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

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.

Fun and Games in Larne

If my last update from the Larne Lough patch seems a long time ago, that’s because it was!  You can read it here – and since that post not a lot has been happening, a year tick every now and again, with little in the way of quality.

 

My struggles are highlighted by the fact that my first year tick since 23^rd June were some Sand Martins (117) in a mixed flock of hirundines feeding over Glynn rugby club lagoon on 9^th August.  I had never knowingly seen this species around Larne before, so I was more than happy to see them! 

 

From early July I kept a look out for passage waders, which eventually produced a few year ticks - a Knot (118) on 16^th August and a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper (119) on 24^th September were new for the year, the latter only my second ever patch record!  Elsewhere, peak counts of 25 Greenshank (22/9), 32 Snipe (15/11) and 88 Lapwing (6/12) were notable.  A Jack Snipe (120) was found at Glynn on 15^th November, which became my first record of this species on the patch for almost 5 years!  I managed to successfully twitch an unexpected Grey Plover at Sandy Bay (121) early morning on 30^th November - they are normally seen in small numbers off Glynn Station much earlier in the autumn.  A single Whimbrel is currently wintering around Glynn.  It was not all good news on the wader front as I managed to miss out on Spotted Redshank and Ruff.

 

Knot

 

Curlew Sandpiper

 

Redshank

 
Seawatching was also a struggle, but with (extreme) perseverance produced some year ticks.   The first Arctic Terns (122) of the year were seen from a short seawatch on 24^th September.  This species occasionally appears at Glynn Station during spring, but all I saw here this year were a handful of ‘red-billed’ Common Terns.  Some decent onshore winds on 15^th October had me in the shelters in Chaine Park for first light.  Despite the bewildered glances of some locals, this proved to be an excellent decision as several Whooper Swans (123) and Common Scoters (124) were seen as was my first ever patch Bonxie (125)!  To finish things off nicely for the day, the first Kestrel (126) of the year was seen above the coast road.

It has been a great year for ducks on the patch and the autumn period once again threw up the occasionally oddity.  Three Common Scoter were off Glynn Station on 16^th October – no doubt some of the birds seen on the seawatch the previous day. A female Shoveler was present on 19^th July and the first returning Goldeneye was back on the early date of 4^th August.   A male Scaup was present off the station on 12^th September, with 2 there on 28^th.  The interesting run of Pintail records continued, following the on/off appearance of a male (in various states of moult) throughout the summer.  An eclipse male was seen on 29^th October, followed by an adult male and 2 female types which have been omnipresent since 15^th November. 

During the past few months Larne Lough has once again proved itself as one of the best sites in Ireland to see Goosander.  An eclipse male was present off Glynn Station on 12^th September (local breeder?), followed by an adult male there on 11^th November (same bird?).  Two females were seen late evening on 5^th December followed by a high count of 4 females the next day.  The adult male at least is still lurking around the lough somewhere.  One of my best finds of the autumn was a Slavonian Grebe seen distantly from Glynn Station on 22^nd November.  I wonder is it the same bird seen here this spring.  Whatever its provenance, it looks set to spend the winter on the lough – the first bird for many years to do so.

Eclipse male Goosander

Female Goosanders

 

It has also been a good year on patch for Little Gulls, I managed to find my 4^th bird this year on 1^st September at Sandy Bay.  Mediterranean Gulls are present on the patch all year round, though it appears only two birds are overwintering this year – an adult and a 2^nd winter.  Best seen at the mouth of the Inver River.  The most exciting recent development has been the regular sighting of two Sandwich Terns around the mouth of the lough, an adult and 1^st winter.  I picked them up feeding well offshore on 30^th November during a seawatch, associating with hundreds of Kittiwakes and small gulls which gather to feed on sprat in and around the Maidens at this time of year.  That evening they appeared on the rocks at Sandy Bay and have been observed here occasionally ever since.  These are the first wintering records for Northern Ireland away from County Down.

 

Juvenile Med Gull

Little Gull

 

There was much fun and games on 13^th December when, whilst scanning offshore from Glynn Station, I picked up a white-winged gull flying across the mouth of the harbour towards Islandmagee.  As it looked set to cruise around distantly above Ballylumford power station, I decided to drive around to see if I could get better views.  Despite it being possible to throw a stone from Larne Harbour on one side of Larne Lough to Ballylumford on the other, it takes a good 20 minutes to drive from Glynn round to the north tip of Islandmagee and when I arrived there was no sign of the bird.  It eventually appeared flying around above the docks on the other side of the lough!  I watched it through the scope as it landed on one of the harbour floodlights beside a Herring Gull.  Views were atrocious but the outline of the bird and its size compared to the Herring Gull suggested it was an Iceland Gull (127).  So it was back in the car for the half hour drive back to Larne.  No sign from the harbour gates at Sandy Bay or the road out to Curran Point.  Then just as I was about head home, it appeared over the car and flew towards the ferry terminal.  Sod it I thought and followed it in.  As I explained myself to security, I could see the bird feeding in the wake of a docking ferry and moments later found myself being escorted (surprisingly not off the premises) down to a gateway beside the ramp for a better view.  So there I was standing in the near dark watching an Iceland Gull in Larne Harbour as passengers flooded past me in their cars.  All this for a lousy 2 points!

 

Iceland Gull

 

The next morning, it took a loaf of Kingsmill to finally pin the bird down as a 1^st winter Iceland Gull and obtain some decent shots.  The only other year tick since my last update was Lesser Redpoll (128) but the less said about this the better!  With the year drawing to a close, there might still be time for one or two additional species, but as it stands scores are 128 species or 166 points.

Rathlin Island Autumn Highlights

Since my last update from Rathlin, I have spent a total of 9 days on the island, adding a further 14 species to my year list. The fact that 5 of these were my first patch records was encouraging, though sadly another autumn goes by without troubling the multiplier effect column on the patch birding score sheet.

 

On your bike...

With little of note in the gardens on 27^th September, I spent a bit of time between Ushet Lough and Rue Point.  Checking through the 60 or so Greylag here finally produced 4 Pink-footed Geese (100) resting on the lough - a species I somehow failed to see last year.  A mass of seabirds were feeding in large groups off Rue Point, including some Manx Shearwaters.  Eventually, a couple of Arctic Skuas (101) were seen in hot pursuit of Kittiwakes.  Two Arctic Terns (102) stood out amongst the hoards of dip feeding gulls and were a surprise addition to the year list having failed to encounter any around the patch for a few years now (through a lack of seawatching).  Elsewhere, 4 Swallows were feeding over the harbour and 12 Twite were feeding in one of their favourite spots at the base of the East Pier.  Once back in Ballycastle, I located single first winter and second winter Mediterranean Gulls around the harbour.  I will reveal the reason for mentioning this later.

I stayed on the island for four days in early October recording a total of 83 species, including 8 further year ticks.  Weather conditions were fairly decent, except for an almighty storm coming in from the Atlantic during the 5^th and overnight on the 6^th.  This resulted in strong SE winds and produced some decent birds.

A seawatch from the East Light on the 4^th looked like a complete waste of time, until I connected with a lone Sooty Shearwater (103) heading east.  A long awaited patch tick!  With this, I renewed my efforts and single Arctic Skuas and Great Northern Divers soon flew west.  I scanned the birds at the base of the cliffs with my bins and picked out a “white-winged gull with a red bill”, which I eventually locked onto through the scope.  It turned out to be a 2^nd winter Mediterranean Gull (104) – another patch tick!

The Twite flock in Church Bay had now increased to 15 and the Ushet Lough to Rue Point area again produced some decent birds; none more so than a male Hen Harrier seen hunting along the far side of the lough.  Also in the area were 5 Chough, a male Grey Wagtail and a tame juvenile Brent Goose feeding close to the South Light.  As it was having its fill of grass, I thought it rude not to join it for lunch.  Other notable sightings on the 4^th were 80 Goldfinches, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Wheatear, 22 Snipe and 8 Goldcrest.

Not a care in the World

 

I began the following morning with a 2.5 hour seawatch from the East Light, which produced 55 Manx Shearwaters, 5 Arctic Skuas, 1 Pomarine Skua (105), 1 Arctic Tern, 1 Common Scoter, 10 Barnacle Geese (106), 6 Whooper Swans, 3 Puffins, 2 Red-throated Diver (107), 1 Great Northern Diver and a patch tick Little Gull (108).  All of which were very pleasing, especially the Little Gull – a nice juvenile tagging along with a flock of Kittiwakes.  Had I thought to put on some extra layers I would have stayed longer, but I headed off to get warmed up.  Not a lot else was seen the rest of the day as the storm moved in, though 3 Kestrels and a few Reed Buntings may have been new arrivals.

In a rare departure outside the patch boundaries, I made my way to the west end of the island early the next morning which only served to remind me why I don’t normally go there. Saying that, there are some great looking spots that are well worth checking, especially the last gardens before the lighthouse – which had about 75 Chaffinches and a dozen thrushes in them. 

Keeble cottage at the west end and yes I did check those nettles for Lancy...

 

Once safely back in more familiar surroundings, the most obvious impact of the overnight storm was that some 2000 Kittiwakes and 250 Black-headed Gulls had been forced close to shore between the West Pier and Mill Bay.  I set up the scope outside the hostel and began grilling the flock (for a Sab’s) and managed to pick out two Mediterranean Gulls – a first and second winter.  I then realised that not only was the second winter probably the same bird I had seen on 4^th but both were likely the same birds I had seen in Ballycastle Harbour on 27^th September.

After lunch, the winds died down and the sun came out, so I set off for a circuit of the gardens.  There had been an obvious arrival of migrants, with Blackbirds and Song Thrushes most prominent.  The east end gardens held 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, 18 Goldcrests and several flocks of Golden Plover (109) flew south overhead.  Three Swallows were at Ushet Lough and I watched a young Merlin fly straight out to sea at Rue Point – migration in action.

The final day of the trip (7^th October) was spent thoroughly checking all the usual spots for passerine migrants. A couple of Redwings were amongst decent counts of 47 Blackbirds and 28 Song Thrushes and the Goldcrest tally had increased to 28.  The ditch to the south-east of Ushet Lough (which I have earmarked for a Barred Warbler) held 2 Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff. The only place I had yet to check was the lane at Ballycarry Pool and I’m glad I did because a Garden Warbler (110) was found sunning itself there! The very strong light made it look scarily pale at first but as I moved slightly closer it began moving around giving me a good look at its (sadly unmarked) under-tail coverts.  So in just two years of coverage I’ve had Mealy Redpoll, Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart, Garden Warbler and Whinchat in this 100m stretch of hedge.  Not bad for starters.

Sunset at Mill Bay

I’m struggling to find any highlights worth mentioning from my visit on 13^th October, a Fieldfare (111) flying over Craigmacagan Lough was new for the year and a Pomarine Skua off Rue Point were about the best I could manage.  The Twite flock had increased to 20 birds and a Wheatear was at Mill Bay. 

I had a much better day on 17^th October, which began with a trek up to the Coastguards Hut in search of rare buntings.  I failed in this regard but did manage to locate a patch tick Tree Pipit (112) which flew over calling before landing briefly on an old stone wall.  The grounds of the East Light held a Grey Wagtail and a Lapwing.  It was also a good day for flyover Whooper Swans; a total of 47 birds were seen passing through during the day.  More than 30 Redwing were present, most of which were in the hedge at Ballycarry Pool.  A group of 3 Barnacle Geese were in much the same spot as the friendly Brent Goose a few weeks ago and it was good to see that all 5 Chough were still on the island.  I returned to the ferry via Mill Bay and spotted an Arctic Tern roosting on the rocks, which became the first tern of any species, I’ve actually seen land on Rathlin!

Taking a break at Coastguards

Barnacle Geese at Rue Point

 

I didn’t make it over again until 1^st November, which was a particularly depressing day on patch owing to strong southerly winds.  Still it was nice to see the female Pochard back at Ally Lough for another winter.  Two Whooper Swans were at Ushet Lough and a late Wheatear at the East Light.

My next visit on 8^th November was one of those days you felt something good might appear at any moment – a Goldeneye at Craigmacagan, a Long-tailed Duck at Rue Point and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers in the harbour (doubling my previous high count for this species!) were all decent birds for Rathlin.  The distinctly Scandinavian vibe continued with counts of 39 Blackbirds, 36 Robins and numerous Wrens and Stonechats.  As I sat in Church Bay eating lunch I noticed half a dozen hooded crows appearing to dive bomb something in the distance – I thought no more of it until 10 minutes later, when I could hear lots of pipits calling.  I looked up to see a Short-eared Owl (113) cruising along the road above the harbour.  Given the apparent recent influx in eastern England, this species was well and truly on my radar.  However, it’s not often these hoped for species fall into place, the Desert Wheatear I had thought about the night before certainly didn’t!  This brought my patch life list to 149 species.  I wonder what will be next.

Scores – 113 species, 144 points or 95.36%

Linnet

My thoughts exactly