Lockdown edition part 3

At least I don't have to think of catchy titles for a while. The weeks roll by with a bit more garden birding and a few coastal walks. The coastal path has added gannet, chiffchaff and razorbill, birdsong continues to be a joy and the walk back up through the Glen has provided good views of jay, long-tailed tit and a singing blackcap or two as well as a singing chiffchaff. The garden turned up chiffchaff and goldcrest again as well as all the usual suspects plus an overflying sparrowhawk two evenings in a row and another run through in the afternoon. The little solar powered water feature attracts birds to drink and bathe so the scope sits focused on it. Here are a few shots from the last week. We have had no rain for a month so water in the garden is attracting birds.

Two dunnocks playing chase

Goldfinch

Mr Blackbird

Mrs Sparrow

Mr Sparrow

Bathtime

Bathtime

Bullfinch (m)

That's the garden sorted, now for the coastal path.

Looking west last weekend

High tide waders

Windy day today

Common gull

2020
125: Razorbill

Bangor West
60: Razorbill

Belfast WOW
67: Red-throated diver (Stalled since March 19th)

Lockdown edition part 2

Getting a bit like Star Wars or Police Academy as we move into week four of garden birding, short walks and no willow warblers. Not a lot to report except the garden lockdown list has moved to 26 as a chiffchaff and a goldcrest moved through quickly. If I had gone to do a bit more of the jigsaw I would have missed them. Gannet turned up off Carnalea and the digiscoping set up in the garden gave some nice pictures of common visitors.

If you can't name all these you are in diffs as a birdwatcher. Until next time, keep safe and good garden watching (apart from short periods of exercise).

2020
124: Gannet

Bangor West
55: Curlew
56: Jay
57: Sandwich tern 
58: Gannet
59: Chiffchaff

Belfast WOW
67: Red-throated diver (Stalled since March 19th)

Lockdown edition part 1

How many parts of this are we going to have? This week we have managed to walk the coastal path four times in eight days and it has been different every time tidewise and weather wise making it an interesting walk. We had a warm sunny day, a cloudy still day with a millpond sea and two cold windy days with a choppy sea. I managed to add two patch ticks in the form of curlew and jay. WOW is off limits and I think like most other birders I will be well short of any target I try for. The Patchwork Challenge website is closed as well till the lockdown finishes. The coastal path however is still accessible for our daily exercise as it is a short walk from the house,  and with luck I can reach the 70 or so I aim for every year. One walk gave the unusual site of an eider in the Marina along with a more expected black guillemot.  I finally heard a long-eared owl, well off patch mind you, but nice to hear it on a calm still evening. I also heard a chiffchaff in the local country park - within walking distance - so that cheered me up.

Eider chilling in the marina

Black guillemot

Recently I combined my daily exercise with a dawn chorus so I set off at 6.10 and walked along the coastal path and back. Well worth it as I got 31 species including the first sandwich tern of the year, sparrowhawk, brent geese, turnstones and a host of singing birds. There were wrens everywhere closely followed by dunnocks, blackbirds, robins and chaffinches. The highlight songster was a singing linnet. 

I have seen better sunrises

From the deserted golf course

2020
121: Long-eared owl
122: Chiffchaff
123: Sandwich tern

Bangor West
55: Curlew
56: Jay
57: Sandwich tern

Belfast WOW
67: Red-throated diver (Stalled since March 19th)