Another year, another set of lists

Let's wrap up 2025 first. There were no additions to the 2025 list and nothing else on the North Down patch but WOW turned up a kestrel and a female great spotted woodpecker on December 11th and pushed the patch up to 99. Despite an extra visit to try and find one more bird it stayed there and I look back on the grey wagtail and the great white egret which turned up when I was in England, never mind my failure to find a sedge warbler in the spring!! Not much in the way of pictures either, too dark or too far away I'm afraid, so have another shot of a woodpecker from late 2023. 

2025: 153 (154 if we count the ruddy shelducks at Kiltonga)

North Down patch : 63

WOW: 99

So we march on into 2026 and the annual yomp round Strangford Lough starting at the Flood Gates at dawn.  

First an apology for the lack of photos to break up the text. We just didn't bother!! A cold day (4/5 degrees centigrade and a brisk north wind) and the tide was pushing in so birds were being pushed up towards us. We got good views of lots of species (but unfortunately not golden plover or knot). Most numerous bird was lapwing, followed by redshank, dunlin, curlew, bar-tailed godwit, black-tailed godwit, turnstone and oystercatcher. We also had brent goose, shelduck, mallard and pintail in good numbers. There were four gull species present - black-headed, herring, common and great black-backed. Passerines flitted around the seaweed and adjacent farmland - pied wagtail, robin, blackbird, song thrush, rook, jackdaw, magpie and hooded crow. Just before we moved on the obligatory little egret dropped in and we spotted a greenshank tucked into a corner. We moved south to Annes Point  and saw woodpigeon en route but by that time the tide was well in and there was very little on the salt marsh apart from a pair of red-breasted merganser and a singing wren in the scrub. Just north of Greyabbey David executed an emergency stop when we saw two whooper swans in a field with 20+ greylag geese. Whilst checking for pinkfeet (negative) a female sparrrowhawk zipped past. We added starling and mute swan to the list before we reached Kircubbin to scan the seaweed. By this time the tide was full in and it was a bit exposed and baltic in a car park which had clearly suffered from recent storms. We added a pair of stonechat, collared dove, lesser black-backed gull, eider duck and meadow pipit before heading south again to Abbacy Road, Bishop's Mill and Shore Road for the 1145 ferry. We finally added teal and wigeon to the list and observed a high tide roost of 12 little egret and 10 grey heron. Goldfinch, greenfinch, dunnock, mistle thrush and house sparrows were noted before we moved onto Shore Road and noticed a single bird on the wires and stopped to see a beautiful male yellowhammer which was joined by a pair of reed buntings. The stubble field below them erupted as about 200 chaffinches flew into the hedge cover nearby. They dropped into the stubble several times and disappeared but despite extensive looking we were unable to see any other species. The ferry crossing added cormorant, shag and a single guillemot barrelling north into the Lough. Castleward Bay was in full tide as well and looked a bit bleak but the scope pulled in a large shoveler flock, 5 gadwall 2 little grebes and 2 great-crested grebes. On to the Quoile pondage for lunch in the hide and a bit of a bummer as the reed cutting machine was in operation!! 

Birds were scarce and far away but we added goldeneye and one redwing in an adjacent field. Towards the yacht club end David spotted a pair of pochard. This was a common bird in the reserve 40 years ago but we cannot remember the last time we saw pochard on the reserve. Passerines were conspicuous by their absence and the feeders were mostly empty apart from blue and great tits. We finally saw a buzzard and a small flock of long-tailed tits and  found tufted duck on the river section as well as these cute little ducks which turned out to be silver appleyard miniatures and not countable!! 

They may be in the same category as the Kiltonga ruddy shelduck in being released/dumped. By this time we were heading north in fading light but despite stops at Killyleagh, Whiterock and Castle Espie we were unable to add to our tally of 65 species. We were short on passerines and they head early to roost in winter. Interestingly the 65th and last species on the list was tufted duck at 1547 at the Quoile. We spent a further 90 minutes on the road with nothing to show for our efforts. Might be a lesson we could learn here and spend more time at some spots instead of rushing on to Castle Espie in fading light looking for a final tick. This year it was moorhen, last year coot and in previous years we have unsuccessfully chased collared dove or house sparrow. 

I will wrap this up here and do another post on the garden and North Down patch in a few days when I have some pictures from the garden feeders and I get a walk along the coastal path without the risk of slipping and falling. 

2025

65: Tufted duck

2025 Round the Lough

Daffodil on January 1st, same as two years ago!! 

Usual start to the new year with a yomp round Strangford Lough starting at the Flood gates outside Ards and heading south to the ferry at Portaferry. It was a fine cold clear morning with a brisk wind as we waited for the light to improve. First birds were black headed gulls closely followed by oystercatcher, curlew,  little egret, redshank, lapwing, pied wagtail, herring gull, greater black-backed gull, magpie, hooded crow, and blackbird.  We moved south and picked up shelduck, brent geese, woodpigeon, rook and jackdaw but like last year saw no pintail at all in their usual spot at the Maltings. The next stop at Anne's Point added teal, wigeon, shoveler  greenshank and black-tailed godwit in the saltmarsh followed by a flock of greylag geese in a field nearby. Kircubbin added house sparrow, meadow pipit  starlings, stonechat and eider duck before we continued south towards Bishop's Mill and a gentle stroll for collared dove, chaffinch, bullfinch and a common gull on the salt marshes. We continued round the shore aiming for the 1115 ferry and only added cormorant to the list followed by shag, black guillemot, turnstone and two northern Atlantic common dolphins which hang out around the slipway. David got a good photo off the ferry as it pulled out.

Coffee stop (and loo) in Strangford and then to Castleward Bay for gadwall and shoveler, Great Dam for linnet and tufted duck and finally to the Quoile Pondage nature reserve which involves lunch in the hide and an amble towards the yacht club - no bufflehead or barrow's goldeneye this year!! 

View from the hide (David Miller)

View from the Coal Quay (David Miller)

When we opened the shutters in the hide we were pleasantly surprised as there were birds everywhere in large numbers. It was a nice change from previous years when we struggled to find birds, possibly the high tide on the Lough (it was full in by this stage) had pushed stuff onto the reserve but we stopped speculating and started eating and looking. In no particular order we had mallard, wigeon, teal, goldeneye, 60+ pintail, little grebe,  great-crested grebe, greylag geese, mute swan, little egret, grey heron and then two large flocks of waders lifted - lapwing and golden plover. We also had redwing in a nearby field, so all in all a nice lunch break, especially when a jay flew across the road in front of the car and we spooked a suicidal pheasant by the side of the road. Then round to the Castle and the feeders which added blue, great and coal tit, chaffinch, goldfinch, robin, wren, dunnock  and moorhen.  By this time it was 2.30 and we reckoned we would have light till after 4 so we cracked on north to Killyleagh and the set-aside field which had been so productive in the previous two years. Unfortunately it had been ploughed up and sown in grass so no finch flocks. By now we were struggling to add new species and we headed to Whiterock where we had four thrush species in one field - blackbird, redwing, mistle thrush and song thrush plus snipe hiding in the seaweed. North again to Castle Espie (flyover buzzard) and a falling tide with lots of ducks, waders and geese including a large flock of knot. By now the light was dropping fast and we cut out and drove for home resigned to a day with no coot. David was inspired to drop in to Kiltonga en route and there was a coot round the viewing platform - bringing the grand total to 64 for the day. 

January 2nd saw a cold clear day at WOW and I was able to get out and do three hours birding with Ronnie Doggart a fully paid up member of the Thursday club. We started at Kinnegar then scoped the Lough from the Concentrix car park before visiting Hide 1, Hide 2, down to the channel and then back to base. Got off to a good start with 53 species including a few hard to get/unexpected species and 9 2025 ticks I missed the day before. The 9 additions to the 2025 list are in red.  All the usual suspects were present and correct on the reserve - little grebe, shelduck, shoveler, wigeon, gadwall, teal, mallard, curlew, lapwing, redshank, black-tailed godwit, coot, moorhen, magpie, hooded crow, woodpigeon, black-headed gull, herring gull, meadow pipit, pied wagtail, stonechat, wren, dunnock, robin, chaffinch, goldfinch, blackbird, and starling, Unexpected additions were goldcrest, mistle thrush, song thrush, fieldfare and redwing on the far bank and two chiffchaff feeding behind Hide 2. Scoping the lough added red-throated diver, red-breasted merganser, eider, great-crested grebe, cormorant,  black guillemot, guillemot and three razorbill.  Kinnegar added oystercatcher, bar-tailed godwit, knot, grey heron, ringed plover, turnstone, rook, jackdaw, common gull, and great black-backed gull while tufted duck were on the sewage works. 

The North Down patch including the garden got off to a slow start as I was out and about as you can see. To date there are 16 garden birds and 16 from the coastal path. I'll do a write up on that next time as I think there are enough ramblings and lists to go through - and a distinct lack of pictures to break up the text. 

2025
64 on 1st January from round the lough
9 on 2nd January from WOW
74: Blackcap in the garden
75: Dunlin along the Seacliff Road

76: Grey wagtail on the seaweed at Strickland's bay

77: Long-tailed tit in the garden

78: Purple sandpiper along the Seacliff Road

WOW

53 as outlined above

NDCP

32 - details soon!

2022 kick off

Here we go again and the early news is that the rustic bunting has decided not to be on anyone's 2022 list. It was seen on December 31st and hasn't been seen since. David and I were doing our dawn to dusk birdathon on New Years Day so we were not looking for it, but others looked in vain. 

Our trip round Strangford Lough was different this year in that we hit a high spring tide on the Lough plus a force 5/6 southerly breeze so we missed out on quite a few species we would normally get like wren, dunnock, gadwall and greenfinch. Despite the breeze the temperature of 12 degrees gave an unseasonable spring-like air to the trip. Our total of 58 was the lowest for ten years but having said all that it was a good day and there were a few goodies on the list. Top of the pile was a mixed finch/sparrow flock feeding on a weed crop specifically sown for birds. probably around 80 birds most of which were house sparrows it also had tree sparrows, chaffinches and 15 yellowhammers. I am struggling to recall the last time we saw yellowhammers on a new year list, and until 2021 when I saw two its at least 8 years since I have seen any in Northern Ireland. We also picked up two groups of whooper swans, a sparrrowhawk, a carrion crow and two lots of pintail  as well as all the usual suspects. I have tacked the list on at the end for my records, don't feel obliged to wade through it. The hide at Castle Island is still locked - apparently they do not have enough staff to maintain it!! The high tide forced the ferry to use the auxiliary slipway at Strangford and water levels a the Quoile were so high the riverside path was flooded. We also noted a daffodil in full bloom, and significant bird song in sheltered inland areas.

It's on the wrong slipway (D Miller)

Here's why, too high a tide.

Reversing out

High water on the Quoile (D Miller)

I see no birds!! (D Miller)

Yellowhammers (D Miller)

Pintails (D Miller)

A serenity of swans (D Miller)

Sparrow central - tree and house (D Miller)

Inspiration for a Wordsworth poem perhaps? (D Miller)

The garden list also kicked in with a couple of blackcaps the main attraction, although a pair of bullfinch was nice. Everything else was as expected. The garden started off the local patch with 16 and a walk round the coastal path today (3rd) added another 16. The main event was the three purple sandpipers on a little stony beach - their high tide roost was covered! I finally got a dunnock as well plus the lapwing flock has had the decency to hang around till 2022, unlike the rustic bunting. 

2022: Little grebe, cormorant, shag, little egret, grey heron, mute swan, whooper swan, brent goose, shelduck, wigeon, teal, mallard, shoveler, pintail, tufted, eider, goldeneye, red-breasted merganser, sparrowhawk, moorhen, coot, oystercatcher, ringed plover, lapwing, dunlin, snipe, black-tailed godwit, curlew, redshank, black-headed, herring, common and great black-backed gulls, wood pigeon, collared dove, rock pipit, pied wagtail, robin, blackbird, song & mistle thrush, redwing, coal, blue and great tit, magpie, jackdaw, rook, magpie, hoodie, starling, house & tree sparrow, chaffinch, goldfinch, linnet, bullfinch and yellowhammer. (58)

59: Blackcap

60: Purple sandpiper

61: Turnstone

62: Black guillemot

63: Dunnock

NDCP: Cormorant, shag, mallard, eider, oystercatcher, ringed plover, lapwing, purple sandpiper, dunlin, redshank, turnstone, black-headed, common and herring gulls, black guillemot, woodpigeon, collared dove, rock pipit, pied wagtail, dunnock, robin, blackbird, blackcap, coal, blue and great tits, magpie, jackdaw, hooded crow, starling, house sparrow, chaffinch, goldfinch and bullfinch. (34)

Early days of 2021

Up and out before dawn for a socially distanced two car birdathon round the northern and western side of Strangford Lough. We went anti-clockwise and kept to minor roads as much as possible but we still hit 68 species. I am not going to list them all, just mention the highlights which were many. We started at the Flood Gates in the NE corner wher we had up to 2000 golden plover in the air, a nice flock of knot and pintail. All photographs of our jaunttaken by David Miller.

Dawn with flying golden plover

Golden plover and green plover

Knot

Islandhill next for tree sparrow and then round to Castle Espie for kingfisher.

Comber river at Islandhill

Egret at Castle Espie

 

Whiterock gave us shag, black guillemot and little grebe as well as snipe and buzzard. 

Teal and snipe if you can find them

Then to Killyleagh which we nearly left out and were glad we didnt as we ticked grey wagtail, red-breasted merganser, guillemot and three overwintering sandwich terns!!

Always check your gulls!!

Terns on New Year's Day

Finally to the Quoile for the overwintering bufflehead, redwings, shoveler, gadwall, goldeneye and sparrowhawk. By that time the light had gone, and we finished there and headed home.

All redwings, not a fieldfare among them.

 

The local patch is ticking over nicely and  the garden added bullfinch, goldcrest and blackcap to the 2021 list as well as all the usual suspects including five linnet. I even managed a buzzard along the coast being mobbed by hoodies. WOW is closed apart from Hide 2 and we are not supposed to leave home except for essential journeys. This rule came in on Friday so on Thursday we drove to Belfast Waterworks for our exercise and happened to see an iceland gull - quelle surprise! All photos from here on in are mine.

 

Waterworks, top pond largely frozen

Iceland gull. We walked past this point five times and only spotted it once.

On the way home we swung round WOW and Kinnegar and added eider, great crested grebe and ringed plover to the list and ticked off 20 other species for the WOW patch. I think there won't be a lot added to WOW until mid-February but the local patch will get a battering over the next four weeks and the garden is always liable to turn up something unexpected. Stay safe and bring your binoculars on your daily exercise even if you are only going to the shops. 

Bullfinch

Long-tailed tit

Blackcap

Greenfinch pair

2020  

1 - 68 round the lough on January 1st

69: Blackcap

70: Bullfinch

71: Goldcrest

72: Iceland gull

73: Eider

74: Great-crested grebe

75: Ringed plover

NDCP 

30: Goldcrest 

31: Dunnock

 

WOW

23: Ringed plover

And the nights are drawing in

Not only are the nights drawing in but we are under sort of lockdown again.Fortunately we can get out and about, unfortunately WOW has been forced to close. The hides are still open and we had one glorious week of coffee, heat and toilets, but it was a low tide so there was not a lot to see. Walks along the coasts and local wooded areas have not produced much in the way of birds either. I managed a three mile walk in Clandeboye Wood and the sum total was a singing robin. Even the garden has been on the quiet side with only coal and great tits in any numbers and the feeders have not needed topping up regularly.  I have also attempted to chase a few exotic visitors but that did not work out at all and yellow-browed warbler at Kearney, great white egret at Castle Espie and grey phalarope at Barr Hall Bay all saw me coming and legged it. The birding highlight of the last week or more was three buzzards on Sunday as we went to church. Church is in suburban Bangor West and to see three buzzards over the nearby houses was a bit of a shock, albeit a very nice shock. To be fair Carnalea golf course is just behind these houses and it does have rabbits in abundance so at least there is a rational explanation. I remember having to go to North Antrim in the 1980s to see buzzards and now they are on the local patch. 

I have been to Castle Espie twice to hit the rising tide, the first time we missed it so we had to go back. It's not nice when you look down the path and see water. Well it is nice in its own way but not when you are hoping to see mud and waders. First six photos by my birding pal with the good camera David Miller

What no mud!

Whoops the tide's in

The day was not wasted however as we got to see nature at its smartest. As the tide floods in it pushes through a sluice into the reserve and fills the saltmarsh with water. We noticed a little egret standing on the stones at one side looking intently at the incoming water. It dipped in a couple of times for a small morsel. Swung the binoculars across and there was a kingfisher on the other side doing the same. We watched it dive twice and catch a small fish. On our second visit we had a little egret, redshank, grey heron curlew and greenshank checking out the inflow for a meal. We also managed a smart grey plover and a goldcrest.

Sluice patrol

Distant kingfisher

That's better, mud, waders geese and ducks

50+ great crested grebes with shelduck and eider - very far away!!

Fishing in the creek

Shelduck

Tanya and I did an interesting walk along the northern edge of Strangford Lough from the Flood Gates to the sewage works, an out and back walk of 4 miles. The tide was out but rising slowly and we had good views of the birds of Strangford Lough plus a few species in the hedges and fields. For those of you who do not know this walk it is a raised tidal barrier with Strangford Lough and areas of saltmarsh on one side and Ards Airport and fields on the other side. We had good views of brent geese, shelduck, curlew, redshank, oystercatcher, dunlin, knot, lapwing,  black-tailed godwit and little egret on the Lough and buzzard, kestrel, stonechat, linnet  and skylark over the fields.

Brent on the Lough

Salt marsh

 

 

Dawn record shot from the Flood Gates. This area is good for teal lapwing and pintail.

Tidal barrier

The sign warns of low flying aircraft!!

It is my intention to walk it at high tide as the waders use the fields to roost in while the geese and shelduck float on the water. In summer the lough is virtually empty but the fields and airport support breeding skylark and linnet as well as summer visitors such as swallow and warblers. The airport cafe (Cloud 9) is open to visitors and does scones, coffee lunches etc.. What's not to like about this walk?? The beauty of Strangford and Castle Espie is how quickly the lough changes on a rising tide, these last two pictures were taken about 35 minutes apart.

 

 

 

 

 

2020  

154: White wagtail

NDCP

69: Buzzard

70: Stonechat

71: Pheasant

WOW

90: White wagtail

91: Raven

92: Stonechat