Birdwatching in Strangford Lough 21-3-2010

I wanted to do some birdwatching & bird photography today, so I decided to go to nearby Strangford Lough. Shall I go to the Sluice at Newtownards about 5 miles away? No, I'll go towards Comber & head off near Castle Espie. On the way I decided to cut off between N'Ards & Comber & go down near the shoreline. A long narrow road brought me to the N.W. shore of Strangford Lough. The tide was out & so were the birds!
Back along the road & onto Comber & turned off towards Downpatrick. I thought that I might visit Castle Espie on the way. Huh! I must have missed the turn off? I had only been there twice before, taking a bus load of school kids, how could I have missed it?
I took a detour at Balloo & headed towards Sketrick & the shores of Strangford Lough. After long drive down to there, I parked up in the car park but still no birds to see nearby. Not getting much luck! So I retraced the road back to Balloo & headed towards Downpatrick through Kilinchy & Killyleagh not bothering to detour again.
Just before Downpatrick, I turned off towards Strangford & went past the river Quoille (still no birds, except for the odd Swan) so I detoured to the Countryside Centre alongside the Quoille & still no birds! Now I was getting disillusioned & hungry!
So straight to Strangford & into the Spar for a quick snack to take & eat in the car.
Nothing doing at Strangford so straight onto the ferry to Portaferry, only to feel it moving as soon as my handbrake was applied! Phew! Close one that!
Now £5.80p poorer ( I had forgotten my 60+ card), I disembarked on the other side after a journey of just a few minutes. There must be some birds over in Portaferry? There must be, shouldn't there? Well there were some Brent Geese & I couldn't stop the car as I was heading away from Portaferry on another very narrow road. Lovely views of the Lough, but no birds nearby. I managed to find a small parking spot on some muddy grass & got on the outside of 2 jumbo sausage rolls. I saw one lonely Curlew in the distance, but nothing else. A quick swig of water that I had taken with me & I set off again.
There must be some birds at Kircubbin? No! Greyabbey? No! I doggedly drove on...."doggedly"? That was in my last Blog.....I digress!
Where did I end up? The Sluice gate at Newtownards!!! Finally, some birds after 70 miles!
I managed to get some photos & observe Greenshank & Oystercatchers feeding on the mudflats. I tried digiscoping but gave it up as a bad job. I just cannot seem to get a sharp photo using my compact camera & scope, even with an adaptor. Anyway I spent a good half to three quarters of an hour there but had to depart due to the tide coming in & birds departing.
All that way & I could have been there about 3 hours earlier....I am lucky that way?
Before I drove on I noticed that my car had taken on the look of something that had just emerged from a 'slurry pit'. I headed to Bangor bus depot & up the yard to wash my car in the bus wash, had a chat with some of my work collegues & then headed on through town to Ballyholme Bay. I parked up & got out with my camera to take some photo's of the gulls flying & gliding along in a now increasing wind & a heavy sea.
I then decided to 'hop', (jump) up onto the concrete walkway to get some better shots....Oh a big mistake! My body must have taken it's toll of over it's 61 years? I got a foot on the edge & over balanced backwards sort of keeping upright but all over the place doing a Fandango. I should have left it there....but no; on the volley, I rose to the challenge straight away & everything went black for a short fraction of a second. I landed on the concrete in a heap on my side after a twist through the air & a sort of break fall without banging my arm down (as I used to do in my younger days in Judo).
I had unknowingly tried to save my camera as I did my circus stunt & banged my arm & jarred my shoulder & hit my head. Coming to my senses & camera saved I had rolled over into a sitting position with my camera in a professional grip facing my car! Embarrassed or what! I hastily packed up & beat a hasty retreat (nursing my wounds) to 'Specsavers' as I had realised that my glasses were bent out of shape where I had hit the side of my head! After some really good customer care & my glasses now in their original shape, I drove home to put a cold-pack on my arm & see if my photo's were any good & whether they were worth all the driving & the pain!
I think that I will just go to the RSPB Belfast Harbour Reserve in future...it's safer!!!!