Recent Sightings - 15th April 2019
Barrow's Goldeneye is an American duck species and can be seen everyday at Castle Espie as part of our exotic wildfowl collection. However Strangford lough is a stronghold for the European Goldeneye and Castle Espie is probably one of the few places in the world where one can see and compare both species on the same day!
We've been very fortunate of late, as a pair of European Goldeneye appear to have taken up residency on our Main Lake, for now anyway. They'v been seen on the lake for a couple of weeks, courting with each other, foraging and diving. The Male is a stunning bird. A dark bottle green head, delicate black streaks along a snowy white wing and, if you're fortunate to be close enough, a bright golden eye. Hopefully these birds will remain on site for many more weeks to come.
Count was taken at High Tide
Estuary – visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Black-headed Gull 11
Main lake – visible from Sensory garden and Visitor centre
Goldeneye 2, Tufted Duck 8, Gadwall 5, Mallard 15, Greylag goose 1, Coot 3, Black-headed Gull 48
Shingle bank – visible from Sensory garden, Wadermarsh and Visitor Centre
Black-head Gull 77, Lesser Black-backed Gull 1, Cormorant 1, Redshank 30
Wadermarsh – visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Moorhen 2, Black-tailed Godwit 322, Black-headed Gull 36, Knot 40, Oystercatcher 2, Shelduck 2
Freshwater Lagoon – visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg
Mallard 7, Gadwall 2, Teal 5, Coot 3, Moorhen 2, Black-headed Gull 316, Lesser Black-back Gull 2, Common Gull 1, Jackdaw 4, Woodpigeon1
Saline Lagoon – visible from Limekiln observatory
Black-headed Gull 2, Common Gull 2,
Limestone Lake
Little Grebe 1
Peninsula Field and Saltmarsh
Black-headed Gull 5, Shelduck 2
Brickworks
Blackbird, Jackdaw
Woodland
Blue tit, Great tit, Coal tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Goldcrest, Wren, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Wood Pigeon, Jackdaw, Hooded Crow
