Bangor West Patchwork Challenge: Back to earth and the mainland

Sunday, 18 July 2021

Back to earth and the mainland

After the excitement of three islands in two weeks it is time to settle back to patch birding and WOW. The North Down coastal path has settled into its summer torpor with very little new to be seen. The number of walkers, joggers and cyclists doesn't help and the foreshore is full of rock poolers and stone throwers - such is the delight of an Irish summer. I did manage a jay flying across the road and a gannet and two shelduck flying up the lough. A late evening scope turned up a Manx shearwater. Birdsong has dropped off and passerines are well hidden and moulting. The garden has few visitors although the trail cam shows that the garden is well visited in early light i.e. 4.30 am onwards. Magpies, woodpigeon and blackbirds are common. The magpies are looking for hedgehog food left behind by the nocturnal visitors. Here's a wee hedgehog video.

WOW is full of nesting terns and fledging gulls and it is also drying out as high temperatures and low rainfall kick in. There is usually something of interest to see, a passage ruff, a hunting buzzard or a family of new moorhens being helped by young from the first brood so as you get three generations of moorhens at the one time. There are a lot of swifts and sand martins around, but only occasional swallows and house martins. The mute swans still have their four cygnets and lapwing numbers are building up to 30+. With falling water and a large fence the swans are going to struggle to leave the reserve and the cygnets cannot fly, or walk out. It does not look good for them at present and we await developments. A couple of photos attached from John Mason who visited recently. He has a good camera and knows how to use it so enjoy his pictures. The little egret was an unexpected visitor, they turn up now and again. I also added a black guillemot in the channel.