Larne Lough and Rathlin Island - March 2017

It has been typically dull around Larne Lough lately, the gulls are now settled on the islands for the summer, the terns are trickling back as a smattering of other spring migrants begin to put in an appearance. The first year tick of the month were some Lesser Redpolls on the Alders along the railway line at Curran Road on 4th, saving me the indignation of having to check garden feeders. My usual jaunt around Larne usually includes a seawatch from the leisure centre in the hope of a Fulmar - I can't understand how they are so difficult to see when they breed in numbers nearby. Eventually much squinting towards the Maidens paid off when 2 Common Scoter flew by on 4th.  I will be on Manxie (and Fulmar) watch from now on.

 

The first Black-tailed Godwits arrived on 5th March, with numbers building to 15 on 18th before a flock of 40 appeared at the mouth of the Inver River on 23rd March - which isn't a regular site for this species.  Numerous Snipe and the odd Jack Snipe were on the move during the month. The feral Greylags made their first appearance at Glynn on 12th, but unfortunately did not manage to persuade the long-staying Greenland White-front to join them - though there is time yet!  Sandwich Terns were seen feeding off Sandy Bay and roosting at Glynn from 17th. A fairly standard return date.  Chiffchaffs were in song along Bank Road on 26th, but my usual site for Wheatear has not produced the goods so far.

Sanderling with Dunlin, Sandy Bay

Jack Snipe with Ballylumford Power Station in the background

As time moved towards the end of the month my attention turned to Rathlin and I managed another visit on 25th March, which turned out to be rather productive.  Things looked promising as I made by way up the hill at Church Valley, as numerous Goldcrests were flitting about above my head, easily totalling over 40 by the end of the day. The first Peregrines of the year were back at a regular breeding site, as were a couple of pairs of Twite. Near the East Light, as I checked around the cattle feeders for Chough, a large white blob entered my view.  A rather tatty, but glorious Iceland Gull. Only my third patch record! Into Church Quarter and two Woodpigeons bombed overhead, charging about gormlessly as only they can, before nearly impaling themselves in a blackthorn.  A classic early spring migrant on Rathlin and a most welcome year tick. Five Chiffchaffs were also noted.

A scan of the small sandy beach beside the harbour failed to produce any new waders for the year, so I decided to check a few Rock Pipits on the seawall for pink-wash. In return, a red-tail sprang onto the rocks beside me - the adrenaline rush began, was this finally it? Well, no... but a nice Black Redstart, just the second documented Island record and the first since 5th May 2013.  I was delighted, but only managed distant record shots as getting any closer would have disturbed the seals and they put up with enough of this already.  The south end of the patch produced the first Chough of the year and 2 Whimbrel at Doon Bay. A promising start to Spring!

 

 

Gannet action from the ferry

Over 40 of these on Rathlin on 25th March

First butterfly of 2017

Dappled light

Iceland Gull

Pair of Teal

Black Redstart

Black Redstart (taken from the ferry on my way home!)

Meadow Pipit

Close up Mipit

Chough, Doon Bay

Say my name



Irish Hare

Larne Lough additions in March: Lesser Redpoll, Common Scoter, Black-tailed Godwit, Greylag Goose, Sandwich Tern, Chiffchaff

 

Rathlin Island additions in March (since last update): Woodpigeon, Chough, Black Redstart, Chiffchaff, Iceland Gull, Blue Tit, Lesser Redpoll, Whimbrel, Peregrine, Twite, Coal Tit, Pheasant

A tale of two patches - Larne and Rathlin review 2014

This was my second year taking part in the Patchwork Challenge on Rathlin Island and as I enjoyed it so much last year, I decided to enter a second patch – the north end of Larne Lough, to try and resurrect my appetite for birding around my home town.  Apart from trips to the Bridges of Ross, Tory Island and Portugal, I did very little birding outside my patch boundaries.  A fact supported by plotting my Birdtrack records for the year.  As well as competing against around 340 other patches across the UK and Ireland, I was also keen to see which of my own patches would come out on top.

 

Sedentary birding, via Birdtrack

 

Some of you may have read recently about plans to have an ‘island mini-league’ in 2015 to include rarity hot spots which receive large falls in spring and autumn.  Thankfully, this rules out Rathlin! You see, both my patches occupy somewhat of a migration dead zone prone to autumnal bypasses most years.  However, for me this is exactly what makes patch birding so addictive; that new patch tick, a patch gold bird, heaven forbid a local rarity – all come at such a cost that I don’t mind not getting more than 2 points for most of them! The joy comes from what they mean to you.

I managed 121 species for 151 points on Rathlin in 2014 (you can read a review of the year here), so I had a comparative score to aim at this year.  My target for the Larne patch was 120 species.  Here’s how I got on:

Larne Lough Highlights

The first highlight of the year came in the form of a most unexpected patch tick, following a phone call about a Crane seen flying south along the Antrim coast.  A full 72 minutes later I intercepted it attempting to land at Glynn Station.  You can read more about my ‘Mourinho antics’ here.  This has to go down as one of my finest moments in birding.

Ah yes, that'll be the Crane!

 

In what was a poor year for white-winged gulls in Northern Ireland, finding a couple of Kumlien’s Gulls in the spring was noteworthy, considering these were just about the only records of this fine (sub) species recorded anywhere in NI this year.  However, I had to wait until mid-December to see an ‘ordinary’ Iceland Gull after dipping one earlier in the year.  It was also a great year for Little Gull sightings on patch, with at least 4 different birds seen during the year.

Iceland Gull

Little Gull

Kumlien's Gull

 

The events of the 6^th April will live long in the memory, when no less than three patch ticks were watched side by side at Glynn Station.  A Glossy Ibis had been loitering around the south end of the lough for a few weeks, tantalisingly outside the patch boundary – it was only a matter of time before it appeared at Glynn I thought.  During the first week of April it was reported at Glynn on a few occasions by other birders, but despite numerous searches I just could not see it.  I arrived at Glynn Station on 6^th April for another look ­­and was rewarded by close up views of a male Pintail, shortly followed by finding a Slavonian Grebe – in full breeding plumage no less.  As more local birders arrived to see these, someone uttered the immortal words “isn’t that the Glossy Ibis standing at the point”.  Indeed it was and I still wonder to this day how it got there without being noticed!  All three of these species were patch ticks and I blogged about the experience here.

 

 

Following this unprecedented start to the year, things went quiet, very quiet.  My hopes were eventually lifted by the sight of a pair of Roseate Terns in full display mode off Glynn Station on 14^th June. 

 

In the site guide I wrote (see here) at the beginning of the year, I mentioned Larne being good for “Gank, Gulls and Goosanders” and this year has done little to change my mind.  However, were it not for the lack of alliteration, I could also now add ducks to that list.  An amazing 13 species were recorded, all seen from the same spot at Glynn Station.  These included patch scarce Scaup, Long-tailed Duck and Common Scoter. To complete the story – it was indeed another good year for Goosanders with several birds making an appearance during the year.

Another thing I discovered through patch birding around Larne was that it made me aware of a number of glaring omissions from my patch list, owing to a complete lack of ever looking for them before.  You may be surprised to learn that Water Rail, Bonxie and Sand Martin were all patch ticks this year!  Other noteworthy sightings were second patch records of Curlew Sandpiper (24^th September, Sandy Bay) and Jack Snipe (15^th November, Glynn Rugby Club Lagoon).

The most glaring species not seen this year were Fieldfare and Whitethroat, while Pink-footed Goose, Greenland White-fronted Goose, Ruff and Spotted Redshank (missed by about 2 minutes) were seen by others.  The year ended with totals of 129 species or 168 points, 2028 records and 33 lists were added to Birdtrack.  A total of 7 species were added to my overall patch list, which now stands at 154 species.

 

Larne species accumulation via Birdtrack

 

Rathlin Island Highlights

I spent a total of 25 days on the island this year (compared to 30 last year) and I did not manage any visits during June or July due to survey commitments at work.  Nevertheless, I managed to add a further 8 patch ticks during 2014, including some great birds.

The first good day of the year came on 18^th April when my second patch record of Golden Eagle, was backed up by full (fat) patch ticks of Whinchat and Gadwall.  On the 11^th May I was stopped in my tracks by a call I was not familiar with and after a series of rubbish views, I managed to work out it was some sort of Sylvia warbler.  I recorded the call on my iPhone and emailed it to Niall Keogh just in case it was anything mental.  Niall got back to me to say it was a Lesser Whitethroat and I returned that afternoon when the bird eventually came into full view (for about 5 seconds).  Just my second patch record of this species (in exactly the same place as the first!) and it was good to become familiar with the call.  Another measly point in the bag! 

The big story of the year came from the now infamous Corncrake which turned up in mid-May only to be disturbed by a visiting helicopter (full story here).  I heard the bird on 24^th and 30^th May, but by the next day it had vanished.  During one of these visits it dawned on me that I had seen or heard all the species illustrated on the RSPB information panel on the same day; for the very first time.

 

 

There was not a lot to shout about during September barring my first patch Bar-tailed Godwit on 6^th and four Pink-footed Geese at Ushet Lough on 27^th which were nice to add to the year list after somehow missing them last year.

My now customary early October trip once again delivered in spades.  Mediterranean Gull, Little Gull and Sooty Shearwater were all patch ticks thanks to being on the island in half decent seawatching conditions.  However, I will remember the trip for my time spent in the company of a juvenile Brent Goose – which fed around my feet as I sat eating lunch.  It was a profound experience as I was most likely the first human it had ever encountered.

 

 

The late autumn period served up another two patch ticks in the form of a Tree Pipit on 17^th October and a Short-eared owl on 8^th November.  The pipit was particularly pleasing as judging by numerous old records from the island, it appeared I was failing miserably in my attempts to connect with this species.  Another measly point!

The year ended on 114 species or 146 point leaving my comparative score tantalisingly close to last year’s mark on 96.7%.  A total of 1165 records and 19 lists were added to Birdtrack.  My overall island list now stands at 148 species, a total that has increased by 19 in just two years of increased effort thanks to the patchwork challenge. 

Rathlin species accumulation via Birdtrack

 

In my own private mini-league I was amazed that Larne came out on top, though I suspect Rathlin would well and truly trounce Larne if I spent more time there.  Out of interest, I worked out that the combined scores for both my patches was 149 species or 199 points. Perhaps County Antrim isn’t such a migration dead zone after all.

Rathlin Update

It’s been a while since my last update from Rathlin, owing to a lack of visits during the past few months due to work commitments.  Despite not visiting at all in June or July, I have managed to add 5 species to the year list in the 5 visits I have managed since my last update.

 

The first of these was on 11^th May which started off with the second Grey Wagtail of the spring singing from trees above the small stream In Church Valley. Bird of the day however, was a singing Lesser Whitethroat (95) above Church Bay – only the 4^th island record and the first since 18^th October 2009.  Interestingly, this bird was skulking in the same dense thicket as I saw the last one!  This area has also hosted Garden Warbler in the recent past and regularly gets good numbers of Blackcaps and Whitethroats.  Looks a good bet for a Barred Warbler one day I reckon.

Here is a sound recording of the bird taken on my iPhone:

 

Also new for the year were 3 Mealy Redpolls (96) buzzing around the same area.  There seems to be a pattern emerging for these on patch, with birds seen annually in late spring, no doubt en route to breeding grounds much further north.  Elsewhere around the patch were: 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Chough, 12 Sedge Warbler, 6 Wheatear, 2 White Wagtail, 1 Wigeon, 10 Whitethroat and 23 Willow Warblers.

For a few weeks in late May this year the answer was yes for all 6 species

 

Saturday the 24^th May produced a good day total of 66 species, which included my first ever Rathlin Corncrake (97).  I sat on a nearby wall listening to its call as I ate lunch.  You could even hear it from the bar! (Or so I’m told).  A Mealy Redpoll was still doing the rounds in Church Valley and a good variety of other migrants and breeding species were noted, but included no further year ticks: 2 Chough, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 1 Dunlin, 1 Goldcrest, 12 Lesser Redpoll, 15 Sedge Warbler, 5 Wheatear, 9 Whitethroat and 25 Willow Warblers were the best of the rest.  I was also pleased to see that the patch Lapwing nested in a single colony this year.  Most of the 7 pairs present were guarding young during this visit.

The Corncrake was still present and singing away on 31^st May, but as many of you will know, it wasn’t seen or heard of after this date thanks to a private helicopter landing in its preferred field.  You can read more about this story here.  Good numbers of common migrants were still on the move with day totals of 10 Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 12 Whitethroat and 21 Willow Warblers.

 

A couple of images from the Maritime Festival in late May

 

My next visit wasn’t until 1^st August, when the only new bird for the year was a Kestrel (98).  Other early autumn migrants included over 100 House Martins above Church Bay and a flock of over 250 birds behind Mill Bay which included 100+ Linnets, 20 Lesser Redpolls, many Meadow Pipits and at least 2 Twite.

My latest visit took place on 6^th September when I recorded my 144^th patch species in the form of a Bar-tailed Godwit (99) in Mill Bay.  A high count of 17 Dunlin here had me on high alert for a Curlew Sand or Little Stint, but sadly not this time.  A couple of White Wagtails were scant consolation.

As there was a decent northerly breeze blowing, I spent some time around the Coastguard’s Hut hoping for a Lapland Bunting or Golden Plover on land, or some Brent Geese or a skua at sea.  However, the best on offer was a flock of 12 Snipe flying overhead, a few Skylarks on land and a handful of Manx Shearwaters offshore.  Elsewhere, good numbers of Swallows and House Martins were resting up on wires or feeding around the West Pier.  The gardens here had a few Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff.  Several Blackcaps were in the “Lesser Whitethroat” thicket. 

In other news, the pair of Chough successfully fledged 3 young and the Great Skua pair were also successful this year.  Though somehow the latter have evaded my year list thus far!  A pair of Whinchats were also confirmed breeding in the middle section of the island.  I also received news of a Red Kite which I missed earlier in the year.

Scores – 99 species, 123 points or 81.5%

By this stage last year I was on 112 species, so I’d better hope for an improved late autumn period this year to make up for it.

Winter meets Spring - Rathlin Visit 3

I made use of the early morning ferry to Rathlin on Friday 21^st March to spend the entire day slogging around the patch in search of year ticks and early spring migrants.  As is typical for this time of year, there was a nice mix of wintering stragglers and incoming breeders, which resulted in a further 11 species being added to the year list (including all 4 predicted at the end of my last post).

 

The Long-tailed Duck continued its long-term residency in the harbour alongside a male Red-breasted Merganser.  From the West Pier 2 Chough (58) were seen tumbling along the cliff tops in the strong SW winds.  The gull contingent in Mill Bay now included the first Black-headed (59) and Lesser Black-backed Gulls (60) of the year and a single Great Northern Diver remained offshore. 

Craigmacagan Lough once again produced some of the highlights of the day.  Whilst scanning the water, I heard Redwings (61) calling overhead and looked up to see 4 birds land on a nearby gorse bush before quickly disappearing. A male Reed Bunting (62) was calling from the reed bed, one of at least 6 males seen during the day.  As I approached the cattle grid at the south end of the lough, I noticed a bird scuttling across the track just a few yards in front of me.  Before I had even raised my bins I knew it was a Water Rail; it was that close (63)!  Nevertheless, this did provide a pleasant flashback to my day in the sun on Saltee a few years back!  The bird scrambled towards the nearest ditch, allowing just enough time to get a pic on the phone.  It’s always a treat to see this species out in the open.

Water Rail

Twice more between Craigmacagan and Ushet Loughs I saw pairs of Chough flying by, each time carrying nesting material.  It’s impossible to tell if today’s sightings relate to more than 2 birds - perhaps this was just the regular breeding pair performing an elaborate courtship flight across the entire length of the island!

 

A small number of Lapwing (64) have once again returned to Ushet Lough and as I watched these flying around, a Snipe (65) flushed from nearby.  I only realised this was a year tick when checking through my Birdtrack records earlier today! Also at Ushet were lots of gulls and Oystercatchers noisily setting up territories for the breeding season.  A male Goldeneye was on the water.

Ushet Lough

I had planned to walk down to the South Light, but upon seeing waves crashing against the cliffs, sending spray higher than the lighthouse, I decided against it.  Instead, I walked the sheltered coastline between Ushet Port and Doon Bay.  In amongst the many sandy inlets and pools here were 60+ Teal and over 30 Shelduck. As I watched 4 Buzzards hovering high above the cliffs, a Peregrine (66) hurtled by overhead, causing a commotion amongst the nearby Common Gulls.  I finally connected with my target bird for this stretch of coast at Doon Bay – 2 male Wheatears (67) seen skipping from boulder to boulder ahead of me.  Much in the same location as the first birds last spring!

I also checked the East Light gardens, then found myself up by the coastguards hut and had a quick search of Church Valley.  Only one further surprise was on offer – a single Chiffchaff (68) flitting about the willows by the Church.  Also of note was a great swarm of Meadow Pipits seen flying across the valley here.

Scores 68 species, 81 points or 53.6%

Easy Moorhen – Rathlin Visit 2

After weeks of seemingly endless howling gales, the weather on Sunday 16^th February finally allowed for a day trip to Rathlin. I had hoped the recent weather might have blown something into the harbour – a Little Auk or white-winged gull perhaps, but there were no real surprises to be found. Despite this, a further 7 species were added to the year list.

 

The Harbour

 

The first birds of note came in the form of 2 Great Northern Divers, loafing about 300m outside the harbour walls.  Inside the harbour, the Eider flock had doubled in size and still held a single Long-tailed Duck, which remained distant throughout the day.  Several Black Guillemots were also now gathered in the harbour.  Surprisingly, very few gulls were seen anywhere on patch, though a flock of c25 Common Gulls feeding in a flooded field provided brief hopes of something better.

Whilst standing near the West Pier inspecting the birds using a garden feeder, a couple of Rooks (51) flew west overhead - a species that could easily be missed during the year.  A single Ringed Plover (52) was amongst a small group of Turnstones in Mill Bay.  The best bird of the day came at Craigmacagan Lough, where bobbing around in the middle of the lake was a Moorhen (53) – which judging by last years escapades is perhaps one half of the only pair on the entire patch!  The feral Greylags appear to have returned to their breeding grounds already, which suggested the 16 birds seen later at Ushet Lough were of Icelandic origin.

The lack of Aythya ducks at their usual sites suggests they may well have evacuated the island during the stormy weather. There are often 75+ between Craigmacagan, Ally and Ushet Loughs at this time of year, but only a handful were seen today.  A couple more year ticks were seen in the Ushet area – Magpie (54) and Skylark (55) and several Gannets (56) passed Rue Point.  Once back in Church Bay, a male Red-breasted Merganser (57) appeared in the harbour; the 49^th and final species of the day. 

It was pleasing to hear the island had got off relatively unscathed following the storms, with the track near Rue Point the only noticeable casualty. Hopefully by my next visit some early returning breeders will have made their way back to the island such as Lapwing, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull and Chough.

Score 57 species, 68 points or 45.03%

Nice to see you – Visit 1

Got my 2014 account up and running on Rathlin yesterday (4 January) and despite an utter soaking, I managed a respectable 50 species during the day.  It was pleasing to see that many of the good birds seen on my last visit some 6 weeks ago were still present. This included single Long-tailed Ducks and Goldeneye in the Harbour, a female Pochard at Ally Lough and up to 5 Great Northern Divers off the West Pier.  The only surprises of the day were a second Long-tailed Duck off Mill Bay, alongside a female Common Scoter and a flock of 5 Whooper Swans flying north off Doon Bay.

More than 85 Greylags flew in to roost at Ushet Lough in the late afternoon, but still did not contain anything more unusual.  On my first visit last year I recorded 51 species, so I’m happy enough with a similar start this year.

 

I’ll leave you with this geektastic graph showing my accumulation of year ticks on Rathlin last year. It doesn’t show us birders anything we don’t already know, but highlights just what a pathetic autumn I had.

 

Score - 50 species, 60 points or 39.7%

 

Graph of the year at this stage...

 

A Month of Sundays on Rathlin – Review 2013

 

The weather has beaten me and I have been unable to visit the patch at all during December; so it’s time now to reflect on the year that was, the year that could have been and look forward to the year that’s to come.   During 2013, I spent a total of 30 days on Rathlin and my efforts resulted in a total of 121 species (151 points or 118.9%) being recorded, which included no fewer than 11 patch ticks, a first island record and numerous highs and lows. 
 

I outlined my hopes and aims for the patch birding year (here) and this is how I got on:

1.    Visit more often particularly in winter and spring – Outcome - doubled the number of usual annual visits.

2.    Go in search of commoner species which I may not have looked for otherwise – Outcome – you have no idea the lengths I went to see a Moorhen this year! See previous posts (here and here).

3.    Increase my chances of finding those all important double scoring rarities – Outcome – epic fail.  Not even close.

4.   Increase my island and self-found lists – Outcome – with 11 patch ticks this year, my patch and island list (as I rarely venture beyond the patch boundaries!) now stands on 138.  Redstart was a most welcome addition to my Irish self-found list, this species is now a Northern Ireland rarity – the birds I had on Rathlin account for 2 of the 3 records in the country in 2013!

5.    Improve my patch seabird list via some seawatching – Outcome – got this all wrong. Just about got Bonxie on the year list and they breed on the island! Noted a submarine as a highlight during one seawatch.



Fair and Torr Heads from Doon Bay on Rathlin

Patch Ticks (in order of appearance):

 

Common Scoter, Goldeneye, Purple Sandpiper, Long-tailed Duck, Grey Wagtail, Long-tailed Tit, Yellow Wagtail, Redstart, Black Redstart, Collared Dove and Brambling.

The fact that 10 of these species were found in winter or spring says a lot about how the year went; an exceptional spring (for NI standards) was followed by a somewhat disappointing autumn, not helped by me going to Portugal for the one week in September when good birds were being found at all corners of Ireland.



The East Light from Coastguards

 

First Island Record:

 

Black Redstart, 5 May. This was the first documented record for the island, found in exactly the spot I have long predicted this species would turn up; at the base of the West Pier in Church Bay.  This was the 190^th species to make it onto the island list I’ve been putting together.

 

Patch Mega

 

 

Dips and Glaring Omissions:

The only species I missed on patch (that I’m aware of) that were seen by others were Pomarine Skua, Hen Harrier and Whinchat.  The most obvious omissions to the year list included Mistle Thrush, Great Crested Grebe (not seen one since about 2008 at Lough Ushet), Bar-tailed Godwit, Arctic Tern and Pink-footed Goose.

Some Highlights:

1.    On an atrocious mid winter day, when only a complete fool would have been out birding, I sat huddled amongst rocks in Mill Bay sheltering from the elements as it began to snow.  Birding for the avid patch worker stops for nothing and through the snow – a vision of the distant bobbing head of a Purple Sandpiper appeared like an apparition though my misty eyed bins.  My first patch record.

2.    It’s early October, lashing down outside and I’m setting off from the Manor House while it’s still dark to hike to the East Light for a seawatch.  Standing sodden underneath one of the few streets lights in Church Bay was a Wheatear.  I began to wonder what this tiny migrant might have been through that night to end up puffed up and shaking under a street light on Rathlin.  Somehow my hike to the East Light seemed very easy afterwards.

3.    I had already seen a Yellow Wagtail at the east end cattle fields (patch tick) and would have been quite happy to call this one of the highlights of the spring. Yet, the patch had even better in store – a cracking breeding plumaged male Redstart seen all too briefly at Ballycarry Pool. I had only added this species to my Irish list the previous spring on Saltee!

4.    Finally seeing a Moorhen after 5 months of trying only to see one with a chick the following visit.

5.    Late evening at the East Light in October as Meadow Pipits and Wheatears dropped in from nowhere and Silver Y moths buzzed around the heather.

6.    The look I received from a Merlin as it flew passed me at close range clutching one of the above pipits in its talons.

7.    Pinning down the hangouts of a spectacular Rathlin Golden Hare and getting a decent photo.

Redstart - you may need to squint

 

Moorhen - a contender for bird of the year!

 

Wheatear from the late evening fall in October

 

Golden moment captured

 

As I never managed to find a bird deemed rare enough to trouble the multiplier effect column on the score sheet here are some of the other species not mentioned so far, which I consider good birds for the patch which were seen this year: White-fronted Goose, Jack Snipe, Grasshopper Warbler, Mealy Redpoll, Woodpigeon, Spotted Flycatcher, Garden Warbler, Snow Bunting and Lapland Bunting.

 

I must make a particular effort to stress just how good the migration buzz was on the island on some days during the spring.  Species like White Wagtail, Rock and Meadow Pipits passed through the island in their hundreds. Birds such as Skylark and Wheatear were seen bombing over the East Light and some decent falls of common migrants were also noted; day totals for Willow and Sedge Warblers peaked at 50 and 27 respectively.

Twite and cow - on territory

 

 

On the breeding bird front, I was involved in an all island Twite survey carried out by the RSPB, which revealed several breeding pairs of Northern Ireland’s rarest breeding finch and one of my favourite birds.  Unfortunately, soon after discovering a pair visiting a probable nest site, a large gorse fire tore through the area, obliterating all in its path.  The small breeding population of Lapwing continues to struggle, with only a couple of fledged juveniles seen from the 6 pairs which bred on the patch.  The Black-headed Gulls failed at the previously known colony due to spring flooding, but I located another small colony (25-30 pairs) elsewhere on the patch which fared much better and for the first time in many years a few pairs of Sand Martins bred, making use of a landslide in Doon Bay which revealed some nice muddy banks.

Eider congregate and display in the harbour...

 

Then pair up...

 

And produce plenty of these

Several species remain on my wish list for next year, but I need to up my game and be on the island during autumn when things are moving and I really must try some seawatching in a proper north westerly – lots of island ticks and points are available.  The mega find on the island still evades me, but I’m having a bloody good time trying.

Thank you and goodnight