Northern Ireland Local Patch (1 Viewer)

[Vogeljung]

I was at Inch lake early on Sunday morning and saw:

Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Cormorant
Grey Heron,
Mute Swan
Mallard
Tufted Duck
Buzzard
Dunlin
Curlew
Greenshank
Mistle Trush
Chaffinch
Robin
Whooper Swan

On my way home I stopped off at St.Columb's Park and saw:

Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Treecreeper

ad I think I heard a Jay although it may have been a magpie

 

[erne]

flocks of redwing flying sw overhead this morning. earlier arrival than last year? also seen 5 whooper swans

 

[Chis34]

Just looking out the window at lunch!!
10 Grey herons flying over and settled at the conservation area along from the Harbour Reserve. Sitting like statues - a miniture Easter Island!
Is there a collective noun for a group of herons like this

 

[Vogeljung]

Yes the collective nouns one can use for herons are:

A siege of herons
A sedge of herons
A hedge of herons

I like 'siege' best

 

[rdspalm]

Castle Espie

Had an interesting trip to Castle Espie on Saturday. 19 Little Egrets.
Large numbers of Brent including one Black Brant among them.

Stopped off at RSPB Belfast Harbour reserve on the way up. Very dissapointed to find the main hide locked and closed. This is not so good for a Saturday morning

 

[s. james]

Yes the collective nouns one can use for herons are:

A siege of herons
A sedge of herons
A hedge of herons

I like 'siege' best

Interesting! Never heard these before.

Has there been anything good at the Belfast Harbour Reserve lately? My class (from Greenmount College) are going there on Tuesday.

Edit: (Hope it's not locked rdspalm! 19 Little Egrets!!! I'll have to get to castle Espie, I've still never seen one, you'd think a couple could make it over to Oxford Island- they mustn't like Lurgan.)

 

[Derek Polley]

It will only be locked if the volunteer cant make it. These guys give up their time to sit there for 4 hours once a week, and sometimes things happen and they cant get there and there is no one else to open it. As regards recent sightings there has not been much out of the ordinary, but the last time I was there about three weeeks ago it had nearly dried out and there was very little water. The lack of rain recently will not have helped, unless they have pumped water in?

 

[rdspalm]

No, the water levels were fairly low. Nothing unusual present on Saturday.

 

[s. james]

The water levels were still very low today although they have been pumping water in.

Lots of the usual nothing extraordinary. Glimpsed a water rail briefly!

 

[Derek Polley]

Have been trying to get this on the gallery but i cant get it down small enough to be accepted as i don't have the expertise or software to do it. It is a lilac breasted roller and i am very proud of it so i thought i would share my joy!

 

[s. james]

Have been trying to get this on the gallery but i cant get it down small enough to be accepted as i don't have the expertise or software to do it. It is a lilac breasted roller and i am very proud of it so i thought i would share my joy!

Where was that!!? Not Oxford Island anyway! Great pics.

EDIT: Sorry for starting a new page there Derek- Everybody go back to the last one and look at Derek's pics at the bottom!!!

 

[Derek Polley]

Safari in Tanzania, got 139 species of bird including 64 lifers and good views of all animals except leopard. View U tube clips of elephant and cheetah here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kov2mr7arcY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EysucJekhj8

Kill the sound on the cheetah clip as it is all wind noise!!

 

[MargaretM]

Have been trying to get this on the gallery but i cant get it down small enough to be accepted as i don't have the expertise or software to do it. It is a lilac breasted roller and i am very proud of it so i thought i would share my joy!

Hi Derek, below is a link to Easy Thumbnails, you can download it free and reducing the size of your photos is really simple with it. I use it quite a lot. Hope this is of help.
http://www.fookes.com/ezthumbs/

 

[s. james]

Wow, that cheetah is wild! Sounds like you had a good trip!

Oxford Island today...

51 whoopers- doing their head-bowing, wing flapping stuff like on Autumnwatch.
c50 fieldfares
3 cheetahs
1 sparrowhawk (male)
c40 redpoll
2 stonechat(the same pair at the same spot as last time)
2 ravens.

 

[Derek Polley]

Will have a go at that Ezythumbs site as I have quite a few bird photos which i would like to get on the gallery. Although I got a few ticks I missed loads as the driver, guide and other passengers were not stopping for 10 mins so as I could get an LBJ on the grassland. As there are about 10 pages of pipits and larks I had to give them a by ball. At one stage I was reprimanded by my son for showing an interest in some waders at a hippo pool while 3 lion cubs were tearing a Thompson's gazelle to pieces about 10 yards away! C'est la vie.

 

[JamesT]

Egret?

Hello.
I was being drivien past Dundrum Bay on the way to Newcastle on Saturday when i saw what i thought might be an egret sp. in the distance. Does anyone know if they are known at this site? Am i likely to have just been seeing things?
Thanks

 

[s. james]

Hello.
I was being drivien past Dundrum Bay on the way to Newcastle on Saturday when i saw what i thought might be an egret sp. in the distance. Does anyone know if they are known at this site? Am i likely to have just been seeing things?
Thanks

Little egrets are present at castle espie so it could well have been one. Don't know how regularly they occur at Dundrum. I'm sure someone on here will know.

 

[nepp]

Little egrets are present at castle espie so it could well have been one. Don't know how regularly they occur at Dundrum. I'm sure someone on here will know.

Yes little egrets are quite often seen at Dundrum Bay. They make our local waters seem quite exotic!

 

[Pluvius]

I saw a Male Hen Harrier (A lifer) this morning crossing the Strangford Narrows.

 

[Mad_Sunday]

Hi
we are spending Christmas with my wife's parents in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim. I'm hoping to escape the shopping trips and family visits etc. Having never bird watched in the province before I'd like a few tips for the best places to visit. I would prefer hide sitting if the weather is bad. Any suggestions?

Pete.