Birds to See in Ulster in December
82 species listed for December · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
82 bird species on our list for Ulster are recorded regularly in December. Of these, the most often recorded are Hooded Crow, European Robin, Blackbird, Curlew and Jackdaw. New this month: Black Guillemot, Red-billed Chough, Bullfinch and Common Redpoll and 7 more.
New in December11
Residents
(47)Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Recorded all year
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Recorded all year
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Magpie
Pica picaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Recorded all year
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
Recorded all year
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
Regularly May–Feb
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Recorded all year
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Regularly Dec–Sep
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Regularly May–Feb
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Recorded all year
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Regularly May–Mar
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Regularly May–Feb
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Recorded all year
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Recorded all year
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Regularly Jul–Feb
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Regularly Sep–Feb
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Summer visitors
(10)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Stonechat
Saxicola rubicolaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Regularly May–Dec
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocoraxLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
Regularly May–Jan
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Winter visitors
(17)Present outside the breeding season
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Regularly Jul–May
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Regularly Jul–May
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Regularly Jun–Mar
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Brent Goose
Branta berniclaLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
Regularly Oct–Mar
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Regularly Jun–Apr
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Regularly Jul–May
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
Regularly Nov–Mar
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigraLC
Regularly Nov–Apr
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
Regularly Nov–May
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Regularly Jul–Apr
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalisVU
Regularly Nov–Apr
Passage migrants
(8)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
Regularly Aug–Dec
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
Regularly Jul–Mar
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
Regularly Nov–Jan
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Nov–May
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
Regularly Dec–Mar
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly Jul–Apr
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
Regularly Dec
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Regularly Nov–Jan
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made