Spring roundup – Larne Lough

It was inevitable that the great run of rarities during the early part of the year would dry up, nevertheless 14 species have been added around the patch since my last update. This has included three more species of duck, but little in the way of surprises or high scorers.  The first Swallows had made it back by 12 April, House Martins returned by 22 April and the first Swifts of the year were seen on 3 May.  Once again Sand Martins failed to make an appearance on the patch, not that this was surprising considering I’ve never seen one in Larne!

 

The best find of the past couple of months was the second Kumlien’s Gull in as many weeks to put in a brief appearance at the Inver River.  A rather nice 1^st winter bird was found loafing around there at low tide on 13 April.  This put me in the unusual position of trying to turn what was a fairly classic Kumlien’s into an Iceland Gull, having dipped on the latter species earlier in the year.

 

1st winter Kumlien's Gull, Inver River

 

I’m not sure if it’s always the case, or it’s thanks to my increased efforts this year, but I have been amazed at the number of ducks that have put in an appearance at Glynn Station thus far.  A pair of Gadwall were found on 16 April and were joined for a few weeks by two moulting males.  In between times the male Pintail appeared again, then went missing for a month only to reappear last week!  This made me wonder whether they might actually be breeding in the private lagoon at Glynn.  Next up on the duck front were a pair of Scaup found bobbing around distantly off the station on 26 April. A check of my records showed these were only my second ever on patch, following a female at the same location in February 2010.  My most recent addition to the year list, was also a second patch record in the form of 5 Pochard at Glynn Station on the unusual date of 23 June! That’s 11 species of duck seen this year from Glynn Station!

 

 

Gadwall, Scaup and Pochard all put in an appearance at Glynn Station

 

Elsewhere, I mopped up a few other spring migrants – a Common Sandpiper was at Sandy Bay on 17 April, Common Terns were arriving back to breed by 21 April and Sedge Warblers (maybe only 2 pairs on patch) were at Glynn from 30 April.  A distant feeding flock of Manx Shearwaters were seen from Sandy Bay on 23 April and the odd bird can be seen gliding by at sea most days at the moment.  No doubt en route to or from the Copeland Islands.  A nice summer plumaged Sanderling was new for the year at Sandy Bay on 5 May, but no sign of something more extravagant like a Curlew Sandpiper.
 

Following several failed attempts to see one of the Spotted Flycatchers that usually appear on patch around mid-May, a pair were finally seen on 22^nd when they were observed collecting nest material along Glynn River.  I was beginning to think my prediction that Reed Buntings were likely to be encountered at Glynn Lagoon was going to fall flat on its face until a nice male was heard singing in the small reed bed there on 26 April.

 

Summer Sanderling and Dunlin, Sandy Bay

Spotted Flycatcher, Glynn River

The undoubted highlight of the late spring period was watching a pair of Roseate Terns courting off Glynn Station on 14 June.  It was great to welcome back what are normally Northern Ireland’s only breeding pair of this graceful seabird.  Let’s hope they manage to fledge young this year.

This patch birding malarkey fairly gets under your skin – I have even made a late evening venture in search of calling Long-eared Owl chicks but all I managed to find was a courting pair of different kind!  Most recently I managed to dip a Spotted Redshank, which becomes the second species I’ve missed on patch this year along with Iceland Gull.

So all in all, not a bad few months.  Thoughts turn now to seawatching and keeping my eye on wader passage.  The optimist in me thinks of large shearwaters and yank waders, but more realistic targets are Common Scoter, Bonxie and Knot…

Current score – 116 species or 148 points

 

Purple Patch – Larne Lough update

Life ‘Post-Crane’ around the Larne patch has been predictably dull, with just the occasional oddity turning up and a slow trickle of migrants arriving through March.  However, in the past week or so, things have really livened up, with some birds actually troubling the bonus points column on the score sheet!  Since my last update in early February, I have made more visits to Glynn Station and Sandy Bay than I care to remember and have had no end of trouble trying to find certain ‘common’ species.  Yet, somehow it all seems worthwhile when the patch serves up birding gems like Kumlien’s Gull and Glossy Ibis!

 

The only addition to the year list in February following the Crane was a drake Shoveler, found loitering off Glynn Station with Wigeon on 22^nd, which I’m treating as a patch tick – although I do have a vague recollection of seeing two females at Glynn many moons ago, but don’t seem to have noted it down anywhere.

 

 

 

There has been no shortage of gulls to check through during the past month or two, with a major arrival occurring in mid-February and numbers generally building since then.  I made a rough count of all the gulls visible from Glynn Station on 20^th February and tallied 1200 Black-headed Gulls, 800 Common Gulls, 300 Herring Gulls, 25+ Great Black-backed Gulls, 5 Mediterranean Gulls and 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. A grand total of over 2300 gulls, but this figure could easily have been doubled had all the gulls in the north end of the lough been counted.  Paying close attention to the gulls also revealed the spring arrival of Med Gulls, with at least 12 birds being seen on at least one occasion (8 x adults, 2 x 2nd sum & 2 x 1^st sum) around the patch.  By mid-March several adults could be seen displaying off Glynn Station and most will hopefully stay to breed on the nearby islands, which are currently heaving with gulls and terns.

No further year ticks were seen until 9^th March when I finally caught up with a Kingfisher at Glynn Station.  Later that day, on my first foray to Curran Point of the year I managed two more with 15+ apparently fresh in Meadow Pipits and a female Stonechat.  On my second visit here on 17^th March, a nice male Wheatear was present.  This site definitely seems capable of attracting passerine migrants.

Other early spring migrants were picked up around the patch on predictable March dates – Black-tailed Godwits on 14^th, the first Chiffchaff singing at Bank Road on 16^th, Sandwich Terns off Glynn Station on 29^th and a Blackcap at Glynn Lagoon on 30^th.  Although a Whimbrel seen and heard off Glynn on 19^th March had most likely wintered there.

 

Little Egret and Water Rail proved surprisingly difficult to get onto the year list. The former was not encountered at until 14^th March and an early morning stake out of the private lagoon at Glynn was required for the latter the following day.



 

March is normally one of the best months of the year in Larne Lough, as in addition to the mass arrival of gulls, there is also a nice build-up of ducks, geese and waders and this year proved to be no exception. Peak counts from Glynn Station included: 120 Brent Geese, 145 Redshank, 6 Greenshank, 100+ Curlew, 129 Eider, 63 Goldeneye and 58 Red-breasted Merganser. As well as occasional Red-throated and Great Northern Divers. 

I was beginning to think the most unusual gull sighting of the winter was going to be an adult Kittiwake seen roosting off Glynn Station on 19^th March, but an evening trip to the local garage on 31^st soon changed that idea.  Driving home along the harbour highway, I noticed a nice collection of gulls loafing at the Inver River mouth at high tide.  I pulled onto the hard shoulder and was scanning the flock with my bins, when I was stopped in my tracks by a most welcome tail pattern! I focussed in on the bird – an adult Kumlien’s Gull, but something wasn’t quite right, it was at the dark end of things for Kumlien’s, appeared rather chunky and most strikingly appeared to have an all dark bill.  At that moment I realised I had no scope with me, so after a quick dash home, I was soon back viewing the bird from the Bank Road side of the lough as it drifted further away on the outgoing tide.  I managed good views and took some shots through the scope.  The eye was also dark (ok for adult Kumlien’s), the breast and neck heavily marked/streaked and the bill did have some blotches of yellow on it, suggesting it may have been stained or caked in mud.  Later that night, once confirmed as a Kumlien’s by various other gull enthusiasts, I updated my patch score sheet to discover it was worth a whopping 6 points!



 

I arrived home from a work visit to England late on 3^rd April to discover that the Glossy Ibis first seen outside the patch boundary in January had been seen off Glynn Station.  Obviously this necessitated a 7am visit the next morning before work, but there was no sign, although the first Willow Warbler of the year was in full song at the station.   

My next visit to Glynn Station on the evening of 6^th April, will live long in the memory.  I arrived to find a couple of local birders casually chatting about a Pintail – I raised my bins and right at the mouth of the river was a stunning drake, which I quickly told them (not that they cared much) was the first time I had ever seen this species in the lough.  Shortly afterwards, the original patch birder himself - Cameron Moore arrived to get some shots of the bird. He then told me he had seen the Glossy Ibis there that morning.  Whilst enjoying views of the Pintail a small grebe popped up into my field of view.  I got onto it through the scope and stopped Cameron mid-sentence and said you might want to take a look at this grebe!  A smart Slavonian Grebe almost in full summer plumage was feeding just yards away from the Pintail!  This was as good as a patch tick, as my only previous record was of a dubious long range bird several years ago.  I have seen summer plumaged Slav’s in Strangford and Lough Foyle before, but never at such close range.  An absolute belter.

 

 

I ventured off to view the private lagoon from the main road, hoping to finally see the Glossy Ibis.  After half an hour searching there was no sign, but I did manage to year tick Coot!  I returned to the platform at Glynn to find that another couple of birders had arrived to see the grebe.  As all present stood taking in views of the grebe and Pintail, local birder Brian shouted out “hold on, isn’t that the Ibis just off the point?” Err hell yea it is!  Appearing as if from nowhere, the Glossy Ibis was now standing within feet of the feeding Pintail and Slav Grebe…

 

 

Having birded around Larne for many years, this sort of thing just does not happen here.  Whatever next I asked Cameron, “Pelicans” he replied.

All this action leaves me on 102 species or 131 points for the year.

Shirley Dunlop, Gerard McGeehan, Cameron Moore and Brian enjoying all the goings on at Glynn last night...