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Northern Ireland Local Patch (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter nepp
- Start date
redkites
hi folks,firstly hello to all, im new to this site and only been birdwatching approx 18mths. my favourite places are as you mentioned there Oxford island, today i saw a harrier there hunting, i was also at portmore nature reserve today and saw green finches,chaffinches, wrens, lapwings 100,s and golden plover 100,s last week on sun i went to mournes area Newcastle and saw a total of 18 red kites, and at keel point dundrum, pochard,widgeon, brent geese, little egret.red shank, lapwing,curlew, oyster catchers.
hi folks,firstly hello to all, im new to this site and only been birdwatching approx 18mths. my favourite places are as you mentioned there Oxford island, today i saw a harrier there hunting, i was also at portmore nature reserve today and saw green finches,chaffinches, wrens, lapwings 100,s and golden plover 100,s last week on sun i went to mournes area Newcastle and saw a total of 18 red kites, and at keel point dundrum, pochard,widgeon, brent geese, little egret.red shank, lapwing,curlew, oyster catchers.
Welcome
You are very welcome to this site and we look forward to hearing more of your adventures!
You are very welcome to this site and we look forward to hearing more of your adventures!
Derek Polley
Well-known member
Very slow this year although I have finally had chaffinches, goldfinches and greenfinches over the weekend. I very rarely get redpolls - no more than one or two now and again. No siskins as yet and no sign of a blackcap yet - I usually see them in early December. I think the mild weather has kept the birds out in the country so far, and they are only moving in during the recent colder spell.
Bad news in the local paper, grey squirrels have been noted in Castle Park Bangor and on the Hamilton Road so I suppose it is only a matter of time before they find my feeders. I never bothered with squirrel proof ones. Any one know where to get a humane squirrel trap so as we can sell them on to local restaurants to make tasty stews?
Bad news in the local paper, grey squirrels have been noted in Castle Park Bangor and on the Hamilton Road so I suppose it is only a matter of time before they find my feeders. I never bothered with squirrel proof ones. Any one know where to get a humane squirrel trap so as we can sell them on to local restaurants to make tasty stews?
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Never mind taking over your feeders my aunt in England has one really cheeky squirrel who comes right into her kitchen and up on the table looking for food everytime she leaves the door open....................Almost everytime I looked out the window in my daughters garden in England two or three tiny squirrels were never off her peanut feeder or out of the bird house. They could feed till kingdom come. The lack of garden birds in a small town in Buckinghamshire was scary particularly Sparrows although plenty of Collared Doves and huge beautiful Woodpigeons, Rooks and even plently of Ravens. I saw one Sparrow in ten days and all the houses had big gardens with plenty of trees. Gardens and gardens, empty trees with so few small birds and squirrels taking over. I hope it does not happen here.
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Repolls arrived.
i have had the niger feeders out all year and only had goldfinches up to now.
However at last a couple of Redpolls have settled in.
Reasonable range of garden birds around including a dunnock also for the first time this year. Must be the snow.
Merry Christmas
i have had the niger feeders out all year and only had goldfinches up to now.
However at last a couple of Redpolls have settled in.
Reasonable range of garden birds around including a dunnock also for the first time this year. Must be the snow.
Merry Christmas
Alexander1
New member
Hi, Redpolls at my niger seed and ither feeders yesterday and today. Big competition from Gold finches, etc. It must be the continuing bad weather.
Derek Polley
Well-known member
At last a blackcap, a male which arrived on Dec 21st. Saw a second male yesterday but the resident bird chased it. I also have had a couple of redwings about the nearby gardens, the first for a few years. Still no redpolls or siskins, but my first bird for 2010 was long tailed tit. I opened the curtains on Friday morning and there were 10 + round the feeders. Also got the black redstart at Killough - a first for 2010, County Down and Ireland. The Iceland gull at Ardglass was a bonus but only a 2010 first!!
Lots of Redwings at Barnets Park in Belfast on Saturday, They were frantically turning over the leaf litter. By Sunday they had all but gone. Caught up with a decent size flock mixed with Fieldfares on the berry trees in the carpark at Belfast Boat Club (Stranmillis area) on Sunday. Back to work now unfortunately just keeping my feeders filled in the dark before I leave. My birding has to wait until the weekend!
Derek Polley
Well-known member
Loads of redwings about at the minute and in gardens all over the place. Fieldfares as well - I had to do an ID on a mystery bird photo from a friend's garden and it turned out to be a fieldfare. Was out round Strangford Lough yesterday, the best bird was a common sandpiper on the ferry slipway at Portaferry. The last time I saw a common sand was in Kenya in October - sitting in the tropical sun on a dead tree at the edge of a river. Isn't life wonderful? The Quoile was disappointing, Closet Bay is frozen solid and there was very litle about but we got all five thrushes and good views of bullfinches. There were two pairs feeding on the ground in the second Car Park nearest the coal quay
cidereduck
...that should now read 'Ceiderduck'
Bullfinches have ventured into our garden for the first time yesterday. No siskins though surprisingly, have had a linnet or two recently.
Speaking of frozen over, the Lagan has started to go. The Clea Lough in Killyleagh has been frozen since tuesday too. Can't say that I've seen it this this bad in my memory anyway|
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Speaking of frozen over, the Lagan has started to go. The Clea Lough in Killyleagh has been frozen since tuesday too. Can't say that I've seen it this this bad in my memory anyway|
|Saw this today re. grey squirrels and birds in England, perhaps not conclusive but anyway...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8448000/8448807.stm
I found the article very interesting James. I was back visiting my grandaughter early January journeying through about eight small villages on a bus and will never forget how fast and beautiful the snow fell. I observed one peanut feeder only in all the gardens in those villages from the bus and wonder do the birds stay away mostly in the countryside as there is more food there however scarce.
I noticed also the squirrels had stopped going to my daughters feeder so perhaps it is only the very juvenile squirrels who feed on a peanut feeder. I saw one squirrel hoking for bulbs he had hidden in the garden in the snow just but several in park nearby. Between seven and eight inches of snow fell and that week we saw 4 Chaffinches, 2 Bluetits,1 Great Tit, 1 Robin, few Blackbirds, 2 Song Thrushes, glimpse of 2 Sparrows I think once just, many Collared Doves and beautiful huge Woodpigeons coming to the back door for their sunflower seeds. I also saw one unidentified bird with long upturned tail twice (looked like a Dartford Warbler as too big to be a Wren but couldnt be sure). The hedgehog is hibernating in his new special box under the garden Xmas tree and not to be disturbed my daughter tells me. We were happy to see the snow bringing in a few more birds at least.
