This week we finally entered February but it seems we're still unable to escape the cold wind of winter. Whilst it might be cold for us, these conditions are relatively mild for many birds and so they temporarily stop here, avoiding the harsher climates elsewhere. This means more birds for us, and yet again more new species for this blog were recorded.
Before venturing out to the Wig, I thought I would start this week in the garden. This week sees the return of the elusive Tree Sparrow which frequented our feeders amongst large flocks of House Sparrows. Whilst not a sparrow (they're actually accentor's, though previously known as Hedge Sparrows) we had a regular Dunnock in the garden as well. Other garden staples include Starlings, Collared Doves, and Carrion Crows, amongst which there hid a Carrion - Hooded Crow hybrid. Hooded Crows are common nearby in Belfast or the Isle of Man, and so occasionally we see them cross over the sea to produce these very similar looking hybrids.
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| The Hybrid Crow - Hooded Crows have a much larger and paler grey patch |
Setting out around the Wig now, and we have had our usual complement of waders: Oystercatchers, Curlew, Redshank, and Turnstone. What was especially nice, however, was a large flock of over 50 Knot. Slightly further up the beach, we've had Pied Wagtails, Stonechats, Rock Pipits, and a stone's throw away in the field, a Meadow Pipit. It was not alone though, with large flocks of over 60 Twite being a regular sight above the fields.
Somewhat easier to spot were the Mute Swans, which give their name to the Swan Fields. And these weren't the only Swans this week, a group of 5 Whooper Swans was recorded in the fields surrounding Loch Connell.
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| A Whooper Swan between 2 Mute Swans |
From swans to geese (yes, all those Brent Geese are still regular sights) to ducks, and this week we expand our duck selection yet again. Whilst species such as Eider, Shelduck, Common Scoter and Goldeneye are a common sight in flocks on Loch Ryan, our little patch of water also has a very regular, lone Scaup. She wasn't alone this week though, as we also had a record of a Lesser Scaup, which as an American species is an extreme rarity in these parts. Moving off the loch and both Mallard and Teal were seen in the Estate gardens and marsh area respectively. These species also had larger counts on Loch Connell (over 200 Teal!) and alongside them, a small flock of Tufted Ducks.
Sticking to the water, and our winter residents; the Long-Tailed Ducks and Great-Northern Divers, were still out in force. On the water beside them were Slavonian Grebes, Red-throated Divers, Cormorants and a large number of Black Guillemots.
Sometimes on the beach, sometimes on the water and sometimes in the air, we always have a selection of gulls. No rarities this week (that we know of anyway) but we still had our regular species in Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls, alongside numerous Greater Black-backed Gulls in all versions of their many immature plumages.
Progressing around the Wig, and in the woodland, we had a good selection of small birds singing as they flit between the trees. The Nuthatches were present yet again, alongside a Goldcrest, Great Tits, Coal Tits and Long-Tailed Tits. Finally, hiding from the world in a muddy indent, a Woodcock was spotted in a nearby field.
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| A Buzzard gazes down from on high |
And it was hiding for a good reason, for this week hunters were in the air. Buzzards have been regular sightings, often in pairs or more. But this week's raptor of renown goes to a female Merlin, which was caught mid-pursuit as she chased down some unfortunate small brown bird.
And that seems like a great way to round off this week. Certainly, it was a suitably exciting way to complete January, with a total of 95 species having been recorded across the whole month. It was also a great start to February, so here's hoping that the following weeks will be just as jam-packed and diverse!
(All records and photo's submitted by Stephen Grover, please ask for permission to use them)
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