News
Reserve Update Wednesday 28th November
Passerine activity remains good around the site with two Brambling spotted on the Peter Scott Trail feeders yesterday and a male down with the Yellowhammers and Reed Bunting opposite the Peter Scott Observatory. They have been heard again this morning a
28 November 2018
A good variety of winter duck species
2 Pintail - main lake 3 Shelduck - main lake, wader scrape 1 Bittern - main lake (N shore) 5 Snipe - grazing marsh, wader scrape 1 Water Pipit - grazing marsh 1 Meadow Pipit - grazing marsh 1 Peregrine - perched on the hospital November bird hi
28 November 2018
Today's sightings
Zeiss Hide Slightly quieter than the last couple of days, but hunting Peregrines and a Merlin are causing the birds to move around between the reserve more. Birds included 6 Snipe, 79 Lapwing, 504 Teal, 300+ Wigeon, 46 Pintail, 50+ Dunlin, 57 Shoveler a
27 November 2018
Today's highlights
Whooper swan Mute swan Canada geese Greylag geese Barnacle geese Shelduck Shoveler Wigeon Pintail Gadwall Pochard Ringed teal (Escapee) Lapwing Great white egret Little egret Ruff Dunlin Snipe Black-tailed godwit Coot Moorhen Marsh harrier Sparrowhawk Buz
27 November 2018
Wintering bird arrival
The last month has seen the arrival at Steart of a few of our favourite wintering birds. Firstly, short-eared owls have arrived back and are displaying excellently after only one sighting last winter. A hen harrier has been sighted regularly, roosting s
27 November 2018
A win for barnacle geese
Yesterday WWT called out a proposal being made to the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention to downgrade protection for barnacle geese in the UK and Europe, which would make it widely legal to kill them. We featured this photograph of a suitabl
27 November 2018
Wildlife sightings - 27/11/18
a.m. Tide Level: Mid/low Wader Lake Water rail 1 Teal 3 Snipe 7 Kestrel 1 Shelduck 7 Buzzard 1 Redwing 6 Saline Lagoon Teal 7 Black-headed gull 31 Shelduck 2 Hawthorn Wood Great-spotted woodpecker 1 Great tit 5 Willow tit 1 Bullfinch 3 Blue tit 4 Coal tit
27 November 2018
Water Rails calling from the reeds
1 Goldeneye - reservoir lagoon 1 Pintail - grazing marsh 2 Water Rail - South route, reedbeds (both heard calling) 2 Snipe - grazing marsh 1 Water Pipit - grazing marsh 2 Chiffchaff - South route, sheltered lagoon November bird highlights: Short-eared Ow
27 November 2018
A black redstart, a jack snipe & eleven marsh harriers
Increase in teal with the colder weather Photo: Romney Turner Mon 26 Nov Sand martin / Ramsar hide: 2 wigeon, 17 shoveler, 16 shelducks, 12 snipe. Lapwing hide: 10 snipe, 1 water rail. Scrape hide: 3 little gr
26 November 2018
Recent Sightings €- 26th November 2018
Count was taken today at low tide. The big news this morning is that Shelduck numbers are still on the increase! Strangford Lough is nationally important for many different species of wintering wetland birds, including Shelduck. However the estuary mudfl
26 November 2018
Today's Highlights
Little egret Lapwing Golden plover Moorhen Redshank Black-tailed godwit Dunlin Coot Water rail Ruff Curlew Cormorant Shelduck Teal Pintail Gadwall Shoveler Pochard Mallard Mute swan Whooper swan Bewick's swans from Lyle hide Canada geese Greylag geese Co
26 November 2018
Monday 26th November - Reserve Sightings - Plenty of Passerines!
Good morning all! It's a very frosty morning on site today and the 130 Whoopers on the pond have had to spend their first feed breaking through sheets of ice; winter has truly arrived. And with this arrival of the colder weather there are plenty of bird
26 November 2018
Latest Sightings
A big thank you to everybody who came along at the weekend to the North West Bird Watching Festival. The weather was great and there was lots of bird activity over the two days. Great for raptors with at least 5 Marsh Harrier around the reserve and coming
26 November 2018
It could become legal to kill wild barnacle geese in the UK in the future
It could become legal to kill wild barnacle geese in the UK in the future, if a proposal by Norway to the EU is adopted. The reason is that the species has increased through conservation efforts to stop it sliding towards extinction. UK numbers of Sval
26 November 2018
Big count of Mandarin and winter thrushes moving through
1 Bittern - main lake (North shore) 1 Goldeneye - reservoir lagoon 15 Mandarin - world wetlands, wildside 6 Fieldfare - South route 8 Redwing - flew over heading SW 9 Siskin - flew over heading SE 2 Shelduck - wader scrape 1 Meadow Pipit - flew o
26 November 2018