There was lots of bird life about on the reserve over the past week. For instance, in one morning there were sightings of a Peregrine, a Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard, all hunting on the reserve. This sent lots of the wading birds high up in to the air, soaring in flocks to avoid the predators, including over 800 Black-tailed Godwit, 38 Oystercatcher, 31 Lapwing, 4 Knot, 20 Dunlin, 10 Snipe, 16 Curlew, 2 Turnstone and 1 Redshank. Unusually for the reserve, we had a sighting of 12 Pochard early on Thursday morning, which are rarely seen on the lagoon. Shelduck numbers were also very high during the week, with a top count of 400, along with 125 Wigeon, 175 Teal, 42 Mallard, 29 Shoveler and 1 Tufted Duck. The Water Rail also made a brief appearance on Tuesday, popping out of the undergrowth outside the Observation Room. Also on the reserve were 2 Grey Heron, 5 Greylag Geese, 25 Moorhen, 10 Coot, 20 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Common Gulls, 4 Herring Gulls and 2 Greater Black-backed Gulls. In and around the feeders there were 3 Reed Bunting, 5 Greenfinch, 13 Goldfinch, 10 Chaffinch, 2 Great Tit, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Dunnock, 1 Robin, 1 Wren, 1 Redpoll, 2 Blackbird and 12 Long-tailed Tit. Finally, across the reserve there were sightings of 8 Hooded Crow, 2 Pied Wagtail, 2 Magpie, 2 Wood Pigeon and 3 Starling. Keep checking back here for the latest sightings from RSPB Belfast Harbour Reserve, and remember, only 9 days left for you to come and see all the wildlife on the reserve for yourselves!