The reserve is full of birds today, especially curlew which have been probing in the damp mud all day. There is also a small flock of teal and mallard feeding close to the first hide, a great opportunity to see the wonderful colours of the teal up close. On the loch there is a variety of ducks including pochard, tufted ducks, goldeneye and wigeon. This afternoon, as I was talking to a visitor, a sparrow hawk came speeding around the corner of the centre- probably in pursuit of it's dinner. When I was filling up the feeders at the bird catching site, for next Saturday, I was really pleased to watch a party of long tailed tits feeding really close to where I was. There has also been reports of a tree creeper in the hill area, so maybe they may venture down to the bird feeding area.
Next week is one of the RSPB's highlights of the year- the big garden bird watch. It is a chance for everyone to take part in an event that is really beneficial in finding out about the populations of our garden birds. All it takes is one hour next weekend to count the birds that visit your own garden (all of the information can be found on the RSPB website or by visiting your local RSPB reserve). As part of the big garden bird watch there will be a bird ringing event that will give you a unique chance to get really close to the garden birds we love, and learn more about them with experienced BTO ringers. The event is free and will run from 10am until 12pm on Saturday the 28th (weather permitting) Well, that's all for this week and I hope to see some of you at next Saturday's event.