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.
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