I have definitely become a twitcher

A combination of busy-ness, laziness and a holiday means, I haven’t written a blog about a trip to the lake foe some time.

And while this is a blog and features birds but isn’t about the Lake.

The birds are those I have seen on my travels, including those native in Northern Ireland and some more exotic ones seen in Belfast Zoo (which I suppose means that technically they are birds of Northern Ireland too)

Two things however made me come to realise what a twitcher I have become. Firstly, the joy I get from seeing a species I have never seen before and secondly I noticed that though a lover of wild animals I was taking as many pictures of birds as I was of animals as we went round the zoo.

Some of the birds I hadn’t seen before but which are found ‘naturally’ in NI include Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Guillemots and Puffins.

The sheer number of them nesting at Carrick-a-Rede and on Rathlin Island was jaw-dropping

Yes that rock is completely covered in birds and how they hang on is amazing

As you will notice the pictures of the Puffins aren’t that clear and that is because they were a l-o-n-g way away.

Other ‘native birds’ included Eider ducks (and their young)

and Pipits

while amongst those in the zoo were Sacred Ibis,

Coscoroba Swans,

White tailed Sea Eagle,

Gentoo and Rockhopper Penguins

including a baby one

A Balinese Starling

And a Victoria crowned pigeon

I also learnt that Kookabuuras are members of the Kingfisher family - which seems obvious once you know

and was reminded how beautiful flamingos are.

With that, this twitcher will sign off for now.