Latest sightings
Recent Sightings 27th October 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a rising tide. The bird of the week this week is the Red Breasted Merganser. These ducks have a special long bill with tooth-like serrations that help them to hold onto fish that t
27 October 2025
Recent Sightings 20th October 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a rising tide. The bird of the week this week is the Stonechat. These birds are robin-sized and have similar colouring. Males have a red breast with a white collar and a dark head
20 October 2025
Recent Sightings 13th October 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a receding tide. The bird of the week this week is the Little Grebe. The Little Grebe is the smallest of the European Grebes, they have brown feathers, with a darker head and back.
13 October 2025
Recent Sightings 6th October 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a rising tide. The bird of the week this week is the Scaup. The Scaup is the rarest breeding duck in the UK; only a few will breed here each year. In the winter Scaups from Norther
6 October 2025
Recent Sightings 29th September 2025
Monday Bird Count 29/09/2025 The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a receding tide. The bird of the week this week is the Spotted Redshank. This wader is much rarer than its close relative the Redshank; only a couple
29 September 2025
Recent Sightings 22nd September 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a rising tide. This week’s bird of the week is the Eider Duck. Eiders are large sea ducks which can often be seen swimming in flocks off the coast. Females are brown in colour an
22 September 2025
Recent Sightings 15th September 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a falling tide. This week's bird of the week is the moorhen. This is a common species found in wetlands and freshwater habitats and is often overlooked! Moorhens are black with whi
15 September 2025
Recent Sightings 8th September 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a rising tide. The Bullfinch is the bird of the week. Male bullfinches have an unmistakable red chest and cheeks whilst the female is a more muted pinkish-brown colour. These birds
8 September 2025
Recent Sightings 1st September 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a receding tide. This week saw the return of the Brent geese. A few birds of prey are around, including a Peregrine seen flying over the reserve and a Long-eared owl hiding in a tr
1 September 2025
Recent Sightings 25th August 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a rising tide. A pair of Wigeon have appeared on the Reserve. A peregrine was flying over the Limestone lake, and a large flock of goldfinch have gathered on the brickworks grassla
25 August 2025
Recent Sightings 18th August
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a receding tide. The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a receding tide. The bird of the week is the Garganey. The Garganey is a species of dabb
18 August 2025
Recent Sightings 11th August 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a low tide. The bird of the week is the Willow Warbler. The Willow Warbler is a summer visitor to Northern Ireland and in recent years their population has been increasing. They ha
11 August 2025
Recent Sightings 5th August 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a high tide. The bird of the week is the Cormorant. Cormorants are large black birds with wingspans of up to 1.6m. They are often found on the coast, but many specialise in inland
5 August 2025
Recent Sightings 28th July 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a low tide. The bird of the week is the Lapwing. The Lapwing is a wader that can be most frequently seen on the Estuary which is visible from the Brent Hide. From a distance it giv
28 July 2025
Recent Sightings 21st July 2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a high tide. The bird of the week is the Knot. The Monday bird count team were delighted to see a small group of this species in their beautiful orange breeding plumage. It makes q
21 July 2025