Recent Sightings 23rd March 2026
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a rising tide. The bird of the week this week is the Pied Wagtail. These small black and white birds are instantly recognisable by the frequent ‘bobbing’ of their long tails. There has been a lot of debate about the reason for the constant tail wagging, the strongest contenders are that it is used for communication with other wagtails, it may help to flush out insect prey which is disturbed by the movement, or it is a signal to predators that the bird is alert and not easy prey. The other common species of wagtail seen in Northern Ireland is the Grey Wagtail (it is yellow and grey so easily distinguishable from the Pied Wagtail), on rare occasions passage White Wagtails can be seen. The Pied Wagtail is a dark colour morph of the White Wagtail, which has a grey back instead of a black one. Pied Wagtails are often seen on lawns or car parks looking for insects and they can roost communally in numbers up to a few thousand. These birds are particularly partial to nesting in farmyards where small holes in brickwork or spaces under roof tiles can be found.
Estuary - visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Shelduck 59, Black-headed Gull 46, Common Gull 5, Herring Gull 22, Brent Goose 145, Lesser Black-backed Gull 2, Little Egret 2, Redshank 1, Curlew 13, Oystercatcher 124, Eider Duck 5, Red-breasted Merganser 10, Cormorant 2, Great Crested Grebe 1, Dunlin 25, Hooded Crow 2
Main lake - visible from Sensory Garden and Visitor Centre
Mallard 10, Gadwall 10, Tufted Duck 2, Teal 12, Moorhen 3, Woodpigeon, Robin, Little Grebe 1, Wren, Black-headed Gull 7, Herring Gull 2, Common Gull 2, Pied Wagtail 1
Shingle Bank - visible from Sensory Garden and Visitor Centre
Cormorant 2, Teal 8, Mallard 2, Gadwall 7
Wadermarsh - visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Greenshank 2, Song Thrush, Black-tailed Godwit 3, Redshank 3, Black-headed Gull 3, Teal 6, Gadwall 5
Freshwater Lagoon - visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg
Gadwall 5, Moorhen 4, Teal 4, Black-headed Gull 5, Mallard 3, Coot 1
Saline Lagoon - visible from Limekiln observatory
Little Grebe 1, Greenshank 1, Black-headed Gull 20, Mallard 1, Little Egret 1 (flying over), Goldfinch
Brickworks
Jackdaw 4
Limestone Lake
Woodpigeon, Moorhen 1, Goldfinch, Mallard 1
Peninsula Saltmarsh
No birds seen
Peninsula Field
No birds seen
Woodland
Jackdaw 7, Robin, Dunnock, Wren, Great Tit, Chaffinch, Goldcrest, Siskin, Goldfinch, Long-tailed Tit
Sensory Garden
Blackbird, Song Thrush, Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Jackdaw 2, Robin, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Hooded crow, Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Raven 1
