Recent Sightings - 4th January 2021
The following sightings were taken on Monday from the reserve at Castle Espie on a low tide. A nice start to the new year with the Scaup joined by another female on the Saline lagoon, and both birds have been regularly seen fishing together. The water rail has again been observed in this habitat foraging amongst the lagoon fringe vegetation. The woodpecker also remains active around the reserve, and was recently seen in the Swamp area. In autumn and winter, Great spotted woodpeckers, eat berries and nuts, and will visit feeders in gardens, particularly to eat nuts. During the summer they nest in holes of broadleaved species and they eat insects and larvae, probing tree trunks with their sticky tongues to extort them from their nests. We hope they stick around and take advantage of our standing dead wood in the woodland, which will provide excellent foraging and nesting habitat for this latest addition to the Castle Epsie bird list.
Estuary - visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Shelduck 2, Brent 16, Oystercatcher 4, Curlew 6, Black-headed gull 17, Eider 91, Herring gull 2
Main lake - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor centre
Mallard 177, Tufted duck 44, Coot 7, Teal 36, Grey heron 1, Goldeneye 1, Greylag goose 1, Moorhen 4, Black-headed gull 6, Gadwall 7
Shingle Bank - visible from Sensory garden and Visitor Centre
Teal 37
Wadermarsh - visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Moorhen 4, Redshank 1, Curlew 1,
Freshwater Lagoon - visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg
Mallard 7, Moorhen 5, Teal 2, Black-headed gull 1
Saline Lagoon - visible from Limekiln observatory
Little grebe 2, Black-headed gull 3, Water rail 1, Scaup 2
Brickworks
Song thrush 1, Jackdaw 10
Limestone Lake
Moorhen 1
Peninsula Saltmarsh
Redshank 2, Black-headed gull 2
Peninsula Field
Buzzard 1
Woodland
Blackbird, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Blue tit, Wood pigeon, Goldcrest, Great tit, Coal tit, Goldfinch, Magpie
