2024 wrap up

Christmas was spent in Bolton which gave the chance of a dipper - again!! Four walks at four sites which have dipper yielded nothing. There was a Caspian gull only five minutes drive away at Moses Gate Country Park. I visited four times but failed to see it. There were two reasons for this, firstly there were up to 60 large gulls, mainly herring gulls and a smattering of lesser black-backed and secondly I really wasn't sure what I was looking for. I thought I had it but thanks to Howard Vaughan (ace birder from Lesvos - remember?) it turned out to be a first year herring gull. I did see a nice kingfisher and some goosanders however so all was not lost.  It eventually moved on so I didn't have to visit on Christmas Day. A walk along the Irwell at Elton reservoir failed to find a dipper but did turn up a water rail preening out in the open along the canal. Not an easy bird to see as you all know but hey - right place right time! That pushed me up to 181 for the year. Richard's garden had treecreeper, nuthatch and two goldcrests in the same sycamore tree which augurs well for 2025. 

Withins reservoir in the mist

First year herring gull at Moses gate

....and again!!

Goosanders at Moses Gate

.... and again.

The two local patches stayed where they were in late November, well below the target.  However two late December strolls down Stricklands and west to Carnalea finally delivered mallard and curlew on the 29th and grey wagtail on the 31st.  My lack of mobility in the spring contributed to some missed birds but other seem to be the result of changing circumstances. The Bangor patch missed out on swallow and house martin - they simply weren't about in the places I expect to see them.  Swallows bred in Abbey Street in Bangor and house martins along Princetown Road but both have not bred this year. I haven't seen jays in Stricklands this year and I have not had a flyover raven. I think reed bunting and whitethroat have gone as well from the coastal path and the mild winter put the kibosh on redwing and fieldfare appearing in gardens. 

There were no reported curlew sandpipers in WOW this year and I have also missed out on redpoll, siskin, reed bunting and bullfinch on the feeders at WOW. I also failed to find willow warbler, chiffchaff and sedge warbler at WOW - mainly due to lack of mobility in the spring.

I genuinely think there are fewer migrants around and they have a harder time travelling with human interference and changing climate. A blogger from the South coast of England used to see thousands of migrants crossing from France in the 1970s and 1980s, now he is recording hundreds. All in all a bit depressing and I hope the trend can be reversed for future generations of birders. Then again who thought we would see little egret in Rathmore Road and have buzzard as a garden tick or expect to see great spotted woodpeckers in Castle Park?

Next year kicks off with the annual "Round the Lough" on New Years Day and a visit to WOW on January 2nd. That will kick start 2025 with the ongoing Irish garden birdwatch to start the local patch from the comfort of the house. Have a happy and prosperous New Year and a bird filled 2025.

2024

181: Water rail

NDCP

63; Stonechat

64: Mallard

65: Curlew

66: Grey wagtail

91: Goldeneye

# patch gold megatick

Let's not beat about the bush here, this afternoon I saw a water rail in Strickland's Glen. One of those moments you dream about as a birder -  an unexpected bird in a famliar place. As they are reedbed specialists I have no idea what it was doing there in a wooded glen. There is a tree down across the river at that point and in heavy rain the water backs up and the path floods. Once the flood subsides there is a mass of flotsam behind the tree - mud, leaves, branches, plastic bottles, dead footballs etc.. I stopped to look, saw a movement and thought dunnock, no too big, possibly moorhen, so got the binoculars onto it and bingo, it is a water rail which picked about long enough for Tanya to get a good look at it as well. After taking our fill of the bird, we walked on and it was still picking about. The hoped for grey wagtail and first lesser black backs of the year did not appear, but hey, who cares I'll get them again!

Other than that, it has been reasonably quiet as most of the winter stuff has been mopped up and the spring migrants are not here yet. I added a garden song thrush, and a walk along the Broad Water at Moira turned up two redwings in a flock of 20 - 25 fieldfare. WOW was very quiet with a low tide and heavy showers. The milder weather this week with south-west winds might pull in an early chiffchaff or sand martin, both have been seen locally. The other piece of news happened in Carnalea where my friend David - he of the good camera - spotted a brambling on his feeders on St Patrick's day. It did not hang around and has not been back or found its way to my garden but you never do know - if you can get a water rail in Stricklands Glen anything is possible. It just proves the old adage, anything can turn up anywhere.

Dunlin at Whiteabbey

Black-headed gulls at Smelt Mill Bay

A rainy WOW last Thursday, there were around 1000 black-headed gulls present.

Water rail spot on the river

It was behind the orange football!!

David Miller's brambling

Great tit with large tick

The great tit was photographed by David as well at Castleward. He thought it looked a bit off colour and let him get close without moving, only later did he realise it has a large tick attached to its neck. probably not long for this world unfortunately. 

2019
117: Redwing

Bangor West
48: Greenfinch
49: Song thrush
50: Water rail

Belfast WOW
67: Lesser black-backed gull 

England Part 3 - Lancashire

The main reason for the visit was to cover half term and look after Freddy (age 5) and Tilly (age 2). Birding had to be fitted into the schedule as and when, but you know me, I managed to squeeze in the odd session. When we discovered that the NW England puddle jumping championships were being held at Martin Mere, how could we resist? However ideas of leaving Tanya minding the boy while I sat in a hide were soon dispelled. We did see short-clawed otters and lots of captive ducks but I managed a quick sprint (literally) to see avocets and then went to see the swans being fed. This involved large numbers of whooper swans and more shelduck than I have ever seen in my life. Their WEBS count gave over 600 and I think most of them came over to feed. They were joined by mallard, pintail, wigeon, teal, coot and moorhen as well as black-tailed godwit. A small shingle islet just offshore had over 20 ruff on it among all the mayhem and there were the usual numbers of lapwing, gulls, geese and three pochard. Wasn't expecting this show so all photos were through glass with an ipod. The "feeder" has a mike headset and gives a running comentary on the swans which is broadcast on speakers into the hide for the assembled punters. Even Freddy was impressed by the sheer number of birds on view despite his urge to get back to see if he had won the puddle jumping. Unfortunately he hadn't and had to be consoled with an ice cream.

At WOW we go out with a bucket

If you feed them they will come

Whoopers and shelduck, mostly

Make a good jigsaw

20 ruff on the island at the back

Spot the pintail

 A quick afternon trip to Elton Reservoir near Bury was looking like a washout until I looked at the wildfowl in the middle of the reservoir and saw a pochard, seven scaup and three goosander. While checking a couple of coot two birds flashed across my line of sight so I tracked them and found I was following  two kingfishers. A feeding little egret made for a very pleasant 45 minutes.

The last port of call was an early start to Pennington Flash, another site I have visited before with good results. I think I was allowed out for two hours for good behaviour. The target was to sit in the hide and tick great-spotted woodpecker and nuthatch, neither of which had the decency to turn up at the well stocked feeders. Ah well I will just have to go back later in the year! I did however have 15 stock dove, three jays, long-tailed tit and treecreeper along with all the expected birds that turn up at feeders. The best bird however was a water rail out feeding in the open as unconcerned as the abundant moorhens.

What's that odd looking moorhen?

It's a water rail.

"The spit" at Penington Flash, scope essential.

Long-tailed tit

Stock dove & woodpigeon

Three stock doves

Overview with jay, there are as many feeders off to both sides.

Jay

The last night in Bolton provided the icing on the cake with a pair of tawny owls calling around the house for well over an hour. I had a good look and listen but could not work out where they were, but it was an absolutely smashing way to wrap up the trip.

Returning home saw a greenfinch on the garden feeders, a ruff, Med gull and lesser black-back at WOW and a ringed bill gull at Carrickfergus so here are the current totals.

2019
92: Red kite
93: Fulmar
94: Pink-footed goose
95: Canada goose
96: Scaup
97: Smew
98: Grey partridge
99: Water rail
100: Grey plover
101: Sanderling
102: Stonechat
103: Willow tit
104: Goosander
105: Green sandpiper
106: Stock dove
107: Red-crested pochard
108: Great white egret
109: Avocet
110: Ruff
111: Kestrel
112: Kingfisher
113: Tawny owl
114: Treecreeper
115: Mediterranean gull
116: Ring-billed gull

Bangor West
48: Greenfinch

Belfast WOW
65: Mediterranean gull
66: Ruff
67: Lesser black-backed gull