News
Join us for a summer of wetland adventures!
Dusty's Wildlife Rangers, Sun 1 July - Fri 31 August This is your chance to become a Wildlife Ranger. There are lots of exciting challenges waiting for you, from bug hunting to bird-feeding. You’re sure to have a quacking time! A great place to start y
25 June 2018
Trapping moths with Ross and Karoline
Every Monday, Ross and Karoline from our reserve team record the numbers of moths caught in a specialist trap at Castle Espie Wetland Centre. The trap is set out on Sunday evening and offers the moths (plus other species), a safe and warm place to spend t
20 June 2018
It's your Tern
During May, our busy reserve team placed two new tern rafts on the main lake and saline lagoon at Castle Espie Wetland Centre. These are specially designed to provide an island habitat for terns, which is both safe from flooding and predation. To encoura
18 June 2018
New arrivals
Exciting news! This week we've welcomed two female Emperor goslings into our newly renovated Duckery. We're pleased to announce they are both doing really well under the watchful eye of mum and dad of course! Emperor geese are one of the favourite breeds
16 June 2018
Gulls just want to have fun
Every Spring hundreds of Black Headed Gulls check-in to Castle Espie to nest. So far, 2018 has been no different! This year our busy reserve team have recorded more than 650 nests on-site, with the lagoon surrounding the Crannog their favourite spot. Alth
14 June 2018
News of the Week from Castle Espie
Summer days are quickly flying by, and our Nature Explorers are coming in their droves! We just can’t believe that August is around the corner, but what a fantastic summer we have had so far. This is the beautiful Harper, getting to know the ducks at Ca
29 July 2016
Solar Day at Castle Espie
Have an ‘Astronomical’ Day Out at Castle Espie Calling all astronomers, adventurers and more! Get ready for an astronomical day out at Castle Espie’s Solar Day on Sunday, 7 August. Join the Irish Astronomical Association and Emerald Garrison Star W
25 July 2016
News of the Week from Castle Espie
This week at Castle Espie we welcomed two surprise visitors. Two Dexter Cows have moved on to the reserve for the summer months as part of Castle Espie’s grazing and conservation programme. We ran a competition on our Facebook page and are happy to anno
22 July 2016
The Kingfisher Kitchen 'Takes Flight' at Castle Espie
Nestled in a quiet corner on the North West shore of Strangford Lough at WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre, the Kingfisher Kitchen is a hidden gem with unrivalled and uninterrupted views of the nature reserve’s lake across to Scrabo Tower. View from The
11 July 2016
'The Week That Was' at Castle Espie
Summer has arrived at Castle Espie but the sunshine doesn’t seem to have arrived with it – luckily our ducks and birds enjoy the rain and it looks like all of our visitors like it too! Eyevan Dinsmore's duaghter enjoys walking with the ducks in the r
11 July 2016
Awesome Amber is NI Puddle Jumping Champion
Amber Willis, who's nearly two and from Newtownards has been named as the first ever Northern Ireland Puddle Jumping Champion after participating in the WWT Big Splash at Castle Espie Wetland Centre during February half term. Over 2,000 puddle jumpers f
1 March 2016
Giant LEGO Brick Animals Spotted at Castle Espie
[caption id="attachment_55688" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Oliva Rose (7) and Watson Kingham (8) get a first look at Flavia the flamingo at Castle Espie's LEGO brick animal trail. [/caption] The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust’s (WWT) giant LEGO bri
12 February 2016
Make a Big Splash at the NI Puddle Jumping Championships
Children of all ages are being encouraged to get out into the fresh air and have fun jumping in puddles this February half term with WWT’s Big Splash at Castle Espie Wetland Centre, Comber from Monday 15 - Sunday 22 February. The Big Splash at Castle E
20 January 2016
Loose Thread Quilters Celebrate ‘Our Food So Good’
A new exhibition celebrating Northern Ireland's Year of Food and Drink 2016 has opened at the Castle Espie Gallery. The ‘Our Food So Good’ quilting exhibition by the Loose Thread Quilters has drawn inspiration from the wealth of quality produce avail
19 January 2016
Espie the Elf's Mischievous Migration
A Christmas elf named locally as Espie has been causing havoc at Castle Espie Wetland Centre near Comber. Just like the increasingly popular Elf on the Shelf tradition played out in households across the globe, Espie the Elf has arrived from the North Po
8 December 2015