Before exciting dipper news, a quick update on the Bolton trip. I was able to get a trip round Elton Reservoir and came up with 29 species including Canada goose and ring-necked parakeet which are "English" ticks and a female kestrel which I should get at home. As most of you will know they are becoming increasingly rare and more difficult to get in Northern Ireland. It is nearly two years since I have seen one at home.
The following day we were able to visit Pennington Flash which has an excellent bird feeding station and I had hopes of adding to the 2025 list. The Flash delivered with nuthatch, reed bunting, stock dove, willow tit, great spotted woodpecker and goosander. These are all regulars at the reserve, but not always seen in one visit. What was unexpected was not one but two great white egrets which gave excellent views from one of the hides. All in all a good hour's work, 37 species and a nice bowl of leek and potato soup in the café.
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| Phone shot at Elton |
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| Phone shot again |
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| Pennington Flash great white egret and grey heron - another phone shot! |
Finally got a trip to Burton Mere RSPB before heading home and added 32 species including Egyptian goose and yet another great white egret!
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| Burton Mere great white egret |
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| Black-tailed godwits |
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| Burton Mere RSPB |
Since our return, the North Down patch has added a soaring sparrowhawk and a singing greenfinch. WOW has also been quiet with nothing to get the pulse racing until this week when the Iceland gull finally had the decency to drop in on a Thursday morning and a whimbrel popped up on the grass bank at the back. As usual too far away for a good image so you are getting my usual "record shot" as well as a nice godwit and a view of the black headed gulls on the island starting in to their whole breeding routine. This week however the team put a stop to that with a deterrent scheme to try and stop the gulls nesting, so that the island is available for the later arriving terns. So far it seems to be working.
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| Last week |
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| This week |
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| Nothing in the centre |
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| Blackwit |
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| Spot the Iceland gull |
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| There it is!! |
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| Definite lack of black on the primaries and tail. |
A trip to Craigavon gave good views of a ring-necked duck along with 56 pochard all but three of them male!! No photos I'm afraid. The initial sighting was too far away and I didn't fancy lugging the scope round the one and a half mile walk for a closer view. You will have to make do with a nice scenic view of the northern balancing lake.
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| Belfast from Divis viewpoint |
The dipper then I hear you ask? After two years of dipping out (groan) with multiple visits to the Sixmilewater at Antrim, the Threemilewater at Mossley and five different spots in and around Bolton where I recorded Dippers in the past, I finally nailed one on the River Tonge ten minutes walk from base in Bolton in a spot I hadn't previously checked. I went back twice to try and get a photograph and it wasn't there!! Typical birding mantra - right place right time or as Gerry Murphy used to say on a Thursday morning at WOW, "Better to be lucky than good"
NDCP
48: Kingfisher
49: Greenfinch
50: Sparrowhawk
WOW
69: Long-tailed tit
70: Iceland gull
71: Whimbrel
89: Kestrel
90: Canada goose
91: Ring-necked parakeet
92: Nuthatch
93: Stock dove
94: Reed bunting
95: Willow tit
96: Great white egret
97: Goosander
98: Great-spotted woodpecker
99: Dipper
100: Egyptian goose
101: Ring-necked duck
102: Iceland gull
103: Skylark
104: Raven
105: Whimbrel
