Strangford Stop-Over for Icelandic birds
Film buffs will remember the line, “If you build it, they will come”, from ‘Field of Dreams’. Wildlife management is often this simple - if you provide a habitat that meets the needs of wildlife, it will come. At WWT this seems to have happened. Over the last number of weeks there have been up to 600 black-tailed godwits sitting on the Wader Marsh in Castle Espie, waiting to go to Iceland. Kerry Mackie, Grounds and Reserve manager says “It’s so encouraging that all the new landscapes have started to create dividends for our wildfowl. And of course, this can only get better as the habitats mature.”
This unusually large number of godwits is also venturing out from the water’s edge to the brickworks which means the birds aren’t reliant on the estuary. Apparently their numbers have been building over the last few years at places like Ardmillan, Strangford Lough and the Comber Estuary. In fact, up to 300 spent the Winter here. Kerry continued: “ It’s very exciting as we haven’t seen this number of waders using the reserve since the early stages of Castle Espie redevelopment.”
Climate change is one possibility for this departure from usual godwit behaviour. Whatever the reason, Castle Espie is delighted with its’ unexpected visitors.
Godwits are attractive birds with their long legs and beaks and the distinctive black and white stripes on their wings. In fact, so attractive are they that in the 16th century in England they were described as “the dantiest dish in England”. Happily they are no longer hunted (except in France where up to 8000 birds are killed annually). The name Godwit is from the Old English meaning Good Creature.
For all the latest wildfowl sightings on Strangford Lough check out WWT Castle Espie wwt.org.uk/castleespie/latest-sightings/.
