First visit to WOW

The first shift in WOW was a cold but calm Thursday morning (8th) with a rising tide. The reserve had been completely frozen on Monday but was now only frozen round the edges. As per usual most of the interesting birds were over on the far side so photographs are more scenic. We hit 34 species on the reserve itself, and I added a further 17 around Kinnegar. The count was similar to what we had been recording before Christmas. We had shelduck, gadwall, teal, mallard and shoveler. There was a small wigeon flock but it flew out before I saw it. Waders included curlew, black-tailed godwit, redshank, lapwing and three snipe. Gulls were restricted to common, black-headed and herring gull. The feeders gave all four tits - blue, coal, great & long-tailed and three finches - goldfinch, chaffinch and greenfinch. There were all the usual residents in varying number including coot, moorhen, hooded crow, magpie, woodpigeon, greylag goose, pied wagtail, cormorant, robin and blackbird. The local buzzard put in an appearance and diligent work with the scopes turned up three song thrush, a stonechat and a redwing feeding on the bank below the fence on the far side. 34 species is above par for winter if the feeders are operational so we can't really complain.

Iced up WOW

Mallard

Moorhen

Shelduck Island

A look over the Lough on a reasonably calm sea added eider duck, great-crested grebe, goldeneye, guillemot and black guillemot. The usual 12 brent geese were grazing on the grass.

 Kinnegar  itself had an almost full tide and a few dog walkers, so the beach only added meadow pipit and  turnstone. The lagoon had a lot of waders, ducks and gulls- but not wigeon! I added mute swan, little grebe, tufted duck, bar-tailed godwit, oystercatcher, grey heron and lesser black-backed gull. There were a couple of rooks in the area but the icing on the cake was a jay feeding in the grass at the far end of the lagoon. 

What was also good was the fact that we had quite a few visitors including a gentleman from Gloucestershire who had never seen a hooded crow and was delighted to get good views. I thought it was worth a picture. 

Must pose for the English visitor

Blue tit near a feeder

The last couple of visits have added wigeon, great black-backed gull, red-breasted merganser, dunlin, linnet, sparrowhawk and knot.

2026
78: Razorbill

79: Knot

NDCP

42: Razorbill

WOW

51: Meadow pipit

52: Wigeon
53: Great black-backed gull
54: Red-breasted merganser
55: Dunlin

56: Linnet

57: Sparrowhawk

58: Knot

The North Down patch

Oh you lucky people, instead of once a month you get two in a week as I try to update the local patch which also includes a few 2026 birds I didn't see on New Years day. That includes this little beauty which pitched into the garden two days in a row.

Jay on the bird table

I didn't get jay on the local patch last year and it is a couple of years since I had one in the garden. A few days later three greenfinches turned up at the feeders. It is at least two years since I've had a garden greenfinch and the last one was a single male only seen once. It seems the cold spell has some benefits for the garden birder. The cold spell also encouraged a song thrush to feed in the garden and I then realised I had two of these, one in the apple tree and one on the grass.  These along with three blackcaps (2 female and a male) and three bullfinches (2 male and a female) were the standout birds in early 2026. The supporting cast were much as last year - chaffinch, goldfinch, linnet, robin, dunnock, blackbird, woodpigeon, collared dove, magpie, hooded crow, starling, herring gull, blue, coal, great and long-tailed tits. All obviously feature in the Birdwatch Ireland garden bird survey which is now in its sixth week - that means we are almost half way through the winter as it runs for 13 weeks. To date I have not seen jackdaw in the garden and my house sparrows have disappeared as well. Hopefully they will drop in during the next seven weeks. 

Greenfinch via the phone waved at the scope - the camera was on charge!

Camera shot

Blackcap (F)

Blackcap (M)

Song thrush

Coal tit

Linnet

Blue tit

Goldfinch & Chaffinch

Bullfinch

The coastal path and a walk towards Ballyholme  has added a few of the usual suspects - cormorant, turnstone, eider duck, common gull, black-headed gull, jackdaw, pied wagtail, oystercatcher, redshank, dunlin, ringed plover, purple sandpiper, shag, house sparrow, rook and a wren on the top pond in Stricklands Glen.  A walk to Carnalea added moorhen, great black-backed gull, lapwing, grey heron and a razorbill in Smelt Mill Bay. All expected apart from the razorbill. Currently puts me on 42 for the patch. I will wrap that up for now and do another post on the WOW patch which got off to a solid start with 51 species.

2026

65: Tufted duck

66: Blackcap

67: Bullfinch

68: Coal tit

69: Jay

70: Linnet

71:Rock pipit

72: Ringed plover
73: Purple sandpiper
74: Coot
75: Moorhen
76: Snipe
77: Black guillemot
78: Razorbill

North Down patch

42: Razorbill

Half term report

Off to England next week so decided to do an update of the two patches before I go. 

WOW has been ticking over steadily and this was the first week I did not find a new species for the year.  I finally got a cormorant and am still missing starling! This year we are getting lots of snipe with a high count of 36. There have also been up to 200 lapwing. The reserve has settled into a late winter pattern and in a couple of weeks we will see the black-headed gulls staking their claim to nest sites. We already have a bit of birdsong and the shelduck are displaying - spring is rolling in. Here's a few photos.

Shelduck with feeding buzzard behind

Snipe

Curlew with snipe up behind

Coot and moorhen id challenge

Mallard

Shoveler

Teal

The North Down patch has seen a few expected species finally on the list - heron, goldcrest, mallard, grey wagtail, house sparrow and finally a jay. I didn't see one last year and one popped into the garden briefly last week. The Irish garden bird survey is nearing its end so that means winter is almost over. I'll post a summary next time but here's a few pictures to be going on with.

Blackcap(M)

Blackcap (F)

Blackbird, there have been as many as nine.

Elsewhere we have had a few grand days out which usually involve a drive, picnic or lunch, nice walk, coffee and home via a takeaway meal. These are often themed round available birds and recently have included Newcastle (common scoter, black redstart, great northern diver), Randalstown (goosander, treecreeper) and Reedy Flats in County Armagh (golden plover, hen harrier).  

Phone shot of a goosander on the River Maine

Hopefully we will get a few goodies in Northumberland and Lancashire and Richard's garden might turn up a woodpecker and a nuthatch.  Watch this space.

2023

92: Razorbill
93: Peregrine
94: Common scoter
95:Black redstart
96: Great northern diver
97: Jay
98: Golden plover
99: Hen harrier
100: Goosander
101: Treecreeper

NDCP

46: Razorbill

47: Goldcrest

48: Sparrowhawk

49: House sparrow

50: Mallard

51: Jay

52: Grey wagtail

53: Grey heron

WOW

60: Red-breasted merganser

61: Great-crested grebe

62: Black guillemot

63: Peregrine

64: Cormorant