Northern Ireland Local Patch (1 Viewer)

[LowellMills]

Sparrowhawk, 2 Bullfinch, 3 Blackcap, a Chiffchaff (plus Chaffinch, several Wren, Robin, Rook, Hooded Crow, Magpie, Blue Tit, Woodpigeon, BH Gull and Common Gull) at Bay Road Local Nature Reserve, Derry this morning.

 

[nepp]

Yesterday on Ards Peninsula

5 pintail
thousands of Brent geese
8 merganser
sparrowhawk

at Ballyquinton point
dunlin
redshank
heron
oystercatchers plus one leucistic oystercatcher
hundreds of swallows with a few house martin
flock of goldfinch and another large flock of linnet.

Near Lough Cowey
Buzzard on the road with woodpigeon. It flew off in front of us carrying it's load.

 

[DEREK CHARLES]

Photos of some of the rare and scarce birds seen in September can be seen here:

Grey Phalarope
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/wader-madness-part-3-grey-phalarope.html
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/we-dont-have-any-grey-phalarope-pictures.html

Buff Breasted Sandpipers
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/wader-madness-part-1.html
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/why-not.html
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/eighteen-more-from-myroe.html

Gyrfalcon x Saker hybrid
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/what-wonderful-bird-and-its-big-white.html

Bonapartes Gull
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/bonapartes-part2.html

Bonxie
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/bonxie.html

Chough
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/tomorrows-photos-today.html

Snowy Owl
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/snowy-owl-arranmore.html

Ring Billed Gull
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/all-hail-sam-nelson.html

Arctic Skua
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/arctic-skua-photos.html

Leachs Petrel
http://nibirding.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/leachs-petrel-photos.html

 

[LowellMills]

It's been hammering northeasterlies for 36 hours and for the first time since I started looking there's a colour-ringed BH gull at the jetty on the River Bann in Coleraine town centre. The code implies it's from a Norwegian project. This bodes very very well for my trip out to the North coast tomorrow!

 

[ronald surgenor]

I'll be hitting the north coast myself tomorrow to see whats been blown in from the sea, theres bound to be something lurking in the bushes after the blow thats been going on

 

[LowellMills]

So it went rather well. Nothing rare but what can you expect? The search for newly blown-in arrivals took place mainly within my above-mentioned 'patch' not far east of Portstewart (Rinagree Coastal Park)

75 Golden Plover and 4 Wheatear were the star birds. Further west than the park's boundary,on the heathery cliffs, I picked up a fresh Stonechat and one of the resident Raven, plus another Wheatear virtually on someone's lawn on the clifftop. Around midday I also stopped on Ramore Head: one more Wheatear! Mystery birds were a group of 5 waterfowl which I am tempted to label as Mergus sp. on the sea by Ramore, and a lone wader amongst Turnstones which I believe was juvenile Dunlin.

 

[LowellMills]

Another morning out on the coast at the Antrim/Derry county border today:

Whooper Swan 14 - west over sea
Brent Goose 1 - west over sea
Eider 2
Cormorant 1
Peregrine 1 - hunting Turnstone
Great Black-backed Gull 3
Herring Gull 39
Common Gull 1
Black-headed Gull 5
Auk sp. 1
Oystercatcher 8
Curlew 1
Turnstone 10
Golden Plover 269 through
Pied Wagtail 1
Meadow Pipit 11
Rock Pipit 4
Robin 2
Wheatear 6
Wren 1
Hooded Crow 1
Rook 10
Raven 1
Magpie 2
Jackdaw 1
Starling 3
Goldfinch 11
Linnet 4
House Sparrow 1
Golden Plover (roost) 350

 

[LowellMills]

I've received the ringing details for the above BH Gull:

CR-Code White ring with black code: J9J2 LBM;RBWN(J9J2)
Ringing Centre Stavanger Museum (Norway) Ring number 6174413
Species Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus
Sex Unknown Age 3 cy+

Date//Place//Coordinates// Observers // Days/km/°
09.04 2012 Østensjøvannet, Oslo, Akershus & Oslo, Norway 59°52'51"N 010°49'57"E Mjelde, John Martin -
25.09 2012 River Bann, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, Great Britain 55°08'01"N 006°40'27"W Mills, Lowell 169/1168/250

Finally here's a Google map link to its previous location: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Øst...=Østensjøvannet,&hnear=Østensjøvannet&t=m&z=8

 

[nepp]

Island Hill, Near Newtownards

As the tide was rising today Brent geese, black tailed godwit, golden plover were all resettling themselves. Good views of 30 grey plover arriving to roost on the Island Hill shore.

 

[Derek Polley]

Two garden firsts recently, one good and one bad. Firstly a jay walking around feeding. Have had a couple of fly throughs and one on the bird table but never stayed very long. This one stayed around until a magpie spooked it. Also saw one over the Ring road near the Groomsport roundabout in Bangor. Second visitor was the first ever grey squirrel in the garden trying to get nuts and fat. Never bothered much with squirrel proof feeders as I never thought I would need them. Anyone out there with any bright ideas as to how I can get rid of the little blighter?

 

[Ptarmi]

Tree Sparrows in the garden again today, up here in North Antrim.

Cheers,
Dick

 

[Ptarmi]

Did one better today & got a shot of 3 together! :-O

Cheers,
Dick

 

[Ptarmi]

Just been looking at a photo of a Hoopoe, that Tom McDonnell snapped recently on Rathlin Island.

I'm surprised it didn't get a mention here, before now.

Cheers,
Dick

 

[Ptarmi]

Male Sparrowhawk killed a Greenfinch & ate it, in my garden, this afternoon!

I filled my bird feeders this afternoon, as usual & within 5 mins I was just settling down at my open window with my camera, when there was a clatter of alarm calls & the birds all scarpered. I suspected that a Sparrowhawk was the cause, as they are regular visitors here & sure enough, when I checked out of another window there he was, bold as brass, already plucking his kill.

I managed to get a few photos, which I've posted over on flickr, but unfortunately the only window I could use, was a dirty old store room window, so the photos aren't great, but at least you can identify him & see what he's up to.

Sparrowhawk Eats Greenfinch

Cheers,
Dick

 

[Ptarmi]

For the crack, I compiled the photos of this incident in a YouTube Video & added some of my music.

Sparrowhawk kill on Knocklayd

Thankfully, in photo form, the scene doesn't seem quite so grizzly to watch, as many of the BOP kill videos on YouTube.

Cheers,
Dick

 

[LowellMills]

Second visitor was the first ever grey squirrel in the garden trying to get nuts and fat. Never bothered much with squirrel proof feeders as I never thought I would need them. Anyone out there with any bright ideas as to how I can get rid of the little blighter?

Dust the bird seed with chilli powder. This has no effect on birds but gives squirrels the same hot reaction as we get. Don't go overboard, don't want great clouds of the stuff getting in their eyes, just enough for them to go off the food.

 

[Ptarmi]

They're here!

I saw a pair of Waxwings, in Hawthorn Bushes, behind the Bushmills Distillery, this afternoon.

Cheers,
Dick

 

[Vogeljung]

Kingfisher calling and diving near restored jetty at riverside walk in Derry, only 5 mins down the path from Sainsburys.

 

[Ptarmi]

Four Fieldfare near Bushmills, yesterday afternoon.

 

[LowellMills]

Good spot Ptarmi. As for Waxwings, they have been reported less along the north coast than the east where there are far more watchers I guess. I saw ten in Coleraine a few days back, but other than the Bushmills Distillery spot early on I don't recall hearing many others from this area.