Birding Belfast and Beyond......

Wednesday 31st December 2008

The last morning of 2008 began with some birdwatching from my bed! Yes, it's one of the benefits of living in this house, I don't even have to get out of bed to see the birds, and on these colder mornings that suits me fine..

There are lots of trees in the back garden here, which means a good variety of birds, including twelve long-tailed tits and three bullfinches, which makes me happy.

The rest of the day was spent in and around the Mournes, but not birdwatching.....


a bit late in the day for photos but this was taken between Castlewellan and Rathfriland

I do have a few more birds for the year list......

14/12/08
Strangford Lough
163. whooper swan

17/12/08
Ballywalter
No new birds but something very special ....... a Seal..... I was so pleased, as I have never seen a real life seal before.

23/12/08
It was on the river at Glynn near Larne where I got to see a Dipper, a bird I have wanted to see for ages. It will definitely be added to my favourite bird list.
164. dipper

28/12/08
Donaghadee
165. eider
166. common gull

So that's it, a total of 166 birds this year.............

Update...

Monday 8th December 2008

I'm back with an update of my bird year....


wheatear


oxford island swallow

After my trip to Northern Ireland things went very quiet on the bird front. Our garden goldfinches went walk about and didn't return again until September. We hardly had any baby birds in our garden this year, a baby robin seemed to have the apple tree to himself...

In July and August we were either busy with other things or there was bad weather, so we didn't get out birding...

Then September arrived and brought with it some glorious autumn sunshine and we managed to get down to Keyhaven a couple of times and also to Titchfield Haven, where a few more birds were added to the year list..

8/9/08 Jetty near Pennington Lagoon
150. sanderling


19/9/08 - Titchfield Haven

comma butterfly at Titchfield Haven

151. barnacle goose
152. curlew sandpiper

20/9/08 - Keyhaven
153. knot

21/9/08 - Farlington Marshes
154. little stint
155. osprey
156. whinchat

27/9/08 - Blackwater Arboretum
157. goldcrest

28/9/08 - Titchfield Haven

158. water rail

October brought more sunshine, my brother and sister-in-law came to stay and we even got to see some rare birds too....

11/10/08 - Keyhaven to Pennington
159. golden plover
160. pectoral sandpiper
161. red-backed shrike

12/10/08 - Farlington Marshes
162. wryneck

November was a non birding month. I was busy packing and getting ready to move back to Northern Ireland. I did get down to Keyhaven and Milford one last time, though hopefully I'll be able to get back next year for a holiday....


the beach cafe at Milford


The Needles


from Milford on Sea looking towards the Needles



On the 4th December I left number 83, where I have lived for the past fourteen years and headed home to Northern Ireland.... That ends my Hampshire birding for this year, but who knows.... there are a few weeks left until the end of the year, so maybe I will have some Northern Ireland birds to add to the list??