Latest sightings
Recent Sightings
Reserve On the 28th March a family of 9 mute swans have been seen on the Main Lake with 3 little egrets, 500 black headed gulls, mallards, tufted ducks and 25 Shelducks. 25th March the wader marsh [...]
28 March 2012
Recent sightings
Reserve 22nd March Catttle Egret spotted on Shingle Bank amongst the Black headed Gulls. Today was spotted with our Swans on the main lake. [...]
25 March 2012
Recent Sightings
Sunday 18th March - A pair of Mediterranean gulls are now residing with the 800 or so black headed gulls. Shelduck numbers are up to 46 squabbling over who gets who on the Main Lake.&nb [...]
19 March 2012
Recent sightings
Reserve Brent continue to come onto the Peninsula saltmarsh with up to 15 (family groups) along with 8 ringed plover, 11 dunlin, 30 Oystercatchers, 55 black-tailed godwit and a single [...]
25 February 2012
Recent Sightings
Reserve Brent can still be seen daily on the peninsula saltmarsh with up to 9 (2 family groups) along with 6 ringed plover, 1 dunlin, 1 curlew, 31 oystercatcher, 3 redshank, 1 little egr [...]
14 February 2012
Recent sightings
Reserve On the 5th February sightings on the main lake have included 3 male and 1 female pintail alongside 1 cormorant, 4 teal, 185 mallards and 32 tufted ducks. Large flocks of finches, goldfinch [...]
7 February 2012
Recent sightings
Refuge On the 27 January great sightings were witnessed In the Peninsula Salt Marsh - 20 Twite, 113 Oyster catcher, 30 Turnstone, 4 Ringed Plover, 8 Dunlin, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Black-tail [...]
27 January 2012
Recent Sightings
Reserve. On the 21st January the first signs of spring appeared with 12 shelduck visiting the main lake alongside 12 little egrets. 28 oystercatchers were spotted on the brickworks and on the 22nd [...]
24 January 2012
Recent Sightings
Reserve A pair of red-breasted mergansers are still enjoying residency on the Saline lagoon and have been seen daily along with 3 little grebes, 9 gadwall and 40 oystercatchers. On the 28th [...]
11 January 2012
Recent sightings
Reserve Greenshank and redshank are becoming more regular on the Wader marsh with oystercatcher and lapwing beginning to use the Peninsular salt marsh from December 5th. A pair o [...]
13 December 2011
Recent sightings at Castle Espie
Refuge Light bellied brent now down to 500 within the estuary gathering close to the Limekiln Observatory at high-water. Wigeon similarly reduced to approximately 130 with northern shoveler up to 38, shelduck now approaching 1000 and up to 320 eider regu
24 November 2011
23rd November
Refuge Light bellied brent now down to 500 within the estuary gathering close to the Limekiln Observatory at high-water. Wigeon similarly reduced to approximately 130 with northern shoveler [...]
23 November 2011
Oct 28th update from Castle Espie
Refuge Wigeon and Brent peaked mid month at 780 and 6000 respectively and have started to disperse southwards to pastures new. Shoveler (24 on 27th) and shelduck (260 on 27th) are still arriving, [...]
29 October 2011
Migration news from Castle Espie
Pale bellied Brent, having arrived in record numbers to Strangford this year, are now continuing their journey southwards, refuelled and ready for their next stopover. With a recent drop of 15,000 geese, this week's count was similar to the previous one
28 October 2011
Caerlaverock prepares for return of breeding ospreys
As the geese and swans head north to Spitsbergen and Iceland for the summer, our ospreys are due back from a winter in Africa and hopefully they will breed again successfully this year. We will have live images from the nest beamed to the big screen in th
24 March 2011