Bird Group Visit Victoria Park, Belfast

On 14 April this year I took my bird group to Victoria Park in Belfast.  Victoria Park was opened in 1906 in the Connswater area of Belfast.  Belfast Harbour Commissioners investigated the idea in 1854, however the land was very marshy and needed draining near Belfast Lough.  Victoria Park is designated as an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) and is part of the Special Protection Area.

We have visited the park before and last time we walked left around the River Lagan towpath however this time we walked to our right around the lake, returning to sit in front of the lake for coffee.  Following coffee we walked around an inner lake which turned out to be a lovely little wooded area.

 Female Tufted Duck

Male Tufted Duck

There were Greylag, Herring and Black headed Gulls, Mallard, Tufted Ducks, Mute Swan, Little Grebe and Coot in the Lake.

There is always the most wonderful display of different Daffodils in this part and we see them well from the train as we travel from Belfast to Bangor as the line overlooks the park so we were going along this path to see if there were still some in bloom.

We passed a Little Egret in a tree and these Black tailed Godwit on the other side of the lake.  We have never know either of these birds to come to the park before.

 We were overjoyed to find so many beautiful Daffodils still in bloom.

 A Wren but I could not get a good shot of it.

This Hooded Crow and Magpie were having a confrontation and as we all watched we felt the Hooded Crow would win, however we were wrong, the Magpie won that time.

There were quite a number of these Amelanchier trees and we heard and saw, Willow Warbler, Chaffchaff, Chaffinch, Robin, Dunnock and most of the Tits in trees as we passed by.

This is the new Sam Thompson bridge across the Connswater River in east Belfast which opened the week before our visit.  The pedestrian and cycle route named after the local playwright was built at Victoria Park as part of the £35m Connswater Community Greenway project.

It provides a link between the park and the Belfast's Harbour Estate.

Organisers hope the £500,000 bridge will provide greater access and freedom of movement in the east of the city and will help encourage people to take up cycling, with the launch coinciding with the staging of the Giro d' Italia in Northern Ireland.

The landmark, 60 tonne steel bowstring bridge was installed with the help of one of Europe's biggest cranes.

It was built by M Hasson & Sons and finished with LED lighting which changes colour.

Grey Heron

Feral Pigeon trying to have a doze!

The pigeon in front did his best to attract this female however she flew off!!

 I loved the reflections of all the trees in the water as we walked round the lake.  I hope you enjoyed coming with me on this walk.

Thank you for visiting.

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