Latest sightings
Recent Sightings - 11th February 2019
Another under appreciated wee gem that's very visible at Castle Espie at this time of year is the Gadwall.
11 February 2019
Recent Sightings - 3rd February 2019
This week i thought I'd highlight one of our most conspicuous and yet overlooked residents; the Moorhen. These "water chicken" like birds are found around are commonly found on wetlands in the UK and Ireland, wading in the edges of ponds and lakes with th
4 February 2019
Recent Sightings - 28th January 2019
Count taken at low tide on the morning of 28/1/19.Two birds which have been infrequent visitors to Castle Espie this winter, but very rarely show up on this weekly count, are Redpoll and Siskin. (Redpoll above)These two species aren't found at Castle Espi
28 January 2019
Recent Sightings - 14th January 2019
Count taken at low tide this morning. A really nice treat this morning was to get close views of Curlew from the Brent hide, both on the estuary and on our wadermarsh. At low tide curlews use their curved beaks to dig into the mud looking for deep lying w
14 January 2019
Recent - Sightings 7th January 2019
Count taken at Low tide this morning. Happy New Year to all! Hopefully the new year will be just as good for birds this year as it was last year! The highlights this morning were the wintering ducks assemblage on the Main lake and the infrequently sighted
7 January 2019
Recent Sightings €- 31st December 2018
Count taken at High-Mid tide this morning. It was a real treat on the reserve this morning to find Peregrine falcons zooming over the brickworks. Not unusual birds to see in NI but are infrequent visitors to Castle Espie. Their large size, long pointed
31 December 2018
Recent Sightings €- 17th December 2018
Count taken at Mid-tide this morning. Keep your eyes peeled around the reserve for a very elusive and colourful little duck, the Eurasian Teal. Lots of Teal have been seen on sight of late, mainly roosting overnight but some are staying all day on both
17 December 2018
Recent Sightings €- 10th December 2018
Count taken at low tide this morning. We've been very fortunate of late to have regular views of the Kingfisher over the Wadermarsh in the mornings. Its being seen regularly sitting on posts around the sluice area. Keep an eye out for this bird from the B
10 December 2018
Recent Sightings €- 3rd December 2018
Count taken at high tide. With Winter closing in, we've been topping up our bird feeders in and around the centre, with all sorts of garden birds visiting them. The real highlight is our family of Bullfinches. Big pink breast, thick beak for crushing seed
3 December 2018
Recent Sightings €- 26th November 2018
Count was taken today at low tide. The big news this morning is that Shelduck numbers are still on the increase! Strangford Lough is nationally important for many different species of wintering wetland birds, including Shelduck. However the estuary mudfl
26 November 2018
Recent Sightings €- 19th November 2018
This count was taken at high tide this morning. Large flocks of wildfowl are still showing really well from the Brent Hide. Keep a look out for the hundreds of Wigeon; the males with their distinctive mustard forehead are a treat to see.
19 November 2018
Recent Sightings €- 12th Novemeber 2018
This count was taken at low tide at Castles Espie on the morning of 12/11/2018. As we charge through autumn towards winter, the duck populations are increasing on the reserve and on the estuary. The winter flock of Tufted duck is beginning to build on the
13 November 2018
Recent Sightings €- 29th October 2018
The following count was taken from the reserve and estuary at high tide today. Strangford Lough is such a remarkable place. The winter bird numbers just keeping increasing; huge flocks of Wigeon now visible everyday and large numbers of Greenshank are bei
5 November 2018
Recent Sightings €- 29th October 2018
The following count was taken from the reserve and estuary at low tide today. The winter birds are still showing well on the estuary. There are still impressive numbers of Brent geese on the lough and the flocks of duck and wader are impressive. Estuar
29 October 2018
Recent Sightings €- 22nd October 2018
The winter bird assemblage on the Estuary is truly magnificent. Thousands of birds are seen everyday. Whoopers swans have now arrived back from Iceland, so keep an eye out from the Brent hide for these incredible birds with their bright yellow bills. &nbs
22 October 2018