Top picks 3 Get a bird’s eye view across the reserve 5 Visit our duckery where we raise from the heated Limekiln observatory baby waterbirds Best spots Look at the spectacular panoramic views This is our specialist breeding nursery Map & guide to visit... across the reserve and . where we seasonally incubate and For schools & learning groups hatch eggs from How easily can you our collection. see the geese? They look tiny out See the best of our wildlife Some of the on the mud and most endangered Use the numbers with the map overleaf are camouflaged waterbirds on the against it. planet are hatched and raised here. During the summer 1 Feeding the birds look closely at the Can you see any Bags of food are available from reception carpets of wild out on the grass? flowers and the and the shop. What are they butterflies feeding doing? on them. How many The best area to head different types of for is Close encounters, wild flower can near the Visitor centre. you see? Many of our ducks and geese will peck grain 4 Discover more about the history 6 If you have booked the straight from your of Castle Espie hand. They won’t bite. zone, this is the place to explore You’ll find lots of clues to how the area our and discover real and Kneel down, and keep was used by people in the past. amazing underwater life. hands low and flat to encourage them to Find out what come over to you and people made here nibble the food. by visiting our history zones: Crannog, the 7 To burn off extra energy 2 Visit the Brent hide and see thousands Limestone pavilion and get physical, visit Top picks of wild light-bellied brent geese and the Brickworks. our Brent play barn, Wild Best spots wood and Secret They are visiting here from the Arctic circle Why was this area to visit during autumn, winter so popular for play areas. and early spring. making things? Use the interpretation Spot the geese on the panels to find out salt and mud. what this area looked wwt.org.uk/learn What else can you SlimbridgeCastle Espie like in the past and see out there? WWT reg. charity in England & Wales, no. 1030884 and Scotland, no. SC039410 what life was like. WetlWetlandand Cent Centrere Strangford Answers to questions Lough ExploreTop tips our pupils love to ask wetlandsand map Where do the geese migrate from? Brent 2 Light-bellied brent geese fly here from the high discovery hide eastern Canadian Arctic Islands, travelling 3,000 Viewpoint Freshwater miles (4,828km). If they have young, their goslings Saline lagoon lagoon Viewpoint 3 will fly with them. 4 Limekiln The crannog observatory How long do brent geese live for? 6 Brent geese live for around 11 years, although Pond Limestone one has been recorded living to over 28 years. Main lake zone 4 grassland 1 4 Brickworks Limestone What are the rings around the feet of the Close pavilion birds in the collection area? encounters Limestone lake Viewpoint We put special identification rings on the legs Viewpoint of the ducks and geese so we know who is who. This also helps us to monitor their health and Visitor centre 5 Wild wood keep a watch on particular birds. Shop & cafe Duckery play i Peninsula The What do ducks and geese eat? Entrance saltmarsh wishing tree i i 7 They eat a variety of different foods. Some eat Ballydrain road plants while others eat small animals such as fish, i Deep dark or insects living at the bottom of a pond. 7 woods Brent play Our brent geese are like lawnmowers and eat barn eelgrass in the lough; they eat crops and grass on local fields and golf courses when they have eaten Car park all the eelgrass.

7 Why is that bird standing on one leg? Secret It is easier for a bird to stand on one leg than two. i swamp During cold weather tucking a leg up helps them Please wash your hands All wildlife can carry diseases to keep warm. i