Hard to believe we are nearly at the end of June but I have noticed a decline in bird song as the parents are feeding young and too busy to entertain us. I have had some good sessions at WOW and a boat trip to the Gobbins from Bangor. Not much walking along the coastal path due to a sciatic related muscle problem in the hip area. Hopefully it is on the mend and I will be able to get out and about a bit more. It is getting to be a bit frustrating not being able to walk 3 or 4 miles without thinking about it. I still managed to add Manx shearwater and house martin. Here are a few shots from WOW. Star bird was a male garganey closely followed by arctic terns. There are still non-breeding black-tailed godwits around while shovelers are going into eclipse plumage. My fellow volunteer John Fraser got a good shot of the garganey, thanks to him for permission to use it.
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John Fraser's garganey shot |
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My garganey shot |
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Arctic tern |
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Arctic tern |
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Black-tailed godwit |
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Common terns getting jiggy-jiggy |
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Common terns |
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Eclipse shoveler |
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Obligatory Med gull |
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Shelducklings |
The Gobbins trip gave good views of the seabird colonies and peregrines, plus lesser black-backed gulls which appeared to like egg and onion sandwiches as they followed the boat back to Bangor |
Gobbins walk from the sea |
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Looking for peregrines |
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Kittiwakes and guillemots |
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Homeward bound |
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All lesser black-backs |
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What's not to like? |
2022
142: Arctic tern
143: Garganey
NDCP
58: Manx shearwater
59: House martin
WOW
71: House martin
72: Arctic tern
73: Little egret
74: Garganey
75: Manx shearwater