Winter looms

As you can no doubt tell from the lack of posting there has not been a lot happening. The clocks are back, the weather is decidedly wintry and the passage migrants have passed. Time in Bolton was largely bird free. Time in Croatia was delightful but also not very exciting birdwise. Mind you sitting in 23/24 degrees was a nice reward for house sparrows and collared dove - the default birds around Cavtat. The trip produced nice views of jays and two year ticks in yellow-legged gull and white wagtail, both of which were expected.

WOW has settled down into its winter colours of grey and white, the shelducks have returned and the coots have largely gone.The coastal path has eider in abundance and the black guillemots are in winter plumage. Every other gull is either herring or black-headed and the garden has not been producing huge numbers of visitors even though all the feeders are back up. Goldcrest was a nice exception and the bullfinch appeared again after an absence of about 8 weeks, other than that there is nothing startling. I have had a cat problem and so I am not getting wood pigeons, blackbirds ot collared doves on the grass. I had to cut back some wild areas where it was lurking and snaring unwary birds. One morning I watched it attack and snatch a magpie!! I couldn't believe how quick it was and how it took the magpie totally unawares. I am going to have to think carefully where the ground feeder goes. Enough of this rambling and enjoy a few photoes from WOW.

One ruff

Two ruff

Moorhen

Knots

Knot

Knot

The knot were over at the observation room side, normally they are on the far side so it was nice to get a close up. All we need now is for the curlew and bar-tails to be as obliging. I also took a trip to the wader high tide roost in Bangor. Saturday was excellent with nearly 300 birds (171 dunlin, 93 ringed plover, 11 turnstone, 4 purple sandpiper, 1 redshank, 3 oystercatchers, 2 black-headed gulls and a herring gull)  plus a calm sea and good light. I decided to go back on Sunday where there was an on-shore breeze, choppy waves, poorer light and less birds moving around more, c'est la vie!

Ringed plover, purple sand and dunlin

Ditto

Ringed plover & turnstone

Dunlin, turnstone and one ringed plover

Ringed plover, dunlin and a beautifully camouflaged purple sandpiper.

2019
154: Yellow-legged gull
155: White wagtail

Bangor West
65: Wheatear

Belfast WOW
98: Stonechat

Still no water

Not a lot to report really as the lists are stuck where they were and there has not been a lot of rain. We managed 21 species at WOW including two buzzards and two ravens. Kinnegar added a few more including a count of over 170 red-breasted mergansers. Mallard and shelduck both flew over the reserve, had a look, and flew on.There was the usual curlew roost which contained some oystercatchers and a few black-tailed godwit, otherwise it was same old, same old as the following photos show.

Buzzard eating a meal, possibly a moorhen.

Curlew and oystercatchers

Resident hooded crow

Raven

Raven with magpies in attendance

Flotilla of moorhens on the mud

Every dot is a moorhen

Sometimes there are no moorhens to see and then gradually they appear out of the reeds and spread over the mud. We still have 80+ around the reserve, but then they get spooked and dive for cover. These 40+ are down to the right of the observation room. There are another 40+ over to the left and quite a few on the far side where Hide 2 is. A visit at the minute guarantees moorhens, hooded crows, magpies and wood pigeons, anything else is a bonus or a flyover. If the feeders are operational we can add goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch, plus blue, coal and great tit. As usual it is worth checking Kinnegar lagoon and shore, this week we had knot, 2 sandwich tern, bar-tailed godwit and teal. It has been a trifle damp of late so hopefully water levels will start to rise - watch this space!!

The coastal path has not produced much, but then there isn't much left to add. The high tide roost at Seacliff Road gave good views of waders but I decided not to bring the scope and camera as I could
not be bothered carrying it - bad decision - as high tide and bright sun behind me made conditions perfect for pictures. The following are taken with an ipod, think what a good camera wuld have done with ringed plover, turnstone, purple sandpiper, redshank, and oystercatcher all perched up on the rocks. Throw in a great-crested grebe close in at Strickland's Bay and I could have had a field day. This was the first time I have ever seen a grebe here and the first time I have seen one so close in. Normally they are scoped somewhere in Ballyholme Bay at the outer limits of the patch. Note to self is to look for a high tide and a good day and bring the equipment!!

Ringed plovers

Ringed plovers and turnstone

Redshank

There's the grebe

GCG

GCG

 

 

Nice gannet, very close in to the shore.