Sunday 9 May 2021

Rathlin Island

As you can see things are opening up and we had a three hour trip round Rathlin on Saturday in ideal conditions - blue sky, calm sea, light breeze, sunshine and brilliant light. Next month we should be able to land on the island and hear corncrakes for the first time in many years. Since the last post we've been chasing migrants and picked up swift and common tern at WOW, a cuckoo (first since 2014) and a wheatear in the Antrim Hills, a gannet along the coast and a house martin at a local country park. We also managed yellowhammer down the Ards peninsula, the first since one in Northumberland in 2017 and the first locally since pussy was a cat!! Now I know where to look it will not be as long again.The north wind and cold temperatures hasn't helped the local patch, but hopefully there will be a few migrants about  soon.

Antrim Hills

Cuckoo was calling from the top of the pine trees

Wheatear on the phone

The Rathlin trip was low in species but as usual high in quality with close up views of all the target species and  huge numbers of auks flooding back to breed. I didn't chase pictures as the camera is simply not good enough but there are a few nice scenes to give a flavour of the voyage.

South cliffs

South cliffs

Stacks at Bull Point

Common seals

Seals at Rue Point


Rue Point

 There is a whole other dimension to seeing the island and the birds from the sea, sorry you don't get the sound and the smell which adds to the whole experience. Watching puffins and skuas literally yards from the boat is amazing and as for gannets flying overhead in squadrons, enough said. Kintra boats run these three hour cruises from Ballycastle and it is worth checking out their website or facebok or instagram and book yourself on one. 

Here's a little bonus from February, the Carrickfergus ring-billed gull which I forgot to post, it was 86 on my list. 



2021      
105: Swift
106: Common tern
106: Yellowhammer
108: Cuckoo
109: Wheatear 
110: Gannet
111: House martin
112: Razorbill
113: Kittiwake
114: Fulmar
115: Great skua
116: Puffin
117: Manx shearwater

NDCP  
60: Lesser black-backed gull

WOW   
53: Sand martin 
54: Swift 
54: Common tern


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