Karl Martin bird blog: Unexpected Rarity at Portmore!

This week, a Spoonbill and an Osprey were reported at RSPB Portmore Lough, this was the reason for my visit yesterday. When I arrived, the Spoonbill was clearly visible from the viewing platform and I was able to get some photos. Good start! The resident pair of Barnacle Geese were also present along with the usual Lapwings and Greylag Geese. I also saw a few Tree Sparrows, a speciality of Portmore. I stood at the platform for a while, hoping for a fly-by from the Osprey, but was not so lucky. I then headed down to the hide to see the Terns and take some photos, as if I don’t have enough already. All the while I was holding out a tiny bit of hope that the Osprey might appear. On the way down to the hide, I spotted the Spoonbill flying overhead and took a few flight shots before it got too distant. After an hour or so in the hide itself, I headed back up to the platform for a final check. When I arrived, there were a few other birders at the platform and a small wader at the edge of the water. We were unsure as to what it was at first, but after some discussion we determined that it was a Curlew Sandpiper based on its down-curved bill. It wasn’t until I got home and sent my photos to local birding blog ‘NI birds’ that I was corrected. The bird was in fact a Stilt Sandpiper, an American bird which visits very occasionally, and a first for me. The news was then published and seemingly encouraged a lot of birders to visit Portmore with hopes of seeing the rare wader. Yesterday evening several images of the bird from various photographers were posted on NI birds and I later found out that this is only the fourth ever record of a Stilt Sandpiper in Northern Ireland! What about that for a bit of luck?