As we approach the end of 2013, geese loom large in our thoughts here at RSPB Loch Leven. Not the staff Christmas dinner, but the massed ranks of Pink-footed Geese (Pink-feeted Geese?) that congregate around Loch Leven at this time of year, before moving on to their wintering grounds. The honking of the Pink-foots as they fly around the area provides an almost constant background accompaniment. Accordingly, October is Goose month, with a number of goose-orientated events happening for adults and children (see our web page at http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/lochleven/events.aspx for more details).
Migration provides most of the excitement around this time of year. By the 23th of September, the last of the Ospreys had passed through on their way south, ending a spell of around 4 weeks of guaranteed Osprey sightings for visitors.
Whooper Swans, Pochards and Wigeons have all begun to arrive in numbers, along with a few Pintail and Shoveler Ducks from their more northerly breeding grounds.
The latest wader sightings include a Spotted Redshank which has been hanging around the sandy shoreline in Vane Bay, giving good views from the cafe.
Spotted Redshank (J M Garg)
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