Recent Sightings- 6th May 2019
We've had an unusual visitor at Castle Espie this week. Over the Main lake, silently swooping in-between the raucous Black-head Gulls; diminutive and yet elegant, a Little Gull. This isn't just a "small" gull, but in fact a very unusual visitor to Northern Ireland! With only a couple of hundred turning up round the coasts of Britain and Ireland every year, it's rather special to host it here.
Little Gulls spend the winter in the Mediterranean sun and travel up to their breeding grounds in Eastern Europe/ Russia for the summer time. They are seen around the coasts every year on their migration. Incredible acrobatic flyers, they soar, twist and turn just like swallows. Even nimble enough to take insects and fish from the water's surface whilst on the wing! From a distance it's easy to separate from the other gulls as it's about half the size of a Black-headed Gull and twice as agile in flight. Up close it has a jet black head, instead of the Black-headed's chocolate brown, certainly ironic, and lacks the distinct "white eyeliner" of a Black-headed Gull. Slightly darker under-wings and mature birds have completely pale wing-tips.
Its very strange for a migrating bird to be staying in the same place for over week, but it was still flying and feeding over the Main Lake this morning a week on. Perhaps it's given up on breeding this year and decided to spend the summer taking in the views over Strangford Lough? Only time will tell, but in the meantime it's a wonderful visitor and very welcome at Castle Espie.
Commendation to Jonathon Clarke for getting a great image of this fast flying bird!
Count taken at Low Tide
Estuary – visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Black-headed Gull 48, Lesser-back Gull 3, Greater Black-back Gull 1, Shelduck 2
Main lake – visible from Sensory garden and Visitor centre
Gadwall 1, Mallard 14, Tufted Duck 8, Greylag goose 4, Coot 3, Black-headed Gull c.75, Shelduck 2
Shingle bank – visible from Sensory garden, Wadermarsh and Visitor Centre
Black-head Gull 55, Mallard 3, Gadwall 1, Moorhen 2,
Wadermarsh – visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Black-headed Gull 16, Shelduck 17, Black-tailed Godwit 1,
Freshwater Lagoon – visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg
Mallard 8, Tufted Duck 2, Shoveler 2, Shelduck 1, Greylag goose 1, Coot 1, Black-headed Gull c.350, Swallow 2, Sedge Warbler 1
Saline Lagoon – visible from Limekiln observatory
Black-headed Gull 23, Hooded Crow
Limestone Lake
Little Grebe 1
Peninsula Field and Saltmarsh
Blackbird
Brickworks
Jackdaw
Woodland
Blue tit, Great tit, Coal tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Goldcrest, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Wren, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Wood Pigeon, Jackdaw
Seen in the past week (not on this morning's count)
Bullfinch, Treecreeper, Sparrowhawk, Jay, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Red-breasted Merganser, Meadow Pipit, Common Tern
Butterflies
Peacock, Green-veined White, Orange-tip, Speckled wood, Holly Blue
