Recent Sightings - 16th August 2021

There are hints of the approaching autumn migration beginning to appear now. Curlew numbers are building on the Lough, the occasional Grey Plover and Lapwing are being seen regularly. Common Sandpiper and Willow Warbler were seen on the Freshwater Lagoon at the weekend. And as last weeks blog highlighted the Hirundine flocks are gathering and are feeding readily on the insects flying off our water bodies; building up fat reserves for their long migration to Africa.

Little Egrets are gathering again too. They can often be seen roosting off the pier at hightide. As many as 20 at a time. Or at low tide, skulking around the edge of the lakes in search of frogs or fish. The Kingfisher is still being seen often, zooming between the different lakes and ponds. A wonderful surprise this morning was the site of a fledgling Blackcap in the woodland! Making alot of noise, begging for food.

It's fantastic to see so many Curlew coming back to the Estuary. The eagle eyed bird watcher might even be able to pick out a Whimbrel or two from amongst them. Every year, Strangford Lough hosts a large population of wintering Curlew. They can be seen probing their long curved beaks into the mud in search of worms. At low tide, when the waterline is far out, listen out for the beautiful haunting call across the landscape.

Curlew breed in the uplands now, but more traditionally they would have been found on our farmlands. In recent years their decline has been devastating. It's now red-listed as an endangered bird in Ireland and the UK has lost over 50% of it's Curlew since the turn of the century. Since the UK holds around a quarter of the world's population of Eurasian Curlew, this spells danger for the species as a whole. Find out more about WWT's Curlew recovery project below.

https://www.wwt.org.uk/our-work/projects/eurasian-...

Count taken at Low tide on Monday morning.

Estuary - visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory

Curlew 56, Oystercatcher 71, Grey Plover 12, Lapwing 1, Little Egret 2, Lesser black-backed gull 7, Herring Gull 1, Black-headed Gull 39, Mute Swan 1

Main lake - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor Centre

Mallard 17, Little Grebe 1, Goldeneye 1

Shingle Bank - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor Centre

Mallard 109, Black-headed gull 6, Moorhen 3, Jackdaw 6

Wadermarsh - visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide

Moorhen 4, Black-head Gull 1, Kingfisher 1, 8 Jackdaw

Freshwater Lagoon - visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg

Mallard 6, Coot 2, Moorhen 2, Swallow 1

Saline Lagoon - visible from Limekiln observatory

Little Grebe 2, Little Egret 1

Brickworks

Goldfinch 10

Limestone Lake

Mallard 1

Peninsula Saltmarsh

Little egret 1

Peninsula Field

Jackdaw 1

Woodland

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