May round up at WOW

Once again I waited for a week or three and then discovered I had loads of photos and not a lot of time so here goes on a catch up of the last three weeks at WOW. The garden and NDCP have not been neglected but are not turning up new birds or meaningful photos. The first point is if you want good views and pictures of terns and gulls come to WOW.

Arctic tern

Arctic (L) and common (R)

Common tern

Common tern

Arctic tern, red bill, short legs, tail longer than wings

The black-headed gulls are feeding young, mostly on the islands but also in front of the observation room.There are chicks of all shapes and sizes from newly hatched to flying.

Two seems to be the norm

Nest, egg and chick

 

The same nest one week later, the grass has decided that summer is here!

We're cute (and gull food)

 The other species on the reserve are also coming in close, still looking for millet I supppose. Unfortunately they are out of luck as we are not supposed to go out during the breeding season in case we spook the birds and the gulls and crows make a raid on the eggs/chicks.

Moorhen

Mallard

Shoveler

Shelduck

Coot

Things got really exciting last week as we had swans with cygnets, a shelduck brood and the new tern islands finally went live. They were supposed to go out at the start of May but the terns were late in arriving so it was decided to hang on in case the gulls took them over. There are two small ones in front of the observation room and a larger one over at hide two. In less than 24 hours  there were two gull nests on the smaller ones, although the terns are showing interest.

Hi-jacked by gulls

More gull takeover!!

Small tern islands in front of the observation room, note sea fret!

Shelduck brood

Mute swan family

Bl-hd gulls, Med gull and common tern

New tern island from hide 2

Redpoll and greenfinch

Redpoll and goldfinch

Latest news is that there are at least six Med gull chicks on the main island. They are easier to see on the camera monitor so here are a couple of screen shots.

I'm skipping the list update as I need to do another post on the trip to the Gobbins on June 2, when we sailed through mist and fog in pursit of seabirds.

May update

Didn't realise it was so long since I updated, how time flies when your'e chasing migrants. We had a week in England which delivered a few goodies then once back things were kicking in at home and at WOW. Let's go in date order.

Firstly a couple of garden shots before the feeders come down for the summer.

Goldfinch and linnet

Linnet

I had a walk along the coastal path early one morning in April and got some nice shots but no new birds. Lots of singers, swallow mipit, eider and a pair of merganser. Haven't seen merganser in years and suddenly twice in a month - that's birding for you. The boat was dropping lobster pots along the shore.

A walk round Elton Reservoir in Bury - the local patch when I am in Bolton - gave me the first sand martins, house martins and swifts as well as two little ringed plovers.  A long weekend in Center Parcs in the lakes was surprisingly good. Whinfell Park is set in one corner of a large forest where two thirds of the trees are Scots pine and it is a red squirrel sanctuary. Willow warbler was the first bird I heard when I wound down the window at security and it was followed by chiffchaff and blackcap. It has several feeding areas and wildlife is all over the place and common species are easy for children to see.  The stand out bird was a pair of displaying tree pipits between the quad bike course and the archery Picked up by the unknown song, and then the textbook parachute display flight. We also had drumming GSW, treecreeper, siskin and singing song thrush. 

Join the tufty club.....

Freddy (4) says duck, Tilly (1+) says bird, Grandad (21+vat)  says mallard

Really close views of birds for the kids

Very well camouflaged female

We managed a day at Leighton Moss RSPB, a place which has long been on the wish list. There are 5 specialities of which I managed one - marsh harrier, but there was ample compensation in a total of 47 species and a few 2018 ticks I would struggle for at home - garden warbler, reed warbler, cetti's warbler and marsh tit. There was a scaup which is unusual for Leighton Moss but I wasn't as enthusiastic as some of the locals who were flocking to see it. Bitterns weren't boming, ospreys weren't fishing, avocets were too far away on a limited time scale and it was too windy for bearded tits. Must get back some day!

Leighton Moss from the Causeway hide

Largest reedbed in NW England

Pochard and bhg

Gadwall

Scaup

 Back home and summer had hit WOW, winter ducks are gone or in single figures and we got a full set of hirundines, swift, common and arctic terns, little gull and common sandpiper. There are at least four Mediterranean gull nests and 13 individuals have been spotted. There was also two ringed black-tailed godwits, one an old friend we have seen quite often, the other a "new" bird to WOW. We're still waiting for the history. The mute swans are on eggs and at least one set of coot chicks have hatched. In the near future you will be getting lots of baby photos.

Black-headed gull on eggs

Coot on eggs

Resting godwits

Godwit with bling

As above

Gadwall pair

2018  
119: House nartin
120: Sand martin
121: Swift
122: Little ringed plover
123: Tree pipit
124: Marsh harrier
125: Garden warbler
126: Cetti's warbler
127: Reed warbler
128: Marsh tit 
129: Common tern
130: Arctic tern
131: Little gull

 Bangor West
61: Swallow
62: Raven
63: Swift 
64: House martin

Belfast WOW
79: Swallow
80: Swift
81: Sand martin
82: House martin
83: Common tern
84: Arctic tern
85: Little gull
86: Common sandpiper

The spring has sprung.....

The spring has sprung
The grass is riz
I wonder where dem boidies is?
The little boids is on de wing......... all over the patches!!

At last we have movement, rising temperatures and a flood of migrants. Mind you I haven't managed to connect with them all just yet, but I have managed a few. The coastal path finally turned up a sandwich tern and the WOW patch added quite a few, especially on Saturday when I helped to take some members round the Harbour Meadows site. This area is normally closed to the public but the RSPB are holding a series of guided walks to let members see where their money is going. This was a fascinating insight into what goes on in this area and the changes that have had to be made as the site is next door to Belfast City Airport. The highlight for me was a small marsh where we put up 22 snipe and 2 jack snipe. We also saw reed bunting, buzzard, heron, stonechat, willow warbler, blackcap, chiffchaff and meadow pipit. Water rails were heard as well. I was so busy taking photographs for the RSPB I forget to take some for myself, fortunately Margaret sent me one taken near WOW. I will try to see if Chris can let me use the ones I took for him!

Walking at WOW by Margaret Adamson

The garden is still pulling in birds as you can see, nothing extravagant except for a female blackcap which I managed not to snap.

Bully

Bully singing

Collared dove

Punk greenfinch

Mr & Mrs

Passer domesticus (F)

WOW is still between winter and summer with wintering ducks being serenaded by willow warblers and blackcaps. Only one tern so far - a sandwich, and only one migrant ruff. The big attraction is the Mediterranean gulls which appear to be in breeding mood again this year.Numbers vary between one and five on the big island.

Other attractions are as follows

Black-tailed godwit getting more orange

Eider on the river

Hunting heron

The herons and hooded crows will not be around much longer as the gulls and terns will chase them once they are on eggs.As you can see they are getting "jiggy-jiggy" and for a short time we are able to tell male from female! They are probably two to three weeks later than they were last year.

 

Home decoration

Late news from today (Saturday) was a Patch Gold wheatear on the rocks at Stricklands, the first I remember seeing in 25 years of walking the coastal path. Right place right time, the 4 purple sandpipers near Pickie were also not expected in April, but were starting to show signs of breeding plumage and will not be around much longer. It is always nice to see a winter leaver and a summer arrival in the same area at the same time. My first wheatear last year was in the Bocquer Valley in Majorca.

2018  
113: Chiffchaff
114Swallow
115: Ruff
116: Willow warbler
117: Jack snipe
118: Wheatear

Bangor West
59: Sandwich tern
60: Wheatear

Belfast WOW
71: Rook
72: Snipe
73: Long-tailed tit
74: Ruff
75: Jack snipe
76: Willow warbler
77: Blackcap
78: Chiffchaff