Pleasant walk on the NDCP

 I spent 2 hours recently leading a walk along the North Down Coastal Path (NDCP) for a local group which is called "For another path" It was set up recently to try and persuade the council not to build a Greenway from Holywood to Donaghadee. This was eventually shelved and the group now lobbies for light touch improvement on the path where there are access issues while showcasing the beauties of the existing path. My NDCP patch is part of this path so I am interested in anything which affects the path. I have done two previous walks a few years ago to highlight birds found in the area. This time we walked from the boathouse at Helen's Bay to Rockport and return. We noted 19 species and the highlights were red-throated divers, stonechat, greenshank and whimbrel. 

They have a Facebook page here:

(2) For Another Path | Facebook

Greenshank (with redshank)

Turnstones

Curlew

I have added buzzard to the NDCP patch. It's not that common over suburban Bangor but I was sitting at the traffic lights at Bangor Abbey watching the jackdaws and rooks heading to roost in Castle Park when I noticed a breakaway group heading north west over the junction and bingo I had 12 jackdaws harassing a buzzard - and they were giving it some grief as it made its escape. 

I have also been double checking lists to see what I might reasonably find to add to the patch lists in the next 8 weeks and discovered I have omitted wren from the WOW lists somehow? Too focused on rarities and overlooking common stuff I suppose. 

WOW has been quiet of late but did add raven to the list, another kestrel (F) and amazingly an arctic tern on November 5th. Attached are a few recent pictures, mainly WOW, unless noted.

Shoveler

Heron (Bangor Marina)

Turnstone (Long Hole , Bangor)

Redshank

Teal

Mallard

Wigeon, teal and mallard 

Curlew (Kircubbin)

2026

165: Grey plover

NDCP patch

63: Buzzard

Belfast RSPB patch

89: Grey wagtail

90: Raven

91: Wren (Doh!!)

Bliss at Strangford

We've been here before, but not for three years, so it was time to visit the Montgomery Hide at Castle Espie on a rising tide. A few pointers for your visit. 

Arrive before it is high tide in Belfast.

Tuck well down as there is no roof and you can be seen. 

Allow 90 minutes, by that time the tide will have flooded in and from then on it just gets deeper.

Check the wee pond for kingfisher.

Get a coffee in Castle Espie - they need all the help they can get at the minute.

If you have time check the saltmarsh and the Limestone Lookout

ENJOY

We timed it beautifully and the light was excellent. Mixture of pictures from me (DP) and David (DM). 

Arrival view (DM)

Arrival view (DP)

Rising tide (DM)

Brent geese (DP)

Brent goose (DM)

Departing view (DP)

Focused birder (DM)

Departing view (DM)

We headed into Castle Espie via two views of the kingfisher on the wee pond. We knew there was a glossy ibis about but couldn't see it so we headed out to the limestone lookout and finally got grey plover roosting on the point having failed to spot any from the hide.  On our way out we had a last look for the ibis and it was on the shingle bank between the main lake and the saltmarsh lurking amongst some corvids. It had probably been there all the time but we failed to pick it out. David fired off  a couple of record shots and it is easy to see how we nearly missed it. To be honest it wasn't very glossy. The morning racked up 34 species and the glossy ibis was added to my County Down list which now stands at 213. Other county lists available on request!!

WOW was quiet and misty  this week but I added  grey wagtail to the patch list. I've also added in teal and black-tailed godwit  photos as they came close enough for a nice atmospheric photo. 

Blackwits

Grey wagtail

2026

164: Curlew sandpiper

165: Grey plover

NDCP Patch

62: House martin

Belfast RSPB patch

88: Kestrel

89: Grey wagtail

Mainly WOW

Despite there being 3 months left in 2026, new birds are hard to find  so this is mainly a WOW post with a few bits from elsewhere. 

Wow is slipping into winter, the summer visitors have gone and the waders and ducks are drifting in. I only added kestrel to the list when a female flew over. It tried to hunt but was chased off by the hooded crows. It is best to visit the reserve on a rising or high tide if you can, although if the tide is low, Kinnegar beach is always worth a visit. The drawback there is small children and dogs playing on the beach.

Grey heron and little egret

Greenshank

Hooded crow

Teal

Magpie

Gulls at Kinnegar

Gulls and terns at Kinnegar

Groomsport house sparrow

Groomsport starling

The bonus YouTube link is the Backyard Aviary Birders. Don't let the title put you off it's a throwback to how they started. Currently they are chasing a 280 big year target, so they are currently struggling for new birds for the list. However in this video they do get absolutely stunning views of a Leach's storm petrel off a beach  at Hoylake in the Wirral!!  I have never seen a Leach's storm petrel and I would have expected to have to go on a pelagic trip off west Donegal to see one. To see one off a beach in Cheshire is totally unreal. As before you can go back to see other videos with more birds earlier in the year.

(5) Look What the Storm Blew In! & a Canadian Visitor! - YouTube

2026 List

164: Curlew sandpiper

NDCP patch

62: House martin

Belfast RSPB patch

87: Peregrine falcon

88: Kestrel

The Equinox edition

Atmospheric WOW

The year marches on and there's enough to put up a short summary of the transition from summer to autumn. You'll be glad to hear that there are no further trips to England until Christmas and the boat trips are easing off. 

WOW has been drying out slowly and the increasing amounts of mud have been good for waders. We are regularly scanning for winter visitors coming south, as well as waving farewell to  our summer visitors who are heading to Africa. Throw in the passage migrants and there is always something to look for. We recently have had the first returning shelduck and on the same day, all four summer hirundines - swallow, house martin, sand martin and even a very late single September swift. Unfortunately most of the exciting birds are either flying too fast or over on far side as far away from the observation room as possible. I have added curlew sandpiper and peregrine falcon to the list and a few photos of slow birds close to the ops room. 

What low water levels?

Teal

Trio de teal

The coastal path has also been quiet as I have mopped up most of the expected birds for the patch. However I did add house martin - no longer a patch regular. I think these birds hunting over Strickland's Glen were moving south. I thought it was time for a few scenic views from one of Bangor's prime attractions - The North Down Coastal Path (NDCP)

Smelt Mill Bay looking west

Oystercatcher

Looking West up Belfast Lough

Basking grey seal

Grey wagtail

Painted lady 

Small tortoiseshell

Your bonus YouTube video this time is "The Rock and Roll birder. This is his latest video and it is well worth eleven minutes of your time. 

2026 list
163: Osprey

164: Curlew sandpiper

NDCP patch
61: Manx shearwater
62: House martin

Belfast RSPB patch
85: Gannet
86: Curlew sandpiper
87: Peregrine falcon

Lough Beg boat trip

Another Lough Beg boat trip kick started autumn birding with the highlight being an osprey which has been present for a few days giving good views. Initially seen sitting on a dead tree it sprang into life as we headed south and did a flyover the boat!! Other birds included 5 great white egrets, 2 green sandpipers, multiple kingfishers, 20+ whooper swans including several families and a common sandpiper. Thanks to Anthony McGeehan for the osprey photograph, I am afraid my  osprey images are not seeing the light of day. I recorded 24 species. The March trip recorded 22 if I take off the passerines seen on a walk along the canal. There are lots more image on the JBirds Facebook page, including 5 glossy ibis which were seen on the morning trip. Here is a link.

(1) JBirds - Birding by Boat | Facebook

Osprey by Anthony McGeehan

Great white egret in flight

Kingfisher 

Whoopers in flight

Church Island

Mainly mallard

Grey heron (1)

Mute swan

Grey heron (2)

I got a Cockle Island update from Anthony as well as an osprey photo. There were still one or two arctic terns around in late August feeding chicks -  possibly pairs which had re-laid a second clutch when the first one was destroyed during the electric fence fiasco.  Between 80 - 100 pairs bred and all of these were inside the electric fence. Anything attempting to build outside the fence (common terns and oystercatchers) was probably predated by the otters. An oystercatcher which failed to breed twice was also seen feeding a nearly fledged arctic tern chick with lugworms, crab and cockles. This is most unusual behaviour and there does not appear to be any records of cross species feeding of any kind in the literature. Hopefully the National Trust will learn lessons from the breeding season and put their electric fence up properly and on time in 2027. 

I walked the coastal path and forgot to put the SD card back into the camera so only a scenic phone shot and no new birds either. 

WOW has been a bit same old, same old. I was away for three weeks and came back to much lower water levels and the same late summer birds as when I left. I have added greenshank, ruff and sanderling to the list plus a gannet off Kinnegar. The sanderling pitched up at Kinnegar when I took a visiting American birder there to look for ringed plover. Unfortunately we dipped on them as the tide was too high, but two sanderling landed briefly and got added to the list. Other than that the wee fish have attracted 11 herons and two little egrets and there are the usual waders - curlew, dunlin, redshank, lapwing, and black-tailed godwit. 

Exposed mud

Lapwing

Black-tailed godwit  x 2

Redshank

Time for another YouTube offering. This time it's a birder called Harry Boorman who is doing a big year. Seeing as he is on 269 birds the pace has slowed a bit but he does shoot some nice footage. In this video he is on the Scilly Islands doing pelagics, If you go back to videos posted in early 2026 you will see him getting more common stuff. 

The UK's ultimate seabird adventure

2026 list

162: Egyptian goose

163: Osprey

NDCP Patch

61: Manx shearwater

Belfast RSPB patch

81: Pochard

82: Sanderling

83: Greenshank

84: Ruff

85: Gannet