News
Recent Sightings - 23rd October 2019
Over the past few weeks, we've been visited by a bird species that has not been recorded here for over a decade! A small flock of Skylarks has been seeing foraging in the Peninsula field and flying over our other habitats. Skylarks are a demure ground nes
23 October 2019
Recent Sightings - 14th October 2019
Wintering wildfowl numbers continue to build here at Castle Espie; including one of the UK's smallest ducks, Eurasian Teal. Locally known as Teal, the males are very striking and easy to distinguish from other UK species: chestnut coloured head, with a br
14 October 2019
Recent Sightings - 7th October 2019
The weather this morning was absolutely abysmal; heavy drizzle and high winds. However this is actually a great time to see birds at Castle Espie because lots of birds will shelter along the shoreline and on the edge of our wetland habitats; this morning
7 October 2019
Recent sightings - 30th Septmeber
Castle Espie is a great site for wintering ducks. In the winter, ducks will leave their breeding grounds and migrate locally to congregate around lakes and other wetlands. The Freshwater lakes here host almost all the Irish (freshwater) duck species at so
30 September 2019
Recent Sightings - 23rd September 2019
Across the crisp, clear autumn air the mournful cry of a Buzzard is frequently heard. Having recovered from a significant decline in the last 100 years in the UK & Ireland, the Buzzard is thriving again and it's distinctive call is part of the living land
23 September 2019
Recent Sightings - 16th September 2019
Brent numbers are building rapidly out on the Lough! There's so many that even at low tide, you can still hear in the distance, the mass of geese making their distinctive gronking calls. Yesterday, during our monthly wetland bird survey, c.2500 Brent gees
16 September 2019
Recent Sightings - 9th September 2019
The Brent are back! Strangford Lough's iconic species the Light-bellied Brent goose has once again returned after their long migration. Around 50 birds were first spotted on Wednesday last week, and since then there numbers have been growing. A couple hun
9 September 2019
Recent Sightings - 2nd September 2019
Into September now and more wintering birds are beginning to arrive in the Lough; Greenshank, Redshank, Curlew and Lapwing can all be seen on a daily basis! However this is also a good time of year to spot "Passage Migrants". This is a colloquial term for
2 September 2019
Recent Sightings - 26th August 2019
Now that we are coming to the end of August many of the wildflowers in the Brickworks are going to seed. Once flowers are pollinated their beautiful petals fade, fall off and seeds begin to form. This is vital for the return of the flowers in the spring o
26 August 2019
Recent Sightings - 19th August 2019
We are starting to see the first signs of summer coming to a close. Our breeding birds are just about all finishing up. The Swallows have fledged another brood of young from their nest in the roundhouse, there are only a few ducklings on the reserve with
19 August 2019
Recent Sightings - 12th August 2019
The following sightings were recorded today from the reserve at Castle Espie at Mid Tide. The Tern on the raft at the Saline Lagoon is still tenaciously defending its young and saw off a Peregrine falcon on the hunt this morning.
12 August 2019
Recent Sightings - 5th August 2019
The following sightings were recorded today from the reserve at Castle Espie at LowTide. There is a nice mix of summer and autumn activity on the reserve with the birds like the tern and swallow still active on the nest while at the same time we are see
5 August 2019
Recent Sightings - 29th July 2019
Out and about in the woodlands at the minute there is is lots of activity in the undergrowth and small shrubs. One of our smallest, but nosiest residents has had a very successful breeding year, the Wren! There are lots of Wrens frantically gathering food
29 July 2019
Recent Sightings - 22nd June 2019
The reserve now seems eerily quiet as the Black-headed Gull colony has broken up, with adult and fledged chicks alike now spreading out around Strangford Lough. But all is not so peaceful and calm! In the Saline lagoon, in the absence of the gulls, a new
22 July 2019
Recent Sightings - 8th June 2019
Mid summer now and there is still lots of breeding activity going on; lots of birds are singing again, preparing fro a second brood of young. Lots of ducklings out on the lakes with their mother's. Hundreds of fledgling gull chicks pestering their parents
8 July 2019