Castle Espie

 A great day of birding was had yesterday at WWT Castle Espie. I was impressed at the facilities as I haven’t been in a while and there seems to be a few new hides. My main reason for the visit was the fact that a Long-Eared Owl had been reported with its fledged chick. As well as this, two Kingfishers had been spotted on Monday and I am yet to see one this year. Upon arrival, the weather left a lot to be desired and I had to spend some time under the cover of a hide. The shingle bank was visible which had many Oystercatchers along with at least 8 Little Egrets and hundreds of Gulls, mainly Lesser Black-Backed and Herring but mixed in were a few Common Gulls and even one Great Black-Back, which isn’t an overly common sight. Near this hide there were a few Sedge Warblers and I was even able to hear at least two Reed Warblers singing from the reeds, however they remained invisible. Throughout the day, I spotted at least two Kingfishers on multiple occasions. The best views, and one photograph were achieved sitting in the new hide that overlooks the main pond. I discovered this quite late but I would like to return and spend a lot longer trying to capture the Kingfishers which seem to hang around that area. There was also a Cormorant that came quite close to the hide. The highlight of the day however came from within the woodland, when I heard a screeching noise coming from a nearby tree. After following the noise and searching for a few minutes I finally spotted the young Long-Eared Owl! It looked at me through a gap in the trees for just long enough for a few snaps before it made its way higher up the tree where it was more hidden from the camera. While photographing the Owl I had left the Merlin app (which records and identifies bird calls) running in my pocket and it picked up a Spotted Flycatcher. I looked for this rare bird for a while but it was too elusive to find. Nonetheless, the day was a success. I will attach the best photos from the day.

Cormorant

Long-Eared Owl (Juvenile)

Sedge Warbler

Common Tern

Great Black-Backed Gull

Moorhen

Kingfisher

Belfast Birds

This year was my first year at University, and I’ve been staying in student accommodation in Belfast. A benefit of this is that I am a very short walk away from the River Lagan, which has presented me with some great birds and great photo opportunities. The area around the two statues, the ‘Big Fish’ and ‘Nuala with the Hula’ in particular is excellent for Black Guillemots, which can be seen on the water and in holes in the walls of the river, and Common Terns, which nest on a small raft in between the Lagan Weir Footbridge and the Queen Elizabeth Bridge. Both these species have been very obliging to the camera the last few times I have been out, and they tend to land in the same spots and allow me to get very close. In addition to the Common Terns I was lucky enough to see a pair of Arctic Terns in the same area on one occasion and they allowed great shots which you can also see a few posts back. I’ll post the best photos I’ve taken around this area over the three or four times I’ve been. There are also photos of various gulls, which are pretty used to people at the best of times, so as you can imagine they sit nicely for me every so often.

Common Tern

Black-Headed Gull

Common Tern

Arctic Tern

Common Tern

Black Guillemot

Common Tern

Black-Headed Gull

Black Guillemot

Black-Headed Gull looking very moody

Common Tern

Black Guillemot

Common Tern

Black-Headed Gull

Black Guillemot

Common Tern

Black Guillemot

Common Tern

Arctic Terns

Black Guillemots

Lesser Black-Backed Gull

Common Tern

Black Guillemot

Lesser Black-Backed Gull

Black Guillemot

Arctic Terns

Common Tern