Recent Sightings - 25th January 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie at high tide. Gadwall is a frequent winter visitor to Castle Espie and there were 61 birds spotted this week on the Main lake. Although they are not a very common duck to these parts, we are lucky at Castle Espie, in that we tend to have a number of birds resident throughout the winter and additionally, 1 or 2 pairs breeding during the spring and summer. The drake, although it can look grey and drap from a distance, up close reveals a striking mottled and complex pattern on its feathers. The female in contrast is a brownish, greyish colour which provides excellent camouflage when on the nest. They can sometimes be difficult to identify from the similar Mallard but the ‘sleeker’ form and the white wing bar visible in flight are good ways to distinguish this species. They have a reputation for robbery, and reportedly steal feed from other ducks as they surface with food, so look out for this behavior next time you see them. There have been a few wandering flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare spotted lately and they somehow fit in well into the snowy landscape at the moment.
Estuary - visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Shelduck 127, Brent 60, Common gull 6
Main lake - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor centre
Mallard 163, Gadwall 61, Tufted duck 45, Coot 4, Teal 65, Black-headed gull 77
Shingle Bank - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor Centre
Teal 41, Mallard 23, Gadwall 2
Wadermarsh - visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Teal 33, Black-headed gull 1
Freshwater Lagoon - visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg
Mallard 9, Teal 2
Saline Lagoon - visible from Limekiln observatory
Black-headed gull 1
Brickworks
Blackbird 1, Song thrush 2, Redwing 2, Fieldfare 5
Limestone Lake
Little grebe 1, Tufted 1
Peninsula Saltmarsh
Black-headed gull 1
Peninsula Field
Jackdaw 1
Woodland
Blackbird, Wren, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Robin, Blue tit, Wood pigeon, Great tit, Coal tit, Goldfinch, Magpie, Jackdaw, Wood pigeon
