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Common tern calling in courtship displaySedge warbler in flightAerial view of RSPB Belfast Lough nature reserve
Arctic tern swooping for foodFlock of swifts in flightFlock of black-tailed godwits
Black-tailed godwits at RSPB Belfast Lough nature reserveOystercatcher in flightJuvenile common tern eating fish
Male shelduck dabblingMale siskin feedingMale teal sitting on icy lake

Wildlife awards

Belfast Lough is one of the best places for wildlife in the UK.

Top things to do in Spring

  1. See the black-tailed godwits - more than 1,000 of them pass through on their way to Iceland
  2. Watch common and Arctic terns performing to each other and pairing off
  3. Listen for the sound of willow warblers, sedge warblers and chiffchaffs as they return for the summer

Top things to do in Summer

  1. Watch the adult terns bringing food back to the chicks close-up on the TV monitor
  2. See - close up! - hundreds of black-tailed godwits on the reserve, in splendid breeding plumage
  3. See large flocks of swallows. swifts, house martins and sand martins feeding before setting off on migration

Top things to do in Autumn

  1. See the last of the tern chicks learn to fly before leaving for Africa
  2. Which bird has the longest beak? Watch curlews, godwits and oystercatchers probing for food
  3. Look out for rarer migrating waders passing through on their way south

Top things to do in Winter

  1. See large numbers of wildfowl that come to the reserve to spend the winter: teals, wigeons and shelducks
  2. Look out for smaller birds like siskins and lesser redpolls in the trees
  3. Stay snug and warm in our observation room while you watch the action on the lagoon

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Your photos

  • Grey Heron....the Cat's Whiskers!!
  • Coot
  • Snipe
  • Junior Moorhen
  • New Visitor Rules
  • Wilson S Phalarope
  • Is it a brd?? Is it a Crane??
  • Pied Wagtail

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WildSquare Bingo

WildSquare Bingo

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Date: 21 June 2010

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Extend your stay

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