Friday 9th July News

Little Ringed Plover - 1, juvenile, southwest corner of Lough Beg, Co. Londonderry (David Steele)
Laughing Gull - 1, (2nd Summer), Ballycastle, Co.Antrim
Mediterranean Gull - 1, Lower Lough Erne RSPB, Co. Fermanagh (Brad Robson)
Garden Warbler - 1, Lower Lough Erne RSPB, Co. Fermanagh (Brad Robson)
Tree Sparrow - 100, Mullagh, Lough Beg, Co. Londonderry (David Steele)
Greenshank - 3, Dundrum Inner Bay South, Co. Down
Little Egret - 2, Dundrum Inner Bay South, Co. Down
Black-tailed Godwit - 16, Dundrum Inner Bay South, Co. Down
Greenshank - 3, Blackstaff River, Dundrum Inner Bay North, Co. Down
Common Sandpiper - 6, Blackstaff River, Dundrum Inner Bay North, Co. Down
Black-tailed Godwit - 1, Ardilea, Dundrum Inner Bay North, Co. Down


Here's a few more shots of one of todays star birds from Geoff Campbell. I don't even have to label this!


















































Thanks to Warren Fowles for another shot of the superstar (well, ok but it is the rarest bird in a while so bear with us Franklin's Gull will be along next week with a Glaucous-winged here by the autumn - you heard it here first)





There's 2 birds that count it seems in Northern Ireland at the minute but the most important news of all is we finally did it - into the Fatbirder Top 100. What does that mean? Not a lot but we're glad people enjoy the blog and it's nice to know that we're the most popular wildlife website in Northern Ireland - a lot of people might say the only one but we're not as big-headed as that.
We can't let a moment like this pass without thanking all our friends in:
United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Australia, India, Italy, China, New Zealand, Netherlands, Singapore, Austria, Belgium, Isle of Man, Sweden, South Africa, Hungary, UAE, Czech Republic, Denmark, Russia, Switzerland, Guernsey, Finland, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Japan, Malta, Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Malta, Norway, South Korea, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand, Indonesia, Peru, Reunion Island, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Oman, Iran, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Croatia, Iceland and Morocco. We couldn't have done it without you.


(We'll be up to 10,000 visitors soon so expect more of this type of rubbish in a week or so).


Just to prove that it's not all Laughing Gulls in Northern Ireland, although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise, here's some more of Allen Gillespie's shots from Ballintoy, Co. Antrim, in May this year.

Ringed Plover














Rock Pipit

































For some news from the other end of the island visit the Galley Head Birding blog by Colin Barton here


There are now over 1200 wildlife photos on this blog - if you haven't enough friends join the other 400 or so people who are ours on Facebook here. It seems everybody wants to be friends with Jimmy Bird, whoever he is, he had no friends a week and a half ago - popular guy.
Just a quick reminder that Derek is away on his hols next week so if anybody wants to really annoy him..... find another rare in Northern Ireland next week.

For the latest UK bird news: rarebirdsinbritain or birdguides

For the latest Irish bird news: irishbirding

For everything else Surfbirds and Fatbirder