Bird News Thursday 4th April

Three Waxwing flew over Belvoir Park Forest this morning and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard drumming from the car park between 08.10 and 08.50 (Adam McClure)

A Brambling was visiting a garden at Broughshane, Co Antrim (Keith Stevens)

A Chiffchaff was at the University of Ulster campus Coleraine this morning and also a Female Blackcap in a garden in Loughan, Coleraine (Richard Donaghey)

The  Ring billed Gull  is still present and showing well inside Carrickfergus Harbour this morning. (Gilly Irwin)

1 Jack Snipe at Mc Courts Lake Poyntzpass Co. Armagh today.(Joe Devlin)


A Greenshank with a green ring was at Gibbs Island off Delamont in Strangford Lough. A Greenshank has spent the last six winters there (Spencer Marshall)

Yesterday a Sandwich Tern was at Jordanstown (Ciaran Burns).

2 Sandwich Tern were at Ballygalley, 3 Buzzard at Marconi's cottage and the Glaucous Gull at Ballycastle harbour (Robert Scott).


Thanks to (from the top) Alistair Prentice for the Rock Pipit pic (compare with the Scandanavian Rock Pipit) . Angus Kennedy for the Kittiwake at Carrickarede. Mervyn Campbell for the Dipper with nest material. Alex Coroliu with the mating Great Crested Grebes .Joe Devlin  with this excellent flight shot of a Jack Snipe.The bottom photo sent by Stephen Maxwell is of the Ring billed Gull currently on view at Carrickfergus.You can see more pics at www.nibirdpics.blogspot.co.uk