Sometimes the most wonderful things can be found if we know where to look. Here's some everyday magic, courtesy of our wee birds...
The Swan Family...a perfect nesting place.
Here they are, a little older
Bird on a Wire...A study on swallows on the river. One good way of telling the difference between swifts and swallows is that swifts will never be found perched on a line. Their feet aren't made for it. Originally cave dwellers, swifts can cling to the side of walls, but they cannot balance on wires.
Photo by Ian Clare
Can you see the baby swallows?
(Unless stated all photos are by Lagan Valley Regional Park)
It’s been a washout of a summer – for humans anyway. My barbecue has stayed under wraps for the third year running, the patio table is a permanent fixture in the utility room and the hammock has not felt the weight of a human body since I brought it out in May. (Though it’s provided a useful loo for the magpies!)
But are there any birds that thrive in wet conditions? Any that like to come out to play when it is bucketing down? Or during the sunny breaks in the showers?
Actually the Park has quite a few foul weather friends, and not all of the feathered variety. There have been more sightings of otters and anglers are reporting healthy trout stocks.
The result of all this rain is a lusher, greener landscape. More plant growth and flowers means more insects for swifts, spotted flycatchers and other bugmunchers. And more insects also means more fish and more opportunities to see the resident herons and cormorants at the Park.
Cormorant suns itself on Lisburn's Island Centre's fountain - in winter! (photo by Dave Scott)
Berries and fruits seem to be earlier and more prolific – have you noticed the bumper blackberry harvest? All good news for birds which need to stock up before the winter and migration.
It’s been a record year for hazelnuts, favourite food for jays. Around now jays will be gathering up and burying hundreds of the nuts in the leaf mould for winter nibbling. Those that get forgotten eventually become the hazelnut trees seen all over the Park.
There’s also been a bumper harvest of snails and enormous squelchy slugs to keep thrushes and blackbirds happy. And the rain has brought oodles of worms to the surface. So now’s the time to watch out for buzzards which like to congregate in brown fields for a wormfeast. Right now in Lady Dixon Park near the towpath you can see two adults coaxing their two young into the air.
Even small seedeating birds like sparrows and starlings don’t mind a rainy day. Lots of lovely puddles to splash in.
So no matter what the weather is doing, get out to the Park and see the sunny side!
P. S. This weekend is Wilderness Fun Day at the Park. Birds of prey, falconry displays, storytelling and activities for the kids, guided walks and loads more fun stuff. All kicking off at 11am this Saturday at the Lock Keeper’s Cottage.
Seems like we’ve hardly had a summer and it’s over already. For swifts anyway. These seasonal visitors are starting to take wing. So now’s the time to get on my usual August attire of jumper and raincoat and catch one last look.
Why on earth would migratory birds from Africa choose to come here for (non)summer?! But if the swifts are going to pick a home anywhere along the Lagan, the RSPB Headquarters in Belvoir Park should be it.
First among equals - the swift is the consummate flight specialist
These high-flying househunters are choosy. Spending all their lives in the air, feeding, mating, even sleeping, only stopping when they find the perfect nest site. Which is increasingly rare these days as swifts like to nest high in old, crumbling, poorly sealed stone and brick houses. And there are not too many of those left around.
Swift boxes at RSPB NIHQ, Belvoir Park Forest
Fortunately, the Belvoir Park headquarters is just the kind of building swifts love. So the RSPB hopes to attract swifts with custom-made nest boxes (as part of the Laganscape conservation programme). Installed this spring, the boxes offer all the creature comforts to appeal to even the fussiest bird’s nesting instincts – a small opening so they can fly straight in and have a safe weatherproof nook to feed and raise their young. And tucked high under the eaves so the birds can drop straight into the air. Even a recording of that distinctive screeching cry to lure them in – how could any swift resist?
The swifts leave by mid-August, so the RSPB has two windows of opportunity per season. Late June/early July when the new generation of swifts are househunting for next year, or early May when they return and are looking to nest. In recent weeks young swifts have been spotted (and heard) in the vicinity of the boxes. So fingers crossed for next spring!
For more information on all things swiftian, visit to http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/, http://www.biodiversityni.com/. Or if you want to know how you can provide next year’s summer holiday home for swifts, go to http://www.swift-conservation.org/. It’s never too early to start looking into nest boxes and sites.
Have you spotted any swifts in or around the Park? They are noisy neighbours prone to loud parties and screaming, so you can’t miss them!
Feeding the ducks on the Lagan... besides white bread, what else is there?
Kerplunk! So the ducks don’t start a feeding frenzy the minute your toddler’s chunk of five day old sliced pan hits the water? It doesn’t mean they’re picky/overfed/ungrateful.
Could be they’re just a little bit bored. Like us, wild waterfowl need a variety of food and thrive better on a healthy diet. In fact, although wholemeal is better than white, and seeded loaves are better still, most bread has a low nutritional value for humans and birds.
What ducks do enjoy is ideal for clearing out leftovers. Just so long as the food is not loaded with sugar, salt or e numbers. Dry oatmeal, cereal, that tablespoon of muesli at the bottom of the box my kids refuse to eat (birds love currants), nuts and seeds such as sunflower seeds. Even bits of apple or banana, chopped lettuce, peas and corn. And best of all, birdseed!
The ducks enjoy raw oats here...don't worry if it sinks - they'll dive down to get it...that's the theory at least!
In winter, birds need more fat, so pastry cooked or uncooked is a good option, also mild grated cheese – but hold the chips! Of course, many of these foods don’t have the same buoyancy that makes throwing out crusts and watching them bob on the surface so much fun. But experimenting is even better!
There is plenty of natural food along the Lagan, but a little extra (and the key word is little) is always welcome. Just try to keep the food as close to birds’ natural diet as possible. And if you must throw bread, no doorsteps please – especially when there are ducklings about!
Baby ducks rush in for their new 'diet'
For my children, feeding the ducks, coots and moorhens at the Lagan towpath was their first introduction to wildlife. It’s a huge thrill for little ones. And big ones too. So next time I’m out, I’ll be treating the waterfowl to a healthy, exciting morsel.
P.S. Please feed the swans on the water only. Dogs and swans on the towpath don’t mix.
Kingfishers on the Lagan (Photograph by Lagan Valley Regional Park)
I’ve learned a lot since I started volunteering at the RSPB, with special responsibility for meandering through the Lagan Valley Regional Park and reporting what I see (no great hardship!) But one of the first things I discovered is that the bird on all the Park's signs, vans and leaflets, is the kingfisher! (I know, showing my ignorance!) Park icon (and royal resident) in a sparrow-sized package.
Ever since my major discovery, I’ve been on a mission to spot this elusive beautiful little bird. I asked the Park experts, who tell me the kingfisher is notoriously shy. Don’t expect to see it perched on a branch, I was warned. ‘You’ll know it when you see it’ seasoned spotters say. With a bit of luck I just might catch an unmistakable streak of vivid blue out of the corner of my eye.
So far, I have yet to get lucky. In a way, I’m reluctant to disturb this vulnerable little creature. Why else would kingfishers retreat to the quieter stretches of the Lagan, except to avoid pesky humans? Also, these birds have a large territory – they’re few and far between.
The kingfisher tops the list of birds for the Park’s recovery programme. Together with the RSPB, the Park has been selecting safe nesting sites. Unusually for birds, kingfishers nest in the riverbanks, burrowing a passage which ends in a cosy nest chamber. The Park are hoping to boost breeding success by installing bespoke nest tunnels next spring after the risk of floods is past…just in time for breeding season. So watch this space!
In the process of searching for that flash of blue, I now have a better idea of what I’m actually seeing when I stroll the towpath and beyond. And I usually spot something fascinating. Today’s find - a red squirrel. Who says it always has to be birds?
P.S. Here’s a clue for anyone desperately seeking kingfishers. This summer they’ve been seen at various spots up from Shaws Bridge towards Edenderry such as Eel Weir, Gilchrist Bridge, Minnowburn/Purdysburn, also Lockview, probably attracted by plenty of delicious small fry (tiddlers to you and me).
Be our eyes and ears! You can help the Park’s bird recovery programme by reporting any sightings of key species. 11 miles of river plus parks, woodlands, meadows and swamps is a lot of territory to cover, so your local knowledge as you walk the dog, commute from work or go for the daily jog is invaluable! This month, we welcome any news about: kingfishers, barn owls, spotted flycatchers, swifts, linnets, tree sparrows, reed buntings, skylarks.
Contact: david@laganvalley.co.uk