The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a rising tide. The bird of the week this week the Lapwing. These distinctive birds have a black crest and from a distance look black and white, but on closer inspection their back has a lovely purple and green sheen. Females and young birds have shorter crests than the males. In the past they have been known as Green Plovers (they are a member of the plover family) and Peewits, which is a refence to their loud call. They can be relatively easily identified in flight as they have slow wingbeats with a kind of bounding flight, and they have large wings which are clearly rounded at the ends. Lapwings are very defensive of their nests and chicks, and will mob predators like sparrowhawks. If this fails they may move away from the nest site, acting as if they have a broken wing to seem like easy prey and draw away predators. Lapwings rely on spring-sown crops, grazed pasture and marshes for their habitat, they nest in small scrapes in the ground and are very vulnerable to spring harvesting and cattle overstocking. Their population has declined significantly in recent years due to habitat loss from agricultural intensification. Funding schemes to encourage farmers to leave uncropped plots in suitable arable fields for Lapwings to breed and forage in have been trialled in England. Lapwings eat small invertebrates and prefer to feed by moonlight, pastures that remain wet until early summer are ideal spots for feeding.
Estuary - visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Oystercatcher c.250, Turnstone 6, Gadwall 4, Eider Duck 28, Black-tailed Godwit 9, Brent Goose 218, Wigeon 325, Great Crested Grebe 17, Herring Gull 5, Shelduck 6, Herring Gull 5, Red Breasted Merganser 2, Lapwing 55 (flying over)
Main lake - visible from Sensory Garden and Visitor Centre
Grey Heron 1, Tufted Duck 4, Teal 53, Moorhen 2, Gadwall 2, Shoveler 2, Little Egret 3, Wigeon 1 (male), Mallard 69, Jackdaw 2, Robin, Chaffinch
Shingle Bank - visible from Sensory Garden and Visitor Centre
Teal 13, Mallard 50, Gadwall 22, Wigeon 1 (female), Moorhen 2
Wadermarsh - visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Greenshank 22, Black-tailed Godwit 153, Redshank 77, Teal 86, Oystercatcher 7, Little Egret 3, Kingfisher
Freshwater Lagoon - visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg
No birds seen
Saline Lagoon - visible from Limekiln observatory
Kingfisher, Little Grebe 5, Herring Gull 1
Brickworks
Stonechat 2, Greenfinch 2, Jackdaw 3, Blackbird, Robin, Magpie 2
Limestone Lake
Little Grebe 2, Woodpigeon, Blackbird
Peninsula Saltmarsh
Hooded Crow
Peninsula Field
Hooded Crow 3
Woodland
Robin, Chaffinch, Long-tailed Tit, Song Thrush, Blue Tit, Wren
Sensory Garden
Robin, Woodpigeon, Long-tailed Tit, Goldfinch
