When I look at the reserve now I am glad not to be a bird, it is picturesque, but with virtually everything now being buried under a foot or so of snow and the loch almost entirely frozen it can't be an enticing place for wildfowl. As if struggling to keep warm and find food wasn't bad enough, the threat from predators is also increased. This is an aspect I hadn't really thought about much until an early morning visit to the reserve on Saturday. There were only 4 mute swans, 1 greylag goose and a coot on the loch, and I became aware of them looking alarmed. As I looked in the direction they were facing I saw a fox trot out onto the ice. He stopped and looked behind him - waiting for his mate to come and join him. I was amazed as the pair walked within a couple of feet of the birds (all of whom had taken to the water) paying them nothing more than a cursory glance, and none of the birds took to the air.
The foxes headed straight for the remains of a mallard carcass that had already been well scavenged the day before by crows - if that was breakfast it wasn't going to last them long, but unfortunately if this weather stays there may be a few more meals to be found in a similar manner.
I realised as I watched them head off, stopping briefly to play fight, that they might be the reason there were no ducks around the pool, and I rather pessimistically supposed that there would be little chance of the ducks returning. I was delighted to be proved wrong this morning, there are only 3 swans about, but around 70 mallard, a few teal and wigeon had returned to loch. It may be that these birds are moving between here, where they can easily see predators approaching, and another area of open water near the road at the west end, where there have been birds feeding on water plants.
On a practical note, the car park is still very snowy, but there are a couple of cleared spaces near the entrance, and the paths are still being kept open. Please take care if you do visit, both for your own safety, but also to minimise disturbance to the birds.