Island Images

27/07/2026

It’s the time of year when we are often confused by transitional plumages. Fledglings moulting into their first winter plumage. Adults changing from their breeding to non-breeding moult.

The relatively common starling (Sturnus vulgaris), also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, and as the European starling in North America, is one such species that often confuse observers with their array of plumages. Sometimes affected by food stains, from eating from the flowers of Phormium tenax (New Zealand Flax), a common garden plant, known for its large tubular blooms.

I said relatively common, because The BTO British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) classifies the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) as a Red-listed species of high conservation concern due to a severe population decline across the UK and Ireland.

©️Island Images

27/07/2026

My Fashion Guru & Birding Pal. RIP Bill 🥃

Bill Oddie has sadly passed away aged 85, marking the loss of one of Britain's most familiar faces on both the comedy scene and in the world of wildlife.

He first shot to fame as a member of The Goodies, alongside Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden. Their off-the-wall humour made them one of the biggest comedy acts of the 1970s, with millions tuning in every week and songs such as The Funky Gibbon becoming unexpected chart hits.

Although comedy made him famous, Bill went on to build an equally successful career sharing his lifelong passion for nature. Through programmes including Springwatch, Autumnwatch, Birding with Bill Oddie and Bill Oddie Goes Wild, he encouraged people of all ages to appreciate the birds and wildlife around them, whether in the countryside or their own back gardens.

His agent described him as "the country's best-loved birder", saying Bill's greatest achievement wasn't his fame but the way he inspired others to respect and protect the natural world.

Bill's career spanned decades, taking him from comedy stages and television studios to nature reserves and woodland walks, where his enthusiasm was impossible not to catch.

He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy, not only through the laughter he gave us with The Goodies, but also through the countless people he inspired to look a little closer at the wildlife around them.

Rest in peace, Bill Oddie. Thank you for the memories.

23/07/2026

Seabirds around our shores!

Gannets and gulls are some of the amazing natural history sights around our country.

©️Island Images

03/07/2026

World Seabird Day!

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30/06/2026

A wonderful day yesterday, in the Antrim Hills, conducting some survey work! Lots of birds and Lepidoptera 😊

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20/06/2026

A few wild bird images taken on or around Islandmagee ~ for those of us lucky enough to live in this wonderful place, we have nature on our doorsteps!

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10/06/2026

Despite the issues surrounding travel, I was able to call in at the Castle Island Hide, at the Quoile Pondage, whilst visiting my daughter.

Good to see the long staying spoonbill turned up during my visit.


North Down Bird Watching Club

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03/06/2026

The common guillemot or common murre (Uria aalge) is a seabird and a member of the Auk family. They have a large distribution range across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They even breed along the Gobbins and Isle of Muck cliffs.

The "bridled" variety is a genetic mutation of the guillemot. It is not a separate species or subspecies, but a variation (morph) distinguished by a thin white ring around the eye that extends back as a white line.

The mutation is exceedingly rare in the southern parts of the species' range. In southern England and Wales, bridled birds make up less than 1% to 2% of the population.

The percentage increases steadily as you move north. By the time you reach northern UK colonies in Shetland and Orkney, the frequency jumps to 10% to 26%.

Here are comparison images taken recently, showing the variation, courtesy of JBirds - Birding by Boat!

©️Island Images

03/06/2026

The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) remains one of Northern Ireland's most common garden birds, it has historically faced significant declines of about 34% since the mid-1990s.

Fledgling being fed.