello Tully,brilliant find.Ring Necked Duck is a very rare bird in Northern Ireland with only 1-2 records a year.March/April are good months to find them as they are moving north probably back to North America where they breed.If it hangs about i will look for it during the week.Good shot by the way!
All the best
Derek
 
Derek,
If you are standing on the road at the bridge, there are 2 islands over to the right near a small jetty. The group were hanging around between the two islands. Hope he hangs around long enough for you
Cheers
 
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