Lewis' Saturday Blog 25th August 2012

What a great day! We were lucky enough to have a marsh harrier on the reserve today, which was seen in flight and feeding regularly throughout the day. There are also osprey, buzzards and a single kestrel on the reserve. The herons on the reserve have been showing well today as they attack the marsh harrier in flight. On the loch there is a large and varied flock of ducks, including gadwall, teal, mallard and some shoveler. There is also a large flock of mute swans that are moulting on the loch where they are safe from predators during this flightless stage of their year. The gulls of St Serfs island have began to disperse with now only a few gulls occupying the large island. The swallows in the underpass have fledged and it won't be long now until they make the huge flight to Africa along with the ospreys, which are now frequent on the reserve.