Lots to come and see at Kinnordy in June!
Last week’s brilliant sunshine has brought forth abundant new spring life at Kinnordy with 8 families of Greylag goslings, a newly hatched family of 6 cygnets, several families of Mallard ducklings and Lapwing chicks all seen on the reserve. The bogbean is in flower and there are bluebells, campion and other wildflowers in the wood. The Black-headed gulls have been attempting to nest in front of the Gullery hide. The 25 or so sitting gulls seen earlier this week, however, are now greatly reduced in number, probably as a result of the frequent visitations of local otters with a taste for eggs and nestlings. Ospreys are nesting nearby and have been making regular fishing trips to the loch. The Marsh Harriers nesting on the reserve are frequently sighted cruising over the reed beds. Sedge Warblers are frenetically calling around the hides together with the zip, zip, zipper of Reed Buntings and the descending notes of Willow Warblers. Swallows, Swifts, House martins and Sand martins are swooping over the loch. Whitethroats, Blackcaps and a Garden Warbler are also singing and there are numerous Tits and Chaffinches as well as Treecreeper, Woodpecker and some resplendent Bullfinches in the vicinity of the car park. Red Squirrels have been scampering through the trees near East hide. Common Blue and Red Damselflies have been darting around near the Lily pond. Curlews, Snipe and Oystercatchers are around, particularly at the west end of the reserve. Venturing out late at night on a Spotted Crake survey we were rewarded by hearing 4 different crakes dripping away in the gloom.
The Konik ponies have been venturing further out on to the wetland and are tucking into the abundant new growth following last week’s sunshine.
We are in the process of repainting the hides (to be resumed when the rain stops) and have built an 4 star insect hotel near the car park using a couple of waste pallets that were lying around and stuffing them with logs, sticks and straw to create a variety of living quarters to suit the tastes of a wide range of overwintering minibeasts.
Alison and Vandana, Residential Volunteers