Famous Last Words

 

I hoped these words wouldn’t ring true, but at the back of my mind I knew I was up against it.  More than four months later and I am still waiting.  As we slip into winter, allow me to regale you with my recent patch birding highlights from Larne.

The first debacle took place in early June, when an evening visit to Sandy Bay produce little to raise the excitement levels except 2 geese seen flying north offshore.  Having broken the window clamp for my trusty in-car Bushnell Spacemaster many moons ago, the scope was duly thrown onto the roof of the jeep.  A few squinted scans added nothing to aid the identification, so I put them down as “probable Greylags”.

Imagine my delight later that evening when a cursory check of the nibirds blog revealed that a Bean Goose and a Pink-footed Goose (no less), were seen flying north from Portmuck on Islandmagee shortly before my encounter.  Can you see the delight etched across my face? It hurts. 

Sure, I knew it was going to be a good year when not a single Purple Sandpiper put in an appearance at Sandy Bay for the first time since I started birding.  Yes, of course someone else saw a couple there in May – that goes without saying.  Still a chance of getting one before the end of the year I suppose.

Highlights since June have been few and far between but include discovering a site with breeding Meadow Pipits and Whitethroats, a couple of Arctic Skuas chasing kittiwakes and terns offshore on 15 August and the occasional Little Gull.  My second ever patch Ruff appeared on 4 August during a Mediterranean Gull survey, but it wasn’t even a year tick as I had discovered my first at the same location this spring.

Despite regular counts of over 100 small waders at Sandy Bay of late, nothing unusual has been noted amongst them.  The best being an occasional Sanderling.  So compared to last year I am down Curlew Sandpiper, Knot and Grey Plover. 

This weekend started off in promising fashion, but by its conclusion had turned into another patch birding debacle.  An early morning visit to Glynn Station at high tide produced some decent sightings including the first Goldeneye of the winter, 2 Whooper Swans and a presumed returning Slavonian Grebe.  I ventured a few miles inland to see a Ring-necked Duck at Lough Mourne and was interrupted by the sound of geese flying over.  At least this time I had my proper scope with me and was able to enjoy nice views of 15 Greenland White-fronted Geese migrating over the lough.  Whilst doing so, I realised the direction they were heading meant they had most likely flown down Larne Lough.  Why couldn’t they have flown over while I was at Glynn?

I returned to Sandy Bay on the dropping tide to check through the waders and returned home for lunch pointless once more.  Just as I was about to head out the door to go back to Glynn, I received a text saying a Great White Egret was at Ballycarry Bridge, just a couple of miles off patch.  So I headed straight for a look.  Whilst enjoying distant scope views of the bird I heard mention that it had originally been found at Glynn Station that morning! Resisting the urge to gouge my eye out with the scope, I replied, “fantastic”. 

Shortly afterwards a flock of geese appeared flying about in the distance - I picked out a Pink-footed Goose among the 30 or so Greylags.  Yet another species that would be a patch year tick if it would do the decent thing and actually appear on patch.  Having seen enough of this bird I began scanning about to see what else was around.  A juvenile Brent Goose lay stricken on the mudflats, the result of an unfortunate collision with overhead power lines I suspect.   Just then, one of the other birders present said something along the lines of, “I was so lucky to see that Pink-foot at Glynn the other day”.  A blow delivered like a power line across the chops. I could only stare back in horror.

Having informed all present of my run of bad luck, they offered nothing but puzzled expressions in return.  I bid them farewell and, ever the optimist, headed back to Glynn Station where I fully expected to see a flock of White-fronted Geese,  a Ring-necked Duck, a Pink-footed Goose and the Great White Egret flying into roost.  Dream on. 

As I looked at a manky hybrid crow in the fading light and felt the first chill of winter on my face, I began to wonder why I wasn’t at home watching the rugby like a normal human being.

 

 

No alarms and no surprises. Silent.

It has been a while since I last wrote an update about my patch birding exploits on either of my Larne Lough or Rathlin patches.  Fear not, I am still putting in as much time and effort this year but seem to be caught in a bit of birding lull at the moment with very few #patchgold moments on either patch thus far.  Saying that, I have still managed a few #fullfatpatchticks on both patches to keep me going, although none of these were unexpected species. What follows is an update on progress to the end of May on Rathlin Island:

I have made 7 day trips to Rathlin so far this year starting with a mid-winter visit on 7^th February.  Designed to pick up some of the more unusual visitors to the island at this time of year, I was disappointed with highlights of Pochard (usual returning female), Moorhen and Wigeon in a day total of 49 species.  In previous years Common Scoter and Long-tailed Duck have put in an appearance on early visits, but I’m still awaiting either to appear this year.  Perhaps the most unusual sighting of the day was a single Puffin on the sea below the East Light.

A better day was had on 16^th March when some early returning breeding species were back on patch including Chough, Lapwing and Lesser Black-backed Gull.  Bird of the day and perhaps the year so far was a Mute Swan which spent the day drifting about the sea off Mill Bay.   Unbelievably, this was my first patch record in close to 8 years of regular visits!  A female Goldeneye was at Ushet Lough and a Water Rail was seen galloping down a ditch in Church Valley.  A high count of 110 Teal scattered around the patch was also of note.

 

Patch tick Mute Swan

The first Chiffchaffs (3) of the year were singing on 5^th April as I disembarked the ferry.  I also managed to tick both Redwing and Fieldfare during this visit, both of which are easily missed even if they do occasionally appear in large numbers in autumn.  Three Jackdaws at the East Light were the first I’ve seen on the island in a couple of years.

Spring migration had reached full swing by 18^th April when the first Swallows, Sand Martins, Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and Wheatears (17) had returned.  Also making a return to the island after their winter absence were numerous finches including Lesser Redpoll, Linnet and Twite.  It was nice to hear one of the latter singing from what appears to be a regular song post in Church Bay.  This time of year is particular good for Willow Warbler passage through the island, so a day count of 45+ was fairly typical.  Also of note were 7 White Wagtails and two pairs of Peregrines settling down to breed.

 

Early Purple orchids

 

Ushet Port

I had a great day on 4^th May when no less than 13 year ticks were recorded in a whopping day total of 72 species! These included a reeling Grasshopper Warbler in Church Valley, where 3 Whitethroats and several Sedge Warblers were also new in.  Next up was a Cuckoo along the track to the Coastguards Station, giving great views until I fumbled in my bag for my camera!  This was the 150^th species I have recorded on Rathlin and very pleasing it was to.  While scanning the sea from Coastguards, the sky appeared to turn black as if under a cloud.  This turned out to be due to a flock of 56 Hooded Crows, wheeling about the skies between here and the East Light – migrants no doubt but from where? As I walked towards the East Light I thought to myself there’s got to be a good chance of a Carrion Crow being mixed in with that lot and sure enough a couple of scans later one was picked out.  This is a species I have always thought should be regular on Rathlin given their distribution along the East Antrim Coast, yet this goes down as my 151^st Rathlin tick!  Another good bird for Rathlin was a 1^st summer Mediterranean Gull in Mill Bay, just my third patch record following a couple last autumn.  Here’s a summary of species seen on the day and the numbers involved:

Chough 2, Cuckoo 1, Grasshopper Warbler 1, Rook 1, Carrion Crow 1, Hooded Crow 56, Sedge Warbler 13, Wheatear 20, White Wagtail 6, Willow Warbler 45+, Blackcap 8, Dunlin 8, Grey Wagtail 1, Manx Shearwater (several), Mediterranean Gull 1, Swift 1, Twite 2, Whitethroat 3, Whimbrel 2 plus numerous hirundines.

My next visit on the 17^th May was disappointing with a general feeling of there being not a lot around.  Even numbers of common migrants were very low, just 18 Willow Warblers for example.  The day was saved late afternoon at Ushet Lough.  The Common Gulls suddenly lifted and apparently didn’t know what to do with themselves as a stunning pale adult Arctic Skua flew low across the lough.  The skua did a few circuits of the lough before circling and gaining in height before cruising about at high altitude above the cliffs for a few minutes before vanishing into the distance. Magic.

My final visit of the review period was last Saturday, the 30^th May.  I flushed what was presumably the same Cuckoo close to the place I had seen one on 4^th May.  Lots of Redpolls were flying over and at least one in the “Lesser Whitethroat” thicket was a Mealy Redpoll.  Also new for the year was a Rock Dove near the East Light.  Given the lack of regular sightings over the years, I think this species may be tittering on the brink of extinction on this part of the island at least.  Talking of breeding birds, at least 3 pairs of Lapwing were guarding chicks on the patch and I stumbled upon an Oystercatcher nest where I normally sit for a seawatch and a cuppa!  Elsewhere, counts of 15 Sedge Warblers and 12 Whitethroats were fairly typical for the time of year.  Also of note was a feeding flock of several hundred Manx Shearwaters between Rathlin and the Mull of Kintyre.  A group of 15 Harbour Porpoise were seen below the Coastguard Station.



Spot the Oystercatcher nest

So as the title of the post suggests, this has been a fairly quiet spring on Rathlin, but there’s plenty of time for things to improve.  Perhaps I should set up a new patch at the West end of the island next year - Red Kite, Ring Ouzel and 2 Orcas so far this year!

Scores at the end of May are 94 species (3 down on last year), 111 points and a comparative score of 74.2%

423 records and 7 lists have been submitted to Birdtrack.

I intend doing a similar roundup for Larne Lough soon, so watch this space… In the meantime try singing this merry tune next time you're out birding.

 

PWC2015 at Kilcoole: January-March update

After a delayed start to the patch birding New Year, I eventually made it down to the Kilcoole area on 11^th January for my first full day and was greeted instantly by a #patchgold Dipper along the Newcastle Sea Road stream, the first I’ve seen here in about 10 years!! This single bird later became part of a pair which moved extensively up and down the stream during February but with no sign of them since I guess they have found a quieter spot upstream to breed.

Dipper

The other highlight of the year so far in this area was the continued presence of Tree Sparrows around a farmyard along the sea road. A single bird was first found here in March 2014 by Stephen McAvoy during the Wicklow County Bird Race which was duly twitched soon after by myself as it was a most sought after patch tick. Delighted to report that the Tree Sprog numbers at this site have risen to a mighty 15 this year! Will keep an eye on them this Spring and hopefully confirm breeding.

Tree Sparrow

Not stopping there, the farmland around Newcastle Sea Road was very productive this winter for other passerines adding a single Fieldfare and some Redwing on day one, both good to get that soon on the scoresheet as they are highly unpredictable here. I later ended up with a flock of 20 Fieldfare and 12 Redwing in the field just inland of East Coast Nature Reserve (ECNR) in March. The stubble field beside the entrance to Newcastle Airfield held a consistent flock of 60 Reed Buntings, 15 Yellowhammers, 40 Linnets, 15 Greenfinches and 30 Meadow Pipits throughout the winter thanks to the planting and overwintering of game cover/crop. An impressive flock of c.70 Stock Doves was present in stubble fields at Kilcoole on 6^th February and it was encouraging to see pairs present in suitable habitat on the patch later on in the Spring also.

Both Lesser Redpoll and Siskin have been thin on the ground along the east coast this winter and I’ve only had two records of each from the patch (normally good numbers at ECNR). I once considered Grey Wagtail a scarce bird down here but have already amassed 10 records so far this year with a regular bird on the wet mud/cattle dung pools near the entrance to ECNR. A male Blackcap present on the feeders at ECNR in late January was possibly the first ‘proper’ winter record I’ve had on the patch. No sign of any Great Spotted Woodpeckers in the wood at ECNR during my searches there (only Treecreeper to add to the list) despite two sightings so far this year by other observers but I was intrigued by the presence of a hybrid Carrion x Hooded Crow near the usual Hoodie nest site there in mid-March. Might have to keep an eye on that and see what shenanigans are going on locally (and more importantly see if there are any pure Carrions to year tick!). The first Skylarks in song were recorded along the dunes at Kilcoole on 8^th February during the Wicklow County Bird Race.

Very pleased to see two soaring Red Kites off in the distance to the south of ECNR during a BirdWatchIreland Wicklow Branch outing there on 24^th January (only patch ticked them back in September 2014). The overwintering 2^nd calendar-year female Marsh Harrier was seen twice in January and once in February. The first successful overwintering bird at this site to the best of my knowledge (have had records of them into November before but not thereafter). A single ringtail Hen Harrier showed well in front of the main hide at ECNR on 6^th February, presumably the same bird most often reported down towards Broad Lough during the winter. Displaying Sparrowhawks were present at their traditional breeding site through March and it was a case of Buzzards aplenty with the highest single count relating to nine soaring over farmland and hills inland of the patch on 21^st March. No more than one Kestrel was seen on the patch in a given day, continuing their drop in numbers here since the severe run of winter storms in January 2014. An adult and a 2^nd calendar-year Peregrine were keeping the waders and wildfowl of the marsh on their toes through February and March.

Seawatching was pretty quiet but recording Gannet, Fulmar, Kittiwake and Black Guillemot from the get go in January was good, especially for Black Guillemots as it took me until April to find them last year! The undoubted highlight was a Great Skua (Bonxie) flying north out to sea from Kilcoole train station platform on 11^th January. It was quite distant but actively chasing Kittiwakes. My first winter record on the patch. Numbers of Red-throated Divers, Shags and auks sitting/feeding offshore have been below average, but a southbound movement of 1,250 Guillemots in three hours on 28^th January was notable. A Great Northern Diver offshore from Newcastle on 16^th March was most welcome as I thought I was going to go the first winter half of the year without seeing one.

Flood levels on the marsh were pretty low through much of the winter resulting in reduced numbers of certain species like Teal, Lapwing, Golden Plover and Black-tailed Godwits. The Light-bellied Brent Goose flock, which peaks in March, was only half its normal size also, but I still managed to get a Dark-bellied Brent Goose out of them, just about keeping up its annual status here. The presence of leftover potatoes in the field inland of Webb’s lagoon provided rich feeding for the Icelandic Greylag Geese and Whooper Swans throughout the winter which was fantastic to see. A real benefit to them with such a rich source of food along with grazing, fresh water and roost sites all in close proximity (highlighted by the fact that the Whooper flock rose to 89, the highest here in years). Both the Barnacle Goose and feral Canada Goose from 2014 stayed on through the New Year and onto the 2015 list as well as several Greenshank, a Tufted Duck, a Coot and a female Pintail. The Shoveler flock on the wet grassland flashes at ECNR reached an all-time high of 81 (hopefully it won’t be long before a nice male Blue-winged Teal joins them!). A couple of trips down to look for birds grounded in Webb’s lagoon during heavy rain and strong winds paid dividends in the form of a 2^nd calendar-year male Red-breasted Merganser, a 3^rd calendar-year Little Gull and a single Grey Plover.

3cy Little Gull

Returning adult 'Dark Neb' Whooper Swan (centre). More info here.

Colour-ringed Oystercatcher 'PJ' from the Dublin Bay Birds Project
(ringed at Merrion Gates, Sandymount Strand in Nov 2014)

As was the case across much of Ireland, migrants were slow to get going in March with my first at Kilcoole relating to Lesser Black-backed Gulls moving north along the coast (peak count of 99 on 16^th March) followed up by two Chiffchaffs in the wood at ECNR. Finished off the month of March with an enjoyable joint BirdWatch Ireland Wicklow and Dublin Tolka Branch outing to Kilcoole on Saturday 21^st where we scored our target Spring migrants in the form of a Sandwich Tern day roosting in Webb’s field (species #100) alongside a 3^rd calendar-year Mediterranean Gull and a female Wheatear on the beach. A great end to the first quarter of the year!

BirdWatch Ireland branch outing to Kilcoole

Kilcoole PWC2015 Stats (January-March): 102 species, 122 points, 60.69%, 18 BirdTrack lists and 1,020 BirdTrack records submitted.

Table 1. Summary counts of waterbirds at Kilcoole, Newcastle and Blackditch East Coast Nature Reserve, September 2014 - March 2015. Notes: Species in italics have yet to be recorded during PWC2015. Some I-WeBS counts from other observers likely to be higher than my own for certain species (e.g. Golden Plover) so figures given here don’t represent actual maximum totals for the site. Totals for regularly occurring gull species (BH, CM, HG and GB) relate to birds on the marsh only and don’t include those on passage/offshore.

Species	Peak Count	Peak Month(s)
Mute Swan	31	November
Whooper Swan	89	February-March
Greenland White-fronted Goose	1	October
Icelandic Greylag Goose	272	March
Canada Goose (feral)	1	November-January
Barnacle Goose	1	November-March
Dark-bellied Brent Goose	1	March
Light-bellied Brent Goose	c.550	March
Shelduck	14	March
Wigeon	849	February
Teal	397	November
Mallard	107	November
Pintail	1	October-March
Shoveler	81	February
Tufted Duck	4	November
Common Scoter	10 (on passage)	October
Red-breasted Merganser	3 (on passage)	November
Red-throated Diver	83	November
Great Northern Diver	2	November-December
Cormorant	26	September
Shag	44	February
Little Egret	10	September
Grey Heron	36	September
Little Grebe	16	February
Great Crested Grebe	2	November
Water Rail	9	December
Moorhen	4	September
Coot	6	September
Oystercatcher	13	March
Golden Plover	320	January
Grey Plover	1	March
Lapwing	347	February
Ringed Plover	13	February
Curlew	119	February
Black-tailed Godwit	192	January
Bar-tailed Godwit	1	November
Turnstone	7	September
Dunlin	55	September
Green Sandpiper	1	November
Greenshank	3	February-March
Redshank	49	November
Jack Snipe	1	November
Snipe	30	November
Sandwich Tern	23 (on passage)	October
Black-headed Gull	425	March
Little Gull	23	November
Mediterranean Gull	1	October & March
Common Gull	72	December
Lesser Black-backed Gull	99 (on passage)	March
Herring Gull	30	November
Yellow-legged Gull	1 (on passage)	November
Great Black-backed Gull	5	November
Total	3,931