Recent Sightings 23rd January 2023
The weather has warmed up for our first day open in a while! We’ve had a nice mild morning to welcome visitors back to Castle Espie and to see the variety of birds that our lakes and ponds host. All parts of the reserve are now open again with lots of wildlife to spy!
Black and white Tufted ducks sit elegantly on our Main and Limestone Lakes, large numbers of Shelduck and Brent geese feed on the rising tide out on the Estuary, Mute and Whooper swans dwarf the smaller wading birds at the water’s edge, and the Woodland is alive with birdsong from Long-tailed tits to Robins to the tiny Goldcrest.
A small group of Red-breasted mergansers was spotted out on the Lough, diving for fish. Mergansers are part of a group called ‘sawbill’s, which have long, serrated, narrow bills for catching fish. They are also very streamlined, which makes swimming through the water to feed much easier.
Estuary - visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Little egret 3, Curlew 61, Black-headed gull 3, Widgeon 26, Light-bellied brent goose 118, Shelduck 296, Redshank 52, Greenshank 10, Turnstone 4, Oystercatcher 175, Eider 26, Dunlin ~60, Grey heron 1, Hooded crow 1, Common gull 1, Red-breasted merganser 4
Main lake - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor Centre
Mallard 130, Moorhen 4, Tufted duck 4, Gadwall 4, Teal 8, Black-headed gull 1
Shingle Bank - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor Centre
Teal 49, Mallard 58, Gadwall 18, Black-headed gull 2, Cormorant 1
Wadermarsh - visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Mute swan 2, Teal 48, Redshank 2, Jackdaw 1, Moorhen 4
Freshwater Lagoon - visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg
Moorhen 2, Mallard 3, Redshank 1, Teal 12
Saline Lagoon - visible from Limekiln observatory
Whooper swan 1, Redshank 1, Oystercatcher 1, Greenshank 1, Little grebe 5
Peninsular Saltmarsh
Redshank 2, Teal 1, Black-headed gull 1
Brickworks
Jackdaw 3, Pied wagtail, Blackbird, Robin
Limestone Lake
Tufted duck 3, Little grebe 1
Woodland
Blue tit, Coal tit, Long-tailed tit, Goldcrest, Wren, Chaffinch, Robin, Blackbird, Woodpigeon
