It's been a while since I did a post and there's a couple of reasons for this. First I've been a bit busy with family across the water and secondly there hasn't been an awful lot to report on. We will take it a patch at a time.
The local patch has thrown up both guillemot and razorbill which are expected this time of year close to the coast. I also picked up the feral flock of greylag geese doing a fly round from Ward Park
WOW has had a few good birds of late including a long expected great white egret. I have been predicting one of these for at least three years but as fate would have it, it turned up while I was in Bolton and did not stay long enough for me to connect. I did connect with little egret and white wagtail and also had a fleeting glimpse of a young peregrine falcon which has been hanging around trying its luck. Exciting things are happening at D3 and this week they took down our shiny new fence and blocked off the back gate. This was planned work and the ponies will be back when the work is finished and the gate re-instated.
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| No entry!! |
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| This was it in July |
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| Ruff - one of 14 |
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| Different ruff |
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| Common tern |
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| Lapwing |
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| Lapwing |
The 2025 list is crawling up into the 140s but most possibilities have been hoovered up so it is a matter of being a bit lucky or getting put on to something which has been spotted by someone else. I can tell you now the bogey bird of 2025 is treecreeper. I have spent quite a few pleasant walks wandering round likely wooded areas but so far I have not been lucky, and with treecreeper you need that bit of luck. I can see me doing laps of Castle Park in Bangor between now and December looking for droppings on a roosting site in a nice coniferous tree.
I went owl hunting up Druridge Bay in Northumberland and managed a barn owl. The hoped for little owl has either gone or was in hiding but I did see two red-legged partridge while doing a three point turn in a farm gate. I also had a tawny owl hooting away very close to Richard's house in Bolton. It was actually in the big poplar tree at the bottom of the garden but try as I could I was unable to actually see it. I got a recording on Merlin but cannot see anyway of getting it on here from my phone.
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| Cresswell Pond at dusk |
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| Grey heron at Randalstown courtesy of David Miller |
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| Roe deer at Druridge Pools which were bone dry |
2025
142: Red-legged partridge
143: Barn owl
144: White wagtail
NDCP
61: Guillemot
62: Razorbill
63: Greylag goose
WOW
91: Little egret
92: White wagtail
93: Peregrine falcon
