Wildlife

Common and sandwich terns visit the reserve in spring to prospect for breeding sites. Our tern rafts offer them an ideal habitat for nest building, with bare shingle and surrounding water.

Most of our lakes and ponds host families of ducklings, from tufted ducks to mallards to shelducks – there are always babies to see!

Our woodland paths are lined with beautiful blossoming wood-sorrel, guiding you through the trees. At night, the distinctive trefoil leaves fold up completely!

Huge numbers of butterflies can be found in the summer months. You’ll find red admirals, peacocks, holly blue and even silver-washed fritillary if you’re lucky!

Keep an eye out for common spotted, pyramidal, northern marsh and twayblade orchids scattered across the reserve. We even have some bee orchids amongst our wildflowers!

Willow warblers are similar in appearance to chiffchaffs but are most easily identified by their characteristic, cascading song.

Brent geese start arriving from their breeding grounds in Arctic Canada. Approximately 90% of the world’s population descend on Strangford Lough to feed on the nutritious eel grass.

Look out for heaps of different fungi dotted around the woodland as the leaves change colour and start to fall, including ones such as smokey bracket and clouded funnel.

Jay can be seen more easily in autumn and winter as they search for acorns in woodlands, parks and gardens to stash them away during the cold months.

Wigeon start to gather in larger numbers, with the males showing off their striking pale stripe down the top of their heads and their delicate, little blueish/grey bills

Huge mixed flocks of tits move through the woodland following the remaining food sources and huddling together at night. Great tits, blue tits, coal tits and long-tailed tits come together in an awesome spectacle

Lapwing, also known as a ‘pee-wit’ due to the call they make, can be seen in large flocks flying high showing off their rounded wings; an easy identifier of the species.