As I write the blog this evening a large flock of pink-footed geese are descending on the shallow water of the bay. Though today has been really windy there are still many birds using the reserve and the loch. In the bay there are huge numbers of teal and lapwing- along with some pintail, shoveler and wigeon. A large flock of gooseander were also fishing the loch. On the reserve there are nearly 200 whooper swans and a…

Well it's been a long wait, but the moment has finally come - we have re-opened the 3rd hide.

The bridge has been on site since last Friday, just waiting to be slotted into place, and just yesterday Donnie the Digger and the team swung the bridge into the gap between the path and the hide. Come along and have a look for yourself.

Donnie, Stuart and Jimmy working their magic on the bridge

Despite me trudging…

Sorry for my delay in writing the blog, it was a busy weekend. Saturday was a great day for birds with many different raptors - kestrel, peregrine, sparrow hawk and buzzard were all seen on the reserve, with the two peregrines flying over the flood and a great sighting of a sparrow hawk hunting by the first hide. The numbers of geese on the reserve has really risen from last week with HUGE numbers of pink-footed gees…

The weather certainly hasn't put off the birds on the NNR, with this week’s WeBS count reflecting the building winter numbers.

Whooper swan numbers have reached a staggering 783 across the loch, with around 150 on the flood this morning. Monday's limited visibility meant the whoopers 'honking' echoed eerily around the loch as groups called out to each other through the thick fog.

Whooper swan…

While Lewis is enjoying a well deserved Saturday off, I thought I'd take the opportunity to write my very first Vane Farm blog!

It's been a stunning autumn day here at Loch Leven, as I was driving towards the reserve this morning the fog was thick and the mist was hanging low, hiding the tops of the hills.  The water on the loch has been perfectly still all day, except for the trails and splashes of the incoming…

As I walked up the path to the visitor centre this morning, I was greeted by a single male bullfinch feeding in the trees-what a way to start your morning. On the reserve there are plenty of teal, eight curlew and a few pink-footed and greylag geese. The female smew is still on the loch, though it was much further away than last week, there are also plenty of pintail, teal, wigeon, goldeneye and tufted ducks close into…

Today saw an exciting development in the new wetland work - the planting of reeds around the 3rd hide. The reason for the reeds is an attempt to create natural screening between the visitors and the pools. The plants are just over a foot tall at the moment, but within a couple of years they should reach about 6ft high (at least) and provide a barrier allowing visitors to reach the hide without flushing the wildlife. A team…

The first of the smews, for this winter, have turned up with a female fishing on the loch today. The numbers of geese are higher than last week with the lucky individuals, on the goose watch this morning, seeing 14,000 pink footed geese coming off the roost. There is a great variation of ducks on the loch with great views of pintail and shoveler along with an abundance of teal, wigeon, tufted duck, golden eye and a great…

What could be better than a crisp, clear, wintery morning at Vane Farm? A crisp, clear, wintery morning at Vane Farm with over 7500 pink-footed geese all over our new wetland.

The flood was choc-a-block with geese, as they swam in the newly shaped pools, plodded around in the mud jostling for position and munched the fresh shoots of grass. It's seems the newly restored wetland suits them well. There's another goose…

The reserve is totally "jam packed" full of about 10,000 pink-footed geese along with a single greenland white-fronted goose that was seen this morning. The whole of the back of the reserve is black with geese and there are what looks like islands of geese dotted all over the loch. Huge numbers of whooper swans have gathered on the reserve and on the loch, two of which had yellow rings on, but were too far away…

Please forgive the less than catchy blog title, it's hard to capture todays great sightings in one snappy caption. Read on to find out what's about....

We'll start with the waders - the south shore of St Serfs Island is proving to be a great spot for waders, with the top billing today going to a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, potentially a first for the NNR. The petite bird was seen by SNH feeding amongst a group…

A quick update on bird numbers across Loch Leven. The count from last Mondays WeBS has been collated with high numbers recorded for several species.

6970 tufted ducks were counted - a 2011 record, beating the previous record count from 2010. Sticking with ducks, the loch held an extraodrinary 438 pintail and 2059 pochard. Other peak counts include an impressive 3640 coot, 309 mute swans and 46 whooper swans.

More whoopers…

Sorry folks for my lack of "bloging" over the last few weeks, but it has not been possible due to technical difficulties. Today has been a great day to start the blog as there are birds every where, even though the weather is totally awful. Vane bay is where the most of the bird life has been situated, though there are plenty around the visitor centre as well. In the bay there are a few whooper swans and a high…

Please log onto http://communityforce.rbs.co.uk/project/1008 , vote for our project and help us gain £6,000 of funding, so our local volunteer team can turn our picnic area into a 'play and explore' area. We need lots more votes! Log on and vote now - then tell your friends and family to do the same!

Thank you!!!

Uwe

The geese performing a fly-by for photographers

After the success of our Goose photography course and Dawn goosewatch this week, Vane Farm will be putting on 4 more goosey events during the week of the 15th of October.

Despite somewhat iffy weather yesterday and today, our perfectly-trained geese performed well for the visitors, and we hope to re-create the spectacle for more groups very soon…

Once again the bay was full of life on yesterdays WeBS count. A full array of ducks were tucked in to the shelter of Vane Bay early in the morning, joined soon afer by a small flock of pinkies after leaving their roost near St Serfs.

5 whoopers were mingling happily with the mute swans, and pochard were ever present with over 200 spread throughout the bay. The 200 teal remained in the shallows, tucked in tight to the shoreline…

It's a scorcher of a day at Vane Farm. The heat certainly seems to have brought in the visitors - both feathered and otherwise.

Out and about on the reserve today we have an impressive sight, as a flock of over 500 curlew feeding on the mud in front of the 2nd hide. Ringed plover and dunlin have returned yet again to their regular feeding spot on the main flood, scurrying here and there on the spit of land dividing the…

Monday's WeBS count (Wetland Bird Survey) provided several large flocks both on the reserve and the loch, tufted duck numbers continue to grow, with over 1000 recorded near Findatie. Vane Bay remains a bird hot spot - pintail, gadwall, mallard, teal, lapwing, whooper and mute swan, greylag geese, great crested grebe, cormorant, wigeon, tufties and 150+ pochard have all been congregating, using the bay for shelter and…

The dreich weather of today has done little to hamper the birds - pinkies are descending on the loch in their thousands. Numbers have been steadily increasing since their arrival on Monday, with flocks shifting around the area this afternoon, looking unsettled, as they move from their feeding areas to open water.

Whooper numbers have also crept up since Monday, increasing by 100%, to 4. More to follow in the next few…

The first pink-footed geese of the season have arrived - around a week earlier than last year. A small flock of around 18 flew over the loch this morning and touched down on the west of the reserve. They were seen sheltering from the wind and rain on a sandy spit on the loch shore, along with 21 barnacle geese, the local Ross's goose and a dunlin. 3 comic terns (either Common or Arctic terns) were seen nearby.

 Two whooper swans have appeared in the bay where a spotted redshank was also seen over the weekend. Pintail and gadwall have joined the usual rafts of tufted and teal. There have been reports of two merlin darting close to the Waterston Hide. Whooper swans pictured by Steve Knell (rspb-images.com)

The reserve is full of mud, which is perfect for a whole host of waders. A group, of what has to be about three hundred curlews, have been feeding on the disturbed soil and bathing in puddles that have been formed by the pouring rain. At the back of what used to be the flood there are about 10 ringed plover and three ruff's, which are quite uncommon here at the reserve. After a long period without seeing any kest…

 On going work at the 3rd hide

The new wetland project is coming along nicely, with the majority of the work closest to the loch complete. The middle hide (Waterston) is open once again with a new and improved view - flat, bare earth, perfect for waders. We'll hopefully attract some passing migrants in the next few weeks, but, until then, flocks of curlew and lapwing are making the most of the easily available food…

The Bog Master machine has arrived here at Vane Farm and the difference the work has made, in a week, is unbelievable. The majority of the ponds near the loch shore have been filled in, and work has began on our new ponds (the old flood) and the islands within them. On what is left of the old flood there are a few wigeon and teal, some moorhens, curlew and alot of herons feeding in the muddy water. The black headed gulls…

After a holiday to the RSPB's Leighton Moss, I have returned to update you on the wildlife here at Vane Farm! The large scale conservation work is now under way and the change on the reserve, over a short period of time, is really amazing. Though the large machinery is at work there are still some birds feeding on the disturbed soil. Last night a water rail showed near the third hide, though today it was not seen. One…