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Northern Ireland Local Patch (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter nepp
- Start date
Derek Polley
Well-known member
Nice whitethroat today on the coastal walk North of Larne Leisure Centre. Sitting up singing, he kept coming back to the same bush to belt out a few more notes. Plenty of house martins over the beach plus sandwich terns fishing offshore. Ringed plover, turnstone and dunlin in breeding plumage on the beach near the Chaine Memorial.
Ptarmi
Dick Glasgow
I stopped by the side of the road on Croaghan, North Antrim last week, to take a photo of Bog Cotton, but to my surprise, the air was full of bird song & in less than 10 mins, I snapped these 5 different species, all to the soundtrack of a Cuckoo calling nearby.
Willow Warbler, Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, Redpoll & Blackcap
Cheers,
Dick
P.S. Yes, I know ....... I bought a better Camera yesterday!
Willow Warbler, Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, Redpoll & Blackcap
Cheers,
Dick
P.S. Yes, I know ....... I bought a better Camera yesterday!
Attachments
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Ptarmi
Dick Glasgow
Ptarmi
Dick Glasgow
The convertor & Tele Lens just arrived for my Panasonic FZ150, so as you can see, I can now get a little closer to the regular visitors to my North Antrim garden.
Here are the first results, taken this afternoon.
Cheers,
Dick
Here are the first results, taken this afternoon.
Cheers,
Dick
Attachments
scodgerott
Well-known member
Hi Dick, the tele shots look great. Did you buy a Panasonic converter or another brand?
Ptarmi
Dick Glasgow
Well Scodge, Panasonic gave me such a wonderful camera, I felt I just had to go with their converter.
Cheers,
Dick
LowellMills
Is this your Sanderling?
Have moved to Coleraine from north-east England recently and have got the drift that the Londonderry area is pretty under-watched in most places. With that in mind I've started birding Rinagree Coastal Park, which runs between Portstewart and Portrush.
Starting in June has meant a skimpy wader list so far, though I'm getting an idea of where the high tide roosts are located: Redshank, Curlew and Black-headed Gull (and at this time of year, Sandwich Tern) all roosting in single-species flocks at the W end of the golf course, whereas Oystercatchers roost much further E. Ringed Plover and Turnstone are more or less the only other waders I've seen so far. The Eider are out and about, females with young in tow sometimes coming very close inshore. Generally fewer than half of Eider seen in the last month have been this year's hatchlings, though last night I found three adults accompanying six young, a much more promising ratio. Shelduck are also about sometimes.
The best feature of the park is a Kittiwake colony numbering around 135 nests. Almost all pairs are managing to keep two young fed, and a handful of broods numbering three! Juvenile colouration coming through on the nestlings' backs so fledging not far off. Fulmar also breed at the tops of the same cliffs, and I first spotted young yesterday. A Raven pair bred beside the colony this year judging by the sturdy nest and the fact I almost always see three of them about on a visit.
Accompanying the local ringers to a handy peninsular within the park last night, it's become clear that there are also swarms of Storm Petrel moving through during favourable conditions, with 40 caught last night under such conditions. Seawatching seems promising from the park, with Black Guillemot, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, Gannet, Shag and Cormorant picked up with just binoculars. Finally, on the passerine front, Reed Bunting, Linnet, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit and Goldfinch have all likely bred this year, plus huge numbers of Starling and some House Sparrow feeding around the park. An outflow of freshwater(/treated sewage??) below the cliffs (with a small bridge over) has attracted Sand Martin, Pied Wagtail and Grey Wagtail.
Starting in June has meant a skimpy wader list so far, though I'm getting an idea of where the high tide roosts are located: Redshank, Curlew and Black-headed Gull (and at this time of year, Sandwich Tern) all roosting in single-species flocks at the W end of the golf course, whereas Oystercatchers roost much further E. Ringed Plover and Turnstone are more or less the only other waders I've seen so far. The Eider are out and about, females with young in tow sometimes coming very close inshore. Generally fewer than half of Eider seen in the last month have been this year's hatchlings, though last night I found three adults accompanying six young, a much more promising ratio. Shelduck are also about sometimes.
The best feature of the park is a Kittiwake colony numbering around 135 nests. Almost all pairs are managing to keep two young fed, and a handful of broods numbering three! Juvenile colouration coming through on the nestlings' backs so fledging not far off. Fulmar also breed at the tops of the same cliffs, and I first spotted young yesterday. A Raven pair bred beside the colony this year judging by the sturdy nest and the fact I almost always see three of them about on a visit.
Accompanying the local ringers to a handy peninsular within the park last night, it's become clear that there are also swarms of Storm Petrel moving through during favourable conditions, with 40 caught last night under such conditions. Seawatching seems promising from the park, with Black Guillemot, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, Gannet, Shag and Cormorant picked up with just binoculars. Finally, on the passerine front, Reed Bunting, Linnet, Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit and Goldfinch have all likely bred this year, plus huge numbers of Starling and some House Sparrow feeding around the park. An outflow of freshwater(/treated sewage??) below the cliffs (with a small bridge over) has attracted Sand Martin, Pied Wagtail and Grey Wagtail.
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North Coast
Hi,
Welcome to the island of Ireland!
It's great to hear that you are birding in a new area. Don't forget to post your sightings to NIBA as well as here. http://nibirds.blogspot.co.uk/ You can phone or text your sightings.
nepp
Hi,
Welcome to the island of Ireland!
It's great to hear that you are birding in a new area. Don't forget to post your sightings to NIBA as well as here. http://nibirds.blogspot.co.uk/ You can phone or text your sightings.
nepp
jredds21
Well-known member
Went out to burr point last night for an hour between 7:20pm to 8:20pm 100+ Manx shearwaters gannets gulliemots and razorbills in good numbers I went out looking for storm petrels anyone help me on site and time to look for stormies. Was talking to a local fisherman who on Sunday night at dusk had an otter there
LowellMills
Is this your Sanderling?
Rinagree Coastal Park, since last post above, has turned up a juvenile Cuckoo. Also forgot to mention I've had Kestrel there a couple of times. Storm Petrels coming through in good numbers still, 35 caught on Thursday.
jredds21, not sure about Burr Point but stormies around our way are highly active after midnight at the minute, when it is often still light on the north coast.
jredds21, not sure about Burr Point but stormies around our way are highly active after midnight at the minute, when it is often still light on the north coast.
LowellMills
Is this your Sanderling?
Magilligan Point
Red-throated Diver x 1, Dunlin x 140, Ringed Plover x 3 pairs (2 had two juveniles), Gannets, Sandwich Terns, Common Guillemot, Kittiwake, GBB Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Cormorant, Black Guillemot, [Harbour Porpoise x 2, Grey Seal x 1]
Also a Peregrine chasing a BH-Gull-sized bird along cliffs at Downhill.
Red-throated Diver x 1, Dunlin x 140, Ringed Plover x 3 pairs (2 had two juveniles), Gannets, Sandwich Terns, Common Guillemot, Kittiwake, GBB Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Cormorant, Black Guillemot, [Harbour Porpoise x 2, Grey Seal x 1]
Also a Peregrine chasing a BH-Gull-sized bird along cliffs at Downhill.
ronald surgenor
Registered Member
3 little gulls at the belfast harbour RSPB reserve today, also 7 common sandpipers and 3 gadwall.
A short-eared owl was on Rathlin island on sunday (one of the rspb volunteers at the Belfast reserve saw it and emailed me the photos) and I spotted 1 fledgling peregrine and the 2 very defensive adults in the same area as the owl on friday as well as 2 great skua.
Buzzard and Peregrine by Ronald Surgenor, on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronaldsurgenor/7564048294/sizes/l/in/photostream/
A short-eared owl was on Rathlin island on sunday (one of the rspb volunteers at the Belfast reserve saw it and emailed me the photos) and I spotted 1 fledgling peregrine and the 2 very defensive adults in the same area as the owl on friday as well as 2 great skua.
Buzzard and Peregrine by Ronald Surgenor, on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronaldsurgenor/7564048294/sizes/l/in/photostream/
ronald surgenor
Registered Member
Pectoral sandpiper still showing well at the Belfast harbour RSPB reserve, bring a scope for good views though as its on the far bank most of the time.
I camped on Rathlin in 1973 and couldn't sleep for the corncrakes calling all night!! However I don't think there are any nowadays and August would be very late anyhow. I'm sure Rathlin would make a lovely spot to visit in late summer!
LowellMills
Is this your Sanderling?
Colour ring reading FOR SCIENCE
Anyone thinking of heading out to the Barmouth at the minute wants to take their scope and look out for black-tailed godwit carrying colour rings. I found one on friday, but after 8pm so the light only permitted a clear view of one leg. 'My' bird carried a yellow and a white ring on its right leg; left leg looked like a blue and a green but not confident in those.
Anyone thinking of heading out to the Barmouth at the minute wants to take their scope and look out for black-tailed godwit carrying colour rings. I found one on friday, but after 8pm so the light only permitted a clear view of one leg. 'My' bird carried a yellow and a white ring on its right leg; left leg looked like a blue and a green but not confident in those.
QuestionableCarrot
Well-known member
Barn Owl
I was fortunate enough to photograph a juvenile Barn Owl on Sunday night
Please check out my flickr to see the pic or visit my blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/awprentice/7774901326/in/photostream
http://prenticephotography.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks
A
I was fortunate enough to photograph a juvenile Barn Owl on Sunday night
Please check out my flickr to see the pic or visit my blog
http://www.flickr.com/photos/awprentice/7774901326/in/photostream
http://prenticephotography.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks
A
