(My Local)
The morning dawned wet and miserable, forecasts were gloomy for the rest of the day so, having just finished night shift, I went to bed having put all thoughts of a visit to the RSPB reserve out of my mind. I awakened at 12:30 p.m. to a rather brighter sky.
I gathered my gear, dressed warmly - I said brighter, not warmer - and set off. I drive past the Dee Street entrance to the Belfast Harbour Estate often enough to know that it takes a fairly short time to get there, but this was my first visit to the observation room and the journey seemed to be taking longer than it should.
I expected to find the usual, garden shed type of building, that I remember from long-ago visits to various RSPB sites. What a surprise was in store for me! I found a proper brick building with heating, toilets, two telescopes provided for public use and a handful of 'Birds of Europe' guides. Outside, on the man-made fresh water lagoon, complete with islands, were hundreds of birds of many species just waiting to be 'spotted'. The large picture windows gave not only excellent views of the birds, but also scenic views across Belfast Lough to die for. A friendly member of staff welcomed me and was on hand to answer my questions.
I set up my tripod, screwed on my camcorder and discovered, to my horror, that I was without battery! What a disaster.
Well at least I could enjoy a good watching session, even if I could not record it for posterity. Now, remember that I am just a beginner, having forgotten most of what I had learned some twenty years ago. In less than an hour I had identified 18 species, some I knew, (Mallard, Teal, Pochard, Shoveler) others I found in the provided bird guide (Wigeon, Shelduck, Black-tailed Godwit) and some - those all-look-the-same little brown sparrow type birds - were identified for me, as linnets and reed buntings.
Belfast Lough has a large population of oystercatchers, curlews, redshanks, dunlins, godwits and shelduck. These birds are obvious from several parts of the shoreline, though access to good views may not be straightforward. However, many roost between the tides in this lagoon, though not all were present on this occasion, but today, I was one of the enthralled spectators.
Must go, I have been told that there are a few long-tailed ducks on the lough here at Carrickfergus and I feel another spotting session coming on.
James