Recent Sightings 11th September 2023
The Brent are back! It’s that time of year again – the Light-bellied brent geese (pictured) are back at Strangford Lough to feed on Eelgrass. They have come from their breeding grounds in Arctic Canada and will continue arriving in Strangford Lough until they hit their peak numbers around mid-October. The Brent goose is our smallest goose, but their numbers mean they can make an impressively loud noise! You can hear their endearing calls to one another from most points on the reserve, even if you can’t see them – but the best place for a visual of these remarkable flocks of geese is from our Brent Hide and Limekiln Observatory.
Some other welcome visitors on the Reserve and the Estuary include Wigeon, Teal, large numbers of Greylag Geese and Pintail. A female Pintail was spotted gracefully swimming and feeding on the Main Lake at the weekend. These slender ducks have long, slim necks and elegant plumage. Although it is the males that have the long, distinctive tail feathers, the females do still have a small, pointed tail to help identify them.
Estuary - visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Light-bellied brent goose ~500, Shoveler 5, Wigeon 6, Little egret 18, Grey heron 3, Oystercatcher ~300, Lesser black-backed gull 3, Black-headed gull 105, Common gull 10, Eider 110, Cormorant 58, Great-crested grebe 2, Swallow 3, Gadwall 2
Main lake - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor Centre
Little egret 20, Coot 3, Shoveler 2, Mallard 75, Teal 4, Greylag goose 16, Little grebe 2, Moorhen 5, Wigeon 4, Cormorant 1, Mute swan 1, Tufted duck 1, Black-headed gull 2, Kingfisher 1, Song thrush 1, Pintail 1
Shingle Bank - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor Centre
Greylag goose 31, Moorhen 6, Mallard 13
Wadermarsh - visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Swallow 2, Little egret 3, Teal 10, Black-tailed godwit 2, Willow warbler 1, Mallard 4, Jackdaw 19
Freshwater Lagoon - visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg
Teal 8, Mallard 6, Moorhen 2
Saline Lagoon - visible from Limekiln observatory
Mallard 5, Little grebe 4
Peninsula Saltmarsh
Hooded crow 3, Rook 1
Peninsula Field
Swallow, Magpie
Brickworks
Raven 2, Jackdaw 6, Wren, Blue tit, Goldfinch
Limestone Lake
Wood pigeon, Moorhen 1
Woodland
House martin, Magpie, Coal tit, Jackdaw, Wren, Goldcrest, Robin, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Long-tailed tit
