Print pageStar species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Curlews are large, brown wading birds with very long, curved bills. In spring, you can hear their gorgeous, 'bubbling' song. | ) |
Watch the nesting lapwings here chasing predators that may come too close to their nests or show too much of an interest in their chicks. The protective parents regularly give chase to crows and do not stop their 'mobbing' attacks until the danger has passed. |  |
Keep an eye out for the redshanks' towering display flights in spring. They are sometimes known as 'the sentinel of the marshes' for their noisy habit of drawing attention to predators. |  |
Sandwich terns spend the winter off the west African coast before returning to Lower Lough Erne to breed. This breeding colony is unique as normally they only nest at the coast. Look for the yellow tip to their black bills. |  |
Look for these cryptically-coloured waders probing their long beaks into the soft ground around the edges of the lake. |  |