Recent Sightings - 19th April 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a low tide. An improvement in the weather has spurred a lot of birds on with breeding activities, with many species, across much of the habitats at Castle Espie busy singing and nest building. Much of the woodland and woodland edge species that are present and breed on the reserve at Castle Espie have also adapted to use hedgerows, parks and gardens in the wider environment, to successfully nest and raise broods elsewhere. The same however, cannot be said for their ground nesting cousins, which unfortunately have undergone dramatic decline in recent years, not least due to changing farmland management practices. We manage much of our open grasslands to encourage ground nesting species, such as the Meadow pipit, and are lucky to have this species on site. This small, streaky brown bird has a territorial song that consists of a short flight from a point, flying straight up, and then parachuting back down to usually its original point, all the while singing its continuous ‘pipity’ song.
Estuary - visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Shelduck 2, Black-headed gull 70, Lesser black-backed gull 2
Main lake - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor Centre
Mallard 2, Goldeneye 2, Black-headed gull 36, Moorhen 2, Teal 2, Shelduck 2, Greylag goose 1, Coot 2, Moorhen 1, Gadwall 2
Shingle Bank - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor Centre
Lesser black-backed gull 1, Black-headed gull 125, Greylag goose 1, Moorhen 1, Mallard 3, Jackdaw 3, Black-tailed godwit 160, Knot 12
Wadermarsh - visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Black-headed gull 18, Greylag goose 1
Freshwater Lagoon - visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg
Mallard 5, Black-headed gull 189, Black-tailed godwit 49, Reed bunting 2, Gadwall 2, Redshank 1, Jackdaw 2
Saline Lagoon - visible from Limekiln observatory
Black-headed gull 120
Brickworks
Song thrush 1, Jackdaw 5, Linnet 2, Goldfinch 1, Mistle thrush 1, Black-headed gull 2, Hooded crow 1, Jackdaw 1
Limestone Lake
Black-headed gull 1
Peninsula Saltmarsh
Black-headed gull 4
Peninsula Field
Meadow pipit 1
Woodland
Blackbird, Wren, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Great tit, Robin, Blue tit, Coal tit, Wood pigeon, Goldcrest, Willow warbler, Jackdaw, Blackcap, Goldfinch, Hooded crow
