Written by Rachel Reid - volunteer.
Autumn is slowly arriving at the RSPB Lochwinnoch which is easy to see as the leaves change colour from green to golden brown and branches become abundant with red berries. The scrape was extremely busy with birdlife during September, which included large numbers of both Teal and Lapwings. A Little Egret, a small white heron with beautiful white plumes on its crest, back and chest with black legs and yellow feet, was on the scrape on the 13th of September. The Little Egret first appeared in the UK in large numbers in 1989 and now due to natural expansion they are numerous on many South coast sites. Large numbers of Snipe took advantage of the scrape with at least 88 counted during one wet afternoon. Snipe are wading birds with long, straight bills and long legs. In the winter Snipe numbers in the UK increase as birds from Northern Europe join resident birds. The UK population has undergone declines in the past 25 years particularly in lowland wet grassland habitats which makes Snipe an Amber list species.
Snipe on the scrape
Excitingly a Great White Egret was spotted twice, first on the 4th of September having flown into the fen and again on the Barr Loch on the 20th of September. This large white heron looks similar to the Little Egret; however, they are much larger in size, closer to the Grey Heron and with a yellow bill (which turns black in the breeding season). A few decades ago, records of Great White Egret in the UK were few and far between but many now winter here and a few pairs will even breed in the UK. They can often be seen standing in shallow water, waiting for insects, fish or amphibians to approach and then will spear them with their dagger-like bill.
Great White Egret – Liz Leyden
Large numbers of wildfowl were recorded on Barr Loch as numbers increase with the change in seasons. The wildfowl included small numbers of both Pintail and Gadwall, and over 150 Tufted Ducks were counted. Many Tufted Ducks are resident in the UK all year round however their numbers greatly increase as we grow closer to winter as resident birds are joined by birds travelling from Iceland and Northern Europe. Small numbers of Goldeneye were also present. Goldeneye are mainly seen in the UK during winter when birds fly to the UK from Northern Europe. The scientific name for the Goldeneye is Bucephala which means "bull-headed" and refers to their strange head shape, they also have very distinctive yellow eyes which led to their common name. As we move further into autumn wildfowl will increase both in diversity and numbers.
Female Goldeneye on the Barr Loch, Photo by John Stevenson.
16 Pink-footed Geese were seen flying over the boardwalk on the 13th of September. Pink-footed Geese will spend the summer nesting in Central Iceland, before flying to the UK for the winter months. Over 400,000 Pink-footed Geese spend the winter in the UK. They can be easily heard while flying over in large flocks with their loud call, which features distinctive high pitched ‘winking’ sounds unlike other geese. The first Whooper Swans of the season were sighted on the 28th of September, with 5 being seen on the Aird Meadow Loch before moving on to the Barr Loch. The Whooper Swan is predominately a winter visitor to the UK making the long journey from Iceland. There are records of them breeding in the UK, but this is very rare.
Whooper Swans, RSPB stock image by Ben Andrew.
Other sightings this month include plenty of bird species spotted along the trails and using the feeders at the feeding stations including Blue Tit, Great Tit, Goldcrest, Nuthatch and Bullfinch. Long-tailed Tits have also been regulars along the trails. A Marsh Harrier flew over the Aird Meadow Loch on the 7th of September. Black-tailed Godwits were spotted on the scrape several times and a Little Grebe was also showing well on the scrape.
Marsh Harrier by John Stevenson