Yesterday we ran a small-scale bird race here in the morning, with two teams of 5 (mixed staff and local volunteers) competing to see the most number of species before lunch. Both teams concentrated on the north of the Reserve, one group choosing to stay on foot, the other also making use of a Landrover. The weather was somewhat chilly and dreich (Scots dialect for bleak/dreary), though luckily the rain did hold off – just! Both teams scored 30, but the combined tally was a respectable 41 (not too bad for a short, mid-winter jaunt). A number of the (usually) commoner species were strangely conspicuous by their absence – no-one saw wood pigeon, rook or house sparrow, for example! Star birds were undoubtedly 5 whooper swans on the tarn, a pair of peregrines (in co-ordinated stoops at a single lapwing, which survived!), black grouse, crossbills and stonechat.
Here is the list:
Mute swan, whooper swan, mallard, tufted duck (an impressive 68 on the tarn), teal, wigeon, goldeneye, sparrowhawk, buzzard, kestrel, peregrine, pheasant, coot, heron, lapwing, stock dove, collared dove, great spotted woodpecker, wren, dunnock, robin, stonechat, blackbird, fieldfare, long-tailed tit, coal tit, blue tit, great tit, treecreeper, magpie, jackdaw, carrion crow, raven, starling, chaffinch, goldfinch, lesser redpoll, bullfinch, crossbill.
After the race staff and volunteers assembled in the Visitor Centre kitchen to compare notes, warm up by the fire, and enjoy a veritable smorgasbord of festive fayre. Happy Christmas!