The High Road

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Starting at Wheatear Bend, this last section of the walk runs back along the hillside due West, at around 240 metres, with hillside on the right, fields on the left and wonderful views out across North Antrim.

The High Road.

The Vanishing Stream! Now you see it!

Now you don't! 

It's like a ghost ..... you can still hear it!

The ruin of Tullaghore Croft.

Close up of Tullaghore Croft.

Looking back, from Tullaghore Lane.

The ruin of Gortmillish Croft.

The end of the Road.

The ruin of Knockan's Croft.

Mountain Fungi 1

Mountain Fungi 2

Mountain Fungi 3

Mountain Fungi 4

Mountain Fungi 5

Mountain Fungi 6

Mountain Fungi 7

Mountain Fungi 8

Every Dog has his Day, but this one looks like it's past its sell by date!

Big Fat Juicy Fox Moth Caterpillar 1

Big Fat Juicy Fox Moth Caterpillar 2

A fine view out over North Antrim at the end of the road. 

Rusty.

My favourite Birds on the High Road are:

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No. 1 The Wheatear

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No. 2 The Raven

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No. 3 - The occasional sighting of a Peregrine Falcon

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My Bird List

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I'm lucky enough to be able to walk out of my gate & up a lovely quiet country lane to walk my dogs, walks which usually last about 90 mins, each day. That's a total of about 4 miles, which is a slow 2 miles per hour, but then of course the dogs must sniff every 2nd blade of grass, on the way round, which is fine as that gives me plenty of time to keep my eyes open for Birds. So here is the list of Birds I have seen, so far, on my daily dog walk. 

I have posted links to those, not already linked to, earlier in this Blog.

1. BLACKBIRD
   
2. BLACK HEADED GULL
3. BLUE TIT
   
4. BULLFINCH
5. BUZZARD
   
6. CHAFFINCH
7. COAL TIT
   
8. CUCKOO
   
9. DUNNOCK
   
10. FIELDFARE
    
11. GOLDFINCH
    
12. GRASSHOPPER WARBLER
    
13. GREAT TIT
    
14. GREENFINCH
    
15. HEN HARRIER
    
16. HERRING GULL
17. HOODED CROW
    
18. HOUSE MARTIN
    
19. HOUSE SPARROW
    
20. JACKDAW
    
21. KESTREL
    
22. LONG TAILED TIT
    
23. MAGPIE
    
24. MEADOW PIPIT
    
25. MERLIN
    
26. MISTLE THRUSH
    
27. PEREGRINE FALCON
    
28. PIED WAGTAIL
    
29. RAVEN
    
30. RED GROUSE
31. REDWING
    
32. REED BUNTING
    
33. ROBIN
    
34. ROOK
    
35. SEDGE WARBLER
    
36. SISKIN
    
37. SKYLARK
    
38. SNIPE
    
39. SONG THRUSH
    
40. SPARROWHAWK
    
41. STARLING
    
42. STONECHAT
    
43. SWALLOW
    
44. SWIFT
    
45. SWAN
    
46. WHEATEAR
    
47. WILLOW WARBLER
    
48. WOODCOCK
49. WOOD PIGEON
    
50. WREN
    

So 50 different species so far, on one two mile stretch of hillside!

Dialect Names for Local Birds

Below is a list of local dialect names from the "Concise Ulster Dictionary" (Macafee, 1996). 

Many are of Ulster Scots or Irish/Scottish Gaelic origin.

There are many more, but I've just picked out the ones which I see on my daily dog walk, here in the North Antrim countryside.

Blue Tit ~ Billy Blue-Bonnet, Tittymouse, Tam Titty Mouse

Carrion Crow ~ Black-Neb

Chaffinch ~ Apple-picker 

Cuckoo ~ Gowk

Dunnock ~ Blue Wran, Futtock, Grey Robin, Hedgeling, Shuffle Wing, Whin Sparrow

Fieldfare ~ Frost Bird

Goldfinch ~ Corney of the Cap

Great Tit ~ Black skull

Greenfinch ~ Green Linnet

Hen Harrier ~ Gled

Hooded Crow ~ Hoodie

House Sparrow ~ Spug

Jackdaw ~ Greyhead, Daw

Linnet ~ Lintie

Meadow Pipit ~ Cuckoo’s Maid, Mosscheeper, Tattle, Titling

Mistle Thrush ~ Butcher Bird, Cornageerie

Peregrine ~ Game Hawk, Goosehawk

Pied Wagtail ~ Willie wagtail, Devilin

Reed Bunting ~ Black Bonnet, Rush Sparrow
Robin ~ God's Bird

Rook ~ Croupy, Craa

Sedge Warbler ~ Wee Nightingale

Skylark ~ Laverock

Snipe ~ Blooterwheep, God’s Goat, Guttersnipe, Heather-bleat

Song Thrush ~ Mavis, Throstle

Sparrow Hawk ~ Blue hawk

Starling ~ Stucky

Stonechat ~ Corney of the Cravat

Swift ~ Black Martin
Wheatear ~ Stone twister

Willow Warbler ~ Sally Picker, Sally Wren

Woodpigeon ~ Croodlin doo

Wren ~ Chitty Wren, God’s Hen, Jinny wran

If you know of any others, please let me know.