RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Occasional Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes: The whooper swans have arrived back at RSPB Scotland Loch Leven, after making their 800 journey from their summer feeding grounds in Iceland.

Arriving in small family groups they bring winter’s chill on their wings and in their wild trumpeting calls; and winter’s brightness in the dip of…

Some jobs are better than others, some jobs just need to be done. Cleaning out the trays and nets from pond dipping reminded me of cleaning the hamster’s cage on a Saturday morning when I was wee. Pond dipping had been popular at the weekend and the trays were dripping with green weed.

When I slotted the trays back into place I realised that I had walked by ponds, directed people to ponds and given out nets for…

I know that the site is internationally important, but I’ve always been puzzled by the ‘world’s first sanctuary for bumblebees’ sign. How was this decided? Anyway, on one of the hottest days of the year I was no nearer knowing as incidental chat and discussion was limited. On a day of record temperatures across the UK the heat was stifling, even near Loch Leven in Scotland.

I had half an hour in…

It wasn’t exactly the Monday blues, but it was Monday sluggish. The sky wasn’t exactly July blue but a kind of grey with promise. ‘Have you seen the baby swallows?’ Kelvin said. I didn’t prioritise them and went upstairs to get a cappuccino. There was a short busy flurry with visitors arriving for their own morning coffees and I paid no attention to the swallows.

Later on, as I was in the…

Over 30 RSPB nature reserves around the UK, including Loch Leven, are running bespoke family trails to help you be your best robin. Our trails include an exclusive Robin Robin and RSPB activity pack, with a trail booklet, robin-related activities, a bird food recipe card, and much more.

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes: Chicks are taking centre stage at RSPB Scotland Loch Leven right now and the most striking chicks must be the coots with their GlamRock colours and bizarre ruffs.

From the Carden Hide four coot chicks can be seen making regular exploratory journeys onto the flood waters from their nest which is well…

This year's Mental Health Awareness Week’s focus is on nature. Many of us have known for years that taking a walk in nature can help “clear our mind”. But can nature help us do more than just this?  

The relatively new area of research into human “Nature Connectedness” has revealed that a deeper connection with nature can bring us joy, wonder, a sense of belonging and improve our overall mental health and…

Pee-wit, Kiebitz, Tofsvipa! Just a few of the onomatopoeic names for the lapwing from around Europe. At RSPB Scotland Loch Leven we are lucky enough to hear this iconic, yet indescribable call as they display along the wetland. We already have multiple nests, so watch this space for chick updates! 

Wandering along the wetland trail after successfully seeing the lapwings call, display and tumble through the air, you might come…

RSPB Scotland has had a presence at Loch Leven since 1967, when we purchased Vane Farm on the southern shore of the loch. It has changed greatly since then with infrastructure and habitat changes that have transformed it into the wetland and woodland reserve we see today. What has however stayed constant throughout the past 54 years, is the desire to show people wildlife and allow them to experience it first-hand – to…

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes: So wonderful to be welcomed back by the plentiful chatter of goldfinches, chaffinches, coal tits and blue tits from the front garden and by a crystal clear sighting of a young roe buck once down at the Gillman Hide.

All ears and eyes and scenting nostrils, the young buck was sometimes alert to my…

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes: A cold but sunny day at RSPB Scotland Loch Leven where the voluble calls of ducks, geese, swans and woodland birds all indicate that spring is just around the corner.

The first cries to be heard on arrival were the distinctive kleep keep of a pair of oystercatchers. These strikingly handsome wading…

So far it has been a relatively mild winter. The lagoons in front of the Visitor Centre have only been frozen over a few days this winter so far , so we have seen plenty of ducks , geese and swans from the cafe window and from the hides.

Many pink footed geese have now flown further south but there are still roughly 1100 wintering around Loch Leven. One white fronted goose was spotted on the wetlands in front of the Visitor…

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes: The air was full of the wild trumpeting calls of whooper swans on my recent visit to RSPB Scotland Loch Leven as I watched six of these snow-white swans sail past with such ease and grace of wing that I had to stop and stare. They landed on the flood by the Carden Hide to join a flock of ten before…

Some of you may have noticed the absence of our recent sightings blog over the last few months.This does not mean there has been no wildlife on the reserve! On the contrary there has been plenty to see at Loch Leven so we shall now update you all. 

Thousands of Pink-Footed Geese arrived at Loch Leven during the months of September and October. Early morning visitors to the reserve  have been greeted  by the lovely sound…

To celebrate the completion of our new accessible underpass we are holding an open day on Saturday 19th October. 

There will be lots of free activities for the whole family and our bird hides will also be free of charge. 

Join us at anytime from 10am - 4:30pm but don't miss the official opening, taking place at 11:30am with special guest Olympic bronze medallist Eilidh Doyle. 

Free activities taking place on the day…

We’re excited to announce that the new accessible underpass at Loch Leven is now open! It’s been a long road, but the work is finally complete, and we hope that this new facility will help all our visitors to explore more of this beautiful area with ease.

Thank you!  

First of all, we’d like to say a huge thank you to the funders who made this all possible, particularly the Scottish Government through the Sustrans…

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes:

Ospreys have been sighted flying and fishing over RSPB Scotland Loch Leven in recent weeks - probably females as they are usually the first to begin their migration south to Africa, early as it may seem! Throughout August and September the females will be followed by male osprey and then the young…

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes:

Delighted to have my first sighting of moorhen chicks at RSPB Scotland Loch Leven and what peculiar chicks they are with their black, downy feathers, their tiny wings edged with orange which they hold out like ruffle collars when demanding food from their parents!

I watched both parents take it in…

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes: RSPB Scotland Loch Leven was alive with bird song on my last visit, the air full of cheepings, twitterings, whistlings, trillings, and chinkings. I stood to absorb the sounds when a sedge warbler landed close by to begin his own noisy and elaborate chorus, his pitch rising and falling in a splendid…

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes: The dance of black and white wings high in the sky before plunging low to the water wetlands can mean only one thing at RSPB Scotland Loch Leven - lapwings! Above the sound of the wind through new leaves, the cry of the many black-headed gulls and the song of the skylark, the haunting pee-wit cry of…

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes: The sky is full of the haunting polysyllabic cries of wigeon and curlew today at RSPB Loch Leven. Waders of watercolour landscapes, the curlews fall and rise like smoke over the loch to land on the far bank alongside a coil of whee-euing wigeon.

It’s good to see flocks of up to 250 curlews or more…

All work on the visitor centre side of the road has been finished, and we’ve been busy planting trees and wildflowers into the newly landscaped areas. These will continue to look a little bare until the spring, but as soon as we get some sun, they should spring into life and start to fill out with new greenery.

Work is continuing on the north side of the tunnel to divert a high pressure water mains pipe. As we’ve…

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes: November is one of the best times to see the abundance of woodland birds living along the Heritage Trail at Loch Leven, since there are few leaves for them to hide behind! If you're lucky, you may spot the small flocks of long-tailed tits that feed on the willow, birch and hazel. They come in damp…

Work on the new underpass at RSPB Scotland Loch Leven is now tantalisingly close to being finished! The new steps and the long sloping pathway to reach the underpass from the visitor centre are both complete. Workers have still been on site putting the finishing touches to the landscaping, but we’ve already started sowing wildflower seeds and planting trees in the new areas. 

 

With the work on the south side finished…

RSPB Scotland Loch Leven's Writer in Residence Anita John brings us the latest sightings from the reserve and writes: A ripple of excitement ran through RSPB Scotland Loch Leven on my last visit, caused by a very rare sighting of a ferruginous duck at the reserve. The ferruginous duck, sighted among a large flock of common pochard, was clearly distinguished by its white undertail-covert. This undertail-covert is visible…