News
Recent Sightings 28th June 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a receding tide. A regular and common site currently on the Crannóg is the Moorhen family, sometimes referred to as ‘Waterhens’ or ‘Swamp chickens’. These birds ca
29 June 2021
Recent Sightings 21st June 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie at high tide. A breezy start to the week saw lots of gulls in the air around the reserve. Gulls have been a familiar feature on the reserve at Castle Epsie for a number of yea
21 June 2021
Recent Sightings 14th June 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a low tide. The male Shoveler has now been joined by another on the Freshwater lagoon. In addition to these ducks there are also Teal, Tufted, Gadwall and Mallard, with the
17 June 2021
Recent Sightings 7th June 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a rising tide. A drake Shoveler were spotted on the Freshwater lagoon. This duck is mainly a winter visitor and now breeds in only small numbers, having experienced a massi
7 June 2021
Recent Sightings 31st May 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a receding tide. The warmer weather has seen a lot of the birds loafing in various areas around the reserve including the Shingle bank. Oystercatcher continue to come into th
1 June 2021
Recent Sightings 24th May 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a rising tide. The breeding season continues across the reserve with many birds now on eggs or busily feeding their young. In addition to the noisy nesting gulls, there area
25 May 2021
Recent Sightings 17th May 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a receding tide. A pair of Sandwich Terns have joined the Black-headed gulls and the Common terns on the island in the Saline lagoon. Sandwich terns nest on the wider lough
18 May 2021
Recent Sightings - 10th May 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a rising tide. The Common Terns are now showing interest in the island on the Saline lagoon and we hope they will settle and start to nest soon. A pair of Mediterranean gul
11 May 2021
Recent Sightings - 03th May 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on an ebbing tide. Despite the strong winds and rain over the bank holiday, the Sedge warbler could be seen, and heard high in the willows near the Peninsula field lookout. Th
4 May 2021
Recent Sightings - 26th April 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a rising tide. There are 2 pairs of Shelduck on the reserve presently, and this a species we are lucky to see all year around. We enjoy large flocks of birds on the estuary
27 April 2021
Recent Sightings - 19th April 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a low tide. An improvement in the weather has spurred a lot of birds on with breeding activities, with many species, across much of the habitats at Castle Espie busy singing
20 April 2021
Recent Sightings - 12th April 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a rising tide. The cold snap seems to have put a pause on many of the birds that would usually be busy nest building at this time of year, but a hint of the sounds of summer
13 April 2021
Recent Sightings - 5th April 2021
Northerly winds have made this a very cold and blustery day here at Castle Epsie. We have even had a small flurry of snow! Many birds have taken up shelter in our habitats: the Black-tailed Godwit, Knot and Redshank roosting flocks moved, predominately, t
5 April 2021
Recent Sightings - 29th March 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a low tide. Nest building has begun and is evident from many birds on the reserve including Blue tits using some of the many nest boxes, Jackdaws building in the old chimney
31 March 2021
Recent Sightings - 22nd March 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a low tide. Song thrush is in full voice at various points around the reserve, and along with the appearance of primrose and frog spawn, it is a definite sign that the natur
23 March 2021