Recent Sightings 5th January 2026
Monday Bird Count 05/01/2026
The following sightings were taken from the reserve at Castle Espie during a rising tide. The bird of the week is the Dunnock. Dunnocks are about the size and shape of a robin, they are streaky brown in colour with a grey chest and head. These birds are also known as hedge sparrows because they are often found foraging for seeds, and insects on the ground in scrub, and hedgerows. The birds in the UK tend to stay in their breeding territories all year round, but birds from Scandinavia and Russia may migrate to south Europe in the winter. They are the only species of their genus (Accentor) found in the UK and their range stretches across Europe and Asia, they were even introduced to New Zealand in the 19th Century. Some Dunnocks are monogamous but others are not. A study found that males more certain of their paternity would provide more parental care to chicks (for example, the male would bring more food to the nest if the female bird had been around few other males).
Estuary - visible from the Brent Hide and the Limekiln Observatory
Common Gull 17, Black-headed gull 23, Oystercatcher 520, Redshank 9, Little Egret 2, Black-tailed Godwit 6, Hooded Crow 3, Wigeon 30, Grey Plover 3, Great Crested Grebe 22, Herring Gull 3, Shelduck 230, Brent Goose 109, Eider Duck 2, Curlew 16, Dunlin 95, Greenshank 1, Lapwing 51, Great Black-backed Gull 1
Main lake - visible from Sensory Garden and Visitor Centre
Mallard 184, Teal 80, Scaup (Female) 1, Moorhen 2, Tufted Duck 3, Gadwall 10, Cormorant 4, Dunnock, Blue tit, Wren, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Robin, Woodpigeon
Shingle Bank - visible from Sensory Garden and Visitor Centre
Little Egret 6, Redshank, Black-headed Gull 6, Moorhen 2, Jackdaw 2, Grey Heron 1, Mallard 20, Teal 16
Wadermarsh - visible from Wadermarsh lookout and Brent Hide
Redshank 8, Greenshank 10, Black-tailed Godwit 4, Oystercatcher 3
Freshwater Lagoon - visible from Brent Hide and Crannóg
Teal 10, Mallard 6, Moorhen 3, Robin
Saline Lagoon - visible from Limekiln observatory
Little Grebe 5, Curlew 1, Greenshank 1, Redshank 3
Brickworks
Song Thrush, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Bullfinch, Blackbird, Buzzard 1
Limestone Lake
Woodpigeon
Peninsula Saltmarsh
Black-headed Gull 1, Redshank 1
Peninsula Field
Raven (Flying over) 1
Woodland
Blue Tit, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Robin, Dunnock, Magpie, Wren, Great Tit, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Mistle Trush, Woodpigeon
Sensory Garden
Blue Tit, Robin, House Sparrow, Long-tailed Tit, Blackbird, Magpie, Wren, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Bullfinch
