Recent Sightings 19th May 2025
Monday Bird Count 19/05/2025
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a low tide. The bird of the week is the Gadwall. Gadwalls are ducks that are a similar size to mallards. Females are speckled and brown and males are greyish with a black rear end. They are often overlooked because of their unobtrusive colours, but if you look ore closely at the male's grey plumage it is actually quite complicated and made up of many fine bars. Gadwalls have a cheeky habit of following other waterbirds like coots and stealing pondweed that they have foraged!
Estuary - visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Shelduck 6, Black-tailed Godwit 6, Black-headed Gull 6, Oystercatcher 20, Lesser Black-backed Gull 13, Hooded Crow 2, Herring Gull 114, Common Tern 2, Little Egret 2
Main lake - visible from Sensory Garden and Visitor Centre
Mallard 9, Moorhen 3, Coot 2, Little Grebe 4, Gadwall 1, Tufted Duck 2, Black-headed Gull 7, Common Tern 1, Herring Gull 1, Raven 1, Chaffinch, Robin, Wren, Swallow, Pied Wagtail,
Shingle Bank - visible from Sensory Garden and Visitor Centre
Black-headed Gull 1, Woodpigeon 1, Tufted Duck 1, Gadwall 8, Shelduck 1, Mallard 21, Jackdaw 1
Wadermarsh - visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Black-tailed Godwit 1, Jackdaw 1, House Martin, Greenfinch, Linnet, House Sparrow, Blue Tit
Freshwater Lagoon - visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg
Common Tern 1, Mallard 2, Moorhen 1, Grey Heron 1, Mute Swan 2, Gadwall 2, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting 1
Saline Lagoon - visible from Limekiln observatory
Gadwall 3, Black-headed Gull 17, Common Tern 25, Sedge Warbler
Brickworks
Blackbird, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Linnet, Greenfinch, Meadow Pipit, Jackdaw. Pied Wagtail, Blue Tit
Limestone Lake
Common Tern 2, Swallow 1, Blue Tit
Peninsula Saltmarsh
Shelduck 2
Peninsula Field
Meadow Pipit, Blackbird, Blue Tit
Woodland
Blackbird, Treecreeper, Wren, Chaffinch, Robin, Blue Tit, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon
Sensory Garden
Mallard 3, Wren, Robin, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, House Martin, Greenfinch
