Beginnings of spring at Ballyquintin

I've been away for a couple of weeks and visited Ballyquintin this weekend (20/21 April) for the first time since the end of March. I was expecting to find the place heaving with migrants - wrong! It started well enough on Saturday morning at Templecowey. Straight out of the car, I heard a willow warbler, then saw a couple of chiffchaffs in the trees. A swallow zipped around, and I heard a pheasant calling (eventually finding it by one of the hedges). I moved onto the headland itself, but sea-watching conditions were poor (bright, glaring light, wind blowing somewhat offshore). A few Sandwich terns went past, but little else. I had seen several wheatears along the coast road driving down to Ballyquintin, but didn't spot one on my patch itself (though I didn't walk down to the shore, as I should have done). A whimbrel poked around in one of the fields. A good number of golden plover hiding in a ploughed field held promise, but proved to be a pure flock.

I tried again today, a bit harder. The few migrants had disappeared from Templecowey, but four buzzards soared, in some kind of compensation. Still only a few swallows around, and still poor sea-watching, though I tried harder than the day before. A walk around the headland produced a fine male wheatear, dozens of meadow pipits, singing skylarks, hundreds (it seemed) of linnets and a flock of 20 whimbrel, but still no movement of arriving terns, not even Manx shearwater were visible. There is always next weekend!

91 species, 115 points

End of Feb at Ballyquintin

I wasn't able to get out to Ballyquintin in the middle of the month, but have caught up with a couple of visits this week. 

Tuesday 19th Feb I had a chance for a quick walk around. The green-winged teal was still in Barr Hall Bay, and as I headed on past the bay a raven came over, calling (joined later by 2-3 others). One of the fields on the east side of the headland now has some grazing ponies in it, with a sign asking people to keep out, so I followed a circuitous route along the shore, and between the shore and the field, until I had reached the farm, which effectively stops progress northwards, and turned back to go round the field on the inland side. Coming past one of the stony ridges, I was startled by a sudden flapping, and half-turned to see a short-eared owl launching itself into the air - I must have been within 2m of it! They always do seem to sit very tight, but this was one of my closest encounters. Once airborne, it flapped softly away, no doubt to its second-best sleeping place. Continuing inland, I went over the headland and started down the tracks back to Barr Hall Bay. The linnet flock was still present, and sitting well enough in the hedge for a good look, and I found one twite amongst them. Further down, a fine male reed bunting sat up nicely in one of the hedges.

Today, 23rd Feb, I drove past Barr Hall Bay, spotting a flock of greenfinch in a tree by the road at the farm, then up to the National Trust car park, where I started walking. It was calm but steely cold in a light and very chill breeze. The shelduck were going about the business, but very little happening off shore. The tide was out in Barr Hall Bay, and it was busy with waders, mostly dunlin, with ringed, grey and golden plover, one bar-tailed godwit, and four knot. The green-winged teal showed really well, feeding at the water edge in the outer bay. It has broad, pure white vertical stripes at the breast sides, and stands out a mile (as long as it is not behind a rock). All was quiet the rest of the walk back up to the car. I drove slowly north checking the fields towards Templecowey but picked up only a fast-moving sparrowhawk near the entrance. 

So, continuing progress with what should be commoner species, and a couple of less common on the list. I'm ready for some spring migrants now!

81 species, 103 points.

Ballyquintin reporting

Slow and steady progress from Ballyquintin last weekend and this. The grove at Templecowey has started to contribute - a goldcrest (26 Jan) and coal tit and great tit (at last!) today (3 Feb). The farm along the road has a pair of collared doves on 26 Jan, and there were mistle thrushes in the fields on 27 Jan. Surprise bird, also on 27 Jan, was a bullfinch. It was cold and windy, blowing on to the point. I decided to walk around anyway, and spotted something bright fly into a low hedge by a stone wall, very near the shore. It reappeared, then worked its way along the hedge before disappearing inland - an immaculate male bullfinch. I don't think I have seen one on the headland before, and certainly didn't expect one in that weather.

Apart from that ... the green-winged teal remains in Barr Hall Bay (seen today, 3 Feb), although the teal numbers seem to be dropping. Red-throated and great northern divers are on the sea. And a short-eared owl, a bird I have been looking for on every visit this winter finally turned up on 26 Jan, but it wasn't me that saw it!

3 Feb: 74 species, 94 points.

Ballyquintin in the gale 18-20 January

SE gale on Friday 18th, blowing full on to Ballyquintin point. I went down to take a look, and to see if there was any shelter at all with that kind of wind .... and there wasn't. Nearly blown off my feet going to the coastguard lookout. Birds were moving out at sea, but nothing identifiable without any protection. A little better at Barr Hall Bay, on the western side of the point, and the green-winged teal was still around, but that was it.

Shore near Port Kelly, N of Ballyquintin farm, in the gale. 18 January 2013

Winds were forecast to decrease, but still strong enough, and still SE-E over the weekend. On Saturday 19th I looked in briefly, and found a flock of 20 fieldfare lurking in the hedge at Templecowey. Bleak at the Ballyquintin NT car park, but 50 teal on one of the farm ponds were a little unusual. Barr Hall Bay was better, though. A great northern diver was out in the bay (the first I have seen there), along with some red-breasted mergansers, and a few feral pigeons flew over. A group of teal also in the bay, but I didn't manage to pick out the green-winged fella.

I spent more time there today, still with a biting E-SE wind, and frequent vicious hail showers. The green-winged teal was showing fine in Barr Hall Bay. Out in Strangford Narrows, a flock of kittiwake caught my eye, and I found guillemots and razorbills on the water beneath them. Walking around the point produced very little, unsurprisingly, but the western fields on the headland were thick with corvids, starlings, gulls, linnets, pigeons and plovers. The linnet flock was large and held promise, but I failed to get a really good look at them. Even though it seemed like a pure flock, perhaps 500 strong, it was frustrating not to be sure there was nothing else with them. A few stock doves did show themselves nicely, however. A female merlin (probably the one I saw there last week) flashed around and kept the whole lot on the boil.

Some gentler weather would be nice, if anyone can fix that ... still haven't found a great tit on this patch!

68 species, 88 points.

Ballyquintin, chipping away ... 13 Jan 2013

Having thus far made only quick runs at Ballyquintin, I decided to do it properly today. The morning was grey and nasty, with a cold, spitting rain. I headed first to Templecowey (aka Cowey Wells), and found the place virtually devoid of birds. A lone little egret stood out on the marsh. Only one thing for it: I headed for Portaferry to sit out the rain with some coffee and a bacon sandwich at Barholm (picking up a robin for the patch along the exit road).

Templecowey, looking down over the reedbeds and tidal marsh. Small area of woodland on the slope to the left. 13 Jan 2013.

An hour or so later, it seemed to be looking better, so I returned to  the NT car park, and took the track N along the shore. Four wigeon were on the sea, with the teal, and house sparrows and chaffinches around the farm. Hundreds of gulls searching among the seaweed, all of the commoner species (to my eye). Near the end of the track, a purple sandpiper flew up from a group of turnstones (I later saw what I presume was the same bird out on the point). It was still spitting the same nasty rain as I moved back to the car park, and then out to the coastguard lookout. For once, there was shelter there, the rain cleared off, and I had a great views both E over the sea, and W over the fields towards Strangford Narrows. The fields held lapwings, curlews, golden plovers, and a few dunlin but, while scanning these, I picked up a female merlin preening on a fence post. Out at sea, there was more action than a few days ago. A few scoter flew past in small groups, two red-throated divers on the sea, a couple of black guillemot and several guillemot. A couple of kittiwake flew around with the other gulls, and then a gannet wheeled past. Into the sea birds at last!

From Ballyquintin coastguard lookout, over the last field on the Point, with Strangford Narrows in the background. This field held hundreds of plovers today, and is where dotterel were found a couple of autumns ago. 13 Jan 2013.

I walked down to the point and round the shore to Barr Hall Bay. Ringed plover rested on the shingle.  Once round to the bay, a pair of stonechat popped up onto the fence, there was a meadow pipit with the rock pipits on the shore, and song thrushes shot in and out of bushes. The tide was in, but there was still a large flock of teal, and the drake green-winged teal among them, in the innermost part of the bay. Continuing up onto the headland, 50 tree sparrows came up into the hedge, and I found two blue tits in the same section. On the top of the headland, every field seemed to be full of gulls, starlings and corvids, with at least one flock of linnet. A final scan over the sea from the car park produced a solitary female eider. I drove back up to Templecowey for another go, but it was still more or less birdless, and the afternoon was darkening.

Barr Hall Bay from the SE. The near shore, but at low tide, is where the green-winged teal was found on 10 Jan. Today it was in the innermost part (top right in the photo), along the far shore. 13 Jan 2013.

So, I think I'm still missing a few species, but the day's 19 new patch birds means that the total is now starting to look more like how it should ... 62 species, 80 points.

Ballyquintin point, early January

My first visit to Ballyquintin this year was on 1 Jan, as part of a birding day across the Outer Ards, and before I was aware of the Patch Birding project. I was looking for year ticks, not patch ticks, and did not keep complete notes of commoner species. I pulled into the layby at Barr Hall Bay in early afternoon, tide was nearly in and I scanned around. The usual group of teal were swimming among the rocks, a little egret was resting above the tide line, and a flock of golden plover were resting out on one of the islands. A couple of shelduck, a little grebe and a rock pipit, and that was about it. I tried scanning out into Strangford Narrows, but low and bright sun made it difficult. I even failed to find a heron! Back into the car, and the drive round to the National Trust car park, and from there a quick walk down to the point. It was quiet here too, but a Sandwich tern flew over, a skylark flew over, calling. I came over the drier shingle areas and crossed the wet tidal marshes, and quickly flushed a couple of snipe and a single jack snipe, flying over low and dropping down quickly (probably a bird that I had seen there in late December: this is almost a reliable place for them in winter). No sign of a short-eared owl, which over-wintered in the area in 2011-12, but apparently not this winter. Further along the shore, a flock of dunlin rose, some turnstones, and a single greenshank. Two carrion crows picked around on one of the shingle banks. I didn't scan the sea, as the the light and wind were difficult, and I wanted to head to other places.

Inner area of the northern, smaller bay at Barr Hall Bay at near high tide (1 Jan 2013)

East side of Ballyquintin Point, looking S (1 Jan 2013)

So, then along came Patch Birding! It struck me that Ballyquintin would be a good patch. Close enough to home, a good place to walk. I had begun exploring the area more over the last few months, and this would be a good excuse for visits, long or short. My first chance to get back was yesterday afternoon, 10 Jan, and I wanted to be sure of some of the commoner species, and have a crack at others, including the sea-birds that I ignored on 1 Jan. It was a grey day, which had been calm in the morning, but the wind was rising somewhat. I arrived about 15:00, mistiming it slightly, as the light was beginning to fade early under the thick cloud. I parked by Barr Hall Bay, right under an overhead wire with a patient kestrel. Some brent geese were swimming further out, and the little egret came flying in. A small group of teal flew past to the next, larger, bay, and I could see some small waders further out in that direction. I had decided to walk around the point and headed down the track.

Outer area of the northern, smaller bay at Barr Hall Bay at low tide (10 Jan 2013)

A short distance along, the track skirts the edge of the larger bay, and tide was completely out. It was jumping with ducks and waders. A buzzard flew over. I began scanning the ducks first. Mostly teal and a few mallard, at a first glance. I was hoping for a few wigeon, who knows what else. But on the second swing round, a drake teal dabbling at the water edge, moved from behind a female, and showed a bright white vertical stripe at the side of its breast. Whiter than white. I couldn't believe my luck, and stood there staring at this gorgeous green-winged teal. And regretting not paying more attention to the rules for this game - I was guessing it might be 3 points, but had no idea if it was a bonus points bird (which it is, of course). But it was getting distinctly dark. I tried the waders, but could find only dunlin and golden plover, then a solitary grey plover. I did add all the expected gulls. Something flushed the whole lot, but I didn't see what it was (could have been the buzzard).

I carried on along the track and shore, skirting the barbed wire fences extended down to the high tide line, and came around to the point itself. The wind was uncomfortably strong and no shelter, but having carried the scope thus far, I had a go for anything moving on the sea. A few minutes gave only shags and cormorants, so that is still something for another day. At least one of the carrion crows was still there. I flushed two snipe from the tidal marsh, and then a good dozen from the shore further along, but didn't pick out any jack snipe. Passerines had disappeared completely, and I saw nothing else in the walk over the top and back down to the car, except a final dunnock calling and hopping near a hedge in the last of the light.

So, I am at 43 species, 59 points. And a couple of lessons learnt: (i) you can get points very quickly if you find your own rarities; (ii) Barr Hall Bay at low tide is very, very promising territory, extensive and remote enough to be undisturbed by people or dogs. Still plenty of the patch not explored at all this year, and none of it in good conditions for sea-birds or flocks of passerines. I'll be back.

Keith Bennett

11 Jan 2013