To start with, a case of what has not been seen as much this past week, as the last remaining Common Terns left the nesting islands, so we won’t be expecting them back again until the 2014 breeding season. They have done very well this year, with 368 pairs of Common Terns nesting, and 48 pairs of Arctic Terns. However, there are still around 50 who remain before beginning their long migration south.

Now on to what…

On Monday we were fortunate enough to have a Wood Sandpiper stop here at the reserve. This is a first for Belfast Harbour, causing great excitement amongst staff, volunteers and visitors. Unfortunately, the bird had moved onwards by the start of Tuesday. A number of Curlew Sandpipers have been spotted this week, with as many as 4 being seen at the one time, there have also been regular sightings of Ruff and Little Stint…

Don't worry, it's not what you think, this is a hotel especially designed for the bugs and beasties here at the reserve. Thanks to our friends at Portmore Lough we now have five star accommodation for guests such as earwigs, ants, spiders  and so much more.  Our volunteers worked tirelessly digging and hammering so we could create our newest home for nature.

Volunteers Josh and Cristina hard at work

The finished…

Wader numbers are still high this week at the reserve, although the Wilson's Phalarope is no longer around. However, we have had regular sightings of 2 Little Stint and 1 Curlew Sandpiper. Other top wader numbers over the week have included 400 Oystercatcher, 2 Ringed Plover, 30 Lapwing, 83 Dunlin, 2 Snipe, 45 Black-tailed Godwit, 13 Bar-tailed Godwit, 38 Curlew, 10 Redshank, 4 Ruff, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Sanderling…

A big thank you to everyone who came on our guided walk today around the reserve. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, as despite torrential downpours overnight, the skies dried up just in time for our walk and the sun very nearly came out! We began by heading off to the sea wall to look out over Belfast Lough, and to see if we could spot a seal or two. We saw lots of roosting Cormorants, Black Guillemots, and were…

The main excitement last week was the arrival of a Wilson's Phalarope to RSPB Belfast Harbour Reserve, which stayed from the 28th - 30th August. We have also had high numbers of other wading birds. Top counts of these species were 364 Oystercatcher, 5 Ringed Plover, 44 Lapwing, 102 Dunlin, 2 Snipe, 149 Black-tailed Godwit, 44 Curlew, 5 Redshank, 5 Ruff, 1 Greenshank, 4 Common Sandpiper and 1 Green Sandpiper. Wildfowl…

A Wilson's Phalarope was at the reserve on Wednesday 28th August 2013. These birds would usually breed in the prairies in the west of North America, and migrate south for the winter to inland salt lakes near the Andes in Argentina , so this bird is certainly an unusual sighting. Here's hoping it stays around for a few days before heading on it's long journey!

This week has seen lots of visitors come to RSPB Belfast Harbour Reserve, both new and old. The tide in Belfast Lough has been high during opening hours, so we have had lots of people coming to see the variety of bird life on the reserve. High tide in the lough pushes lots of wading birds into the reserve as they need areas of mud and shallow water to shelter and feed. We have had high numbers of Oystercatchers, Dunlin…

It has been another busy week here at RSPB Belfast Harbour Reserve. Our team of volunteers have played an important role in the run up to RSPB NI’s Big Wild Sleep Out, which happens this Saturday. They have been cutting wood for the campfires at the event, which will allow for plenty of singing and marshmallow toasting to go ahead well into the night!

Secondly, the team have had a go at making their own mini beast…

Welcome to the RSPB Belfast Harbour blog! We will be keeping you updated with all the latest goings-on at the reserve.

We’ve had a busy week this week, despite the rain having set in! Catherine Bertrand from Butterfly Conservation came down on Tuesday to lead a butterfly walk around the reserve, which was well attended by visitors and volunteers. Despite torrential downpours throughout most of the day, we were lucky…