Recent Sightings - 10th December 2019
Castle Espie's most secretive resident was spotted at dusk this week; the Long Eared Owl. As they are nocturnal, they're incredibly elusive! Sleeping hidden during the day, dawn and dusk is the best time to spot these enigmatic creatures.
Long Eared Owls are one of two species of resident owl species in Northern Ireland; the other being the Barn owl. Whilst Barn owls are mostly associated with Farmland and Grassland habitats, Long Ears tend to be found in Woodlands. Northern Ireland is surprisingly great for Long Eared owl, despite the lack of woodland, because they do not have to compete with the bigger and noisier Tawny owl like they do in Britain and the rest of Europe.
Long Eared owls are named after their distinctive ear tufts, which aren't actually ears at all! Rather, they are tufts of feathers that they raise when they feel threatened.
Long Ears feed predominately on rodents, such as Wood Mice and a variety of small birds. They cannot make their own nests so prefer to commandeer old crow nests as their own. There is a pair of owls here at Castle Espie and have successfully bred for a number of years, but are only seen maybe once a year! Next time you're walking through the secret swamp, think of all the secrets our woodland holds; the wonderful nocturnal world of wildlife that thrives there after dark.
Count taken at mid tide this morning.
Estuary - visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Brent Geese c.150, Shelduck 28, Wigeon 12, Eider 11, Oystercatcher 48, Curlew 11, Greenshank 6, Redshank 52 Black-headed Gull 31, Herring Gull 1, Little Egret 2
Main lake - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor centre
Mallard 131, Tufted duck 31, Teal 22, Gadwall 8, Shoveler 2, Greylag goose 1, Coot 1, Grey Heron 1
Shingle Bank - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor centre
Mallard 5, Teal 38, Gadwall 5, Cormorant 1, Moorhen 1
Wadermarsh - visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Moorhen 13, Teal 9, Curlew 1, Little Egret 1
Freshwater Lagoon - visible from Brent Hide and Crannog
Mallard 6, Teal 2, Coot 2, Tufted Duck 2
Saline Lagoon - visible from Limekiln observatory
Little Grebe 3, Little Egret 1
Brickworks
Jackdaw 6
Peninsula field and marsh
Black-headed gull 2, Grey heron 1
Woodland
Blackbird, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Blue tit, Great tit, Coal tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Magpie, Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, Woodpigeon, Long Eared Owl
