The Eagles are back!
The short cold snap this weekend saw the return of White-tailed Eagles to Loch Leven, making it the 3rd year running that the birds have shown up in November; checking back, previous dates were the 28th November in 2013, and the 30th November in 2014. A single bird with a turquoise tag was seen on Reed Bower on the 21st, and was joined on the 22nd by a second bird spotted on St Serfs. These are likely to be female Turquoise H (2009 release bird) and her new mate, which is a west coast bird.
For those interested in obtaining further information on the White-tailed Eagle reintroduction program, Rhian Evans, RSPB East Scotland Sea Eagle Officer, is giving a talk at RSPB Loch Leven on the 3rd of December. There are still a few places left, so book now.
Other highlights last week included Short-eared Owl, with two being spotted on the 14th and 21st, and one on the 15th and 20th. Flocks of Fieldfares and Redwings have been decimating the large crops of Rowan berries along the verge across from the visitor centre, with one flock of 144 (or a gross for older readers) reported on the 15th in the Bumble Bee Meadow. There have been a few Hen Harrier sightings, with a male seen on the 20th and a female bird on the 19th and 22nd.On the goose front, a count on the 16th recorded 11,260 Pink-footed Geese and 527 Greylag Geese. A flock of 161 Whooper Swans visited the Carden Flood on the 21st.
Regular visitors to the reserve may have noticed that the signs have had a "freshen up", thanks to the reserve volunteers. To quote our Visitor Experience Officer, Alice, "you aint seen nothing yet" (I'm not sure whether she is actually a secret Bachman Turner Overdrive fan or not). Anyway, watch out for further developments.