By Rachel Reid
With breeding season in full swing there has been plenty to see at RSPB Lochwinnoch in May. The scrape has been particularly busy with sightings including Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Dunlins in breeding plumage and Black-tailed Godwit. There have also been 4 breeding pairs of Lapwing and, very excitingly, the first Lapwing chick was spotted on the 28th of May. Lapwing nests are very simple, usually just scrapes in the mud or sand lined with vegetation, and as soon as they hatch the chicks are able to walk and feed themselves. If Lapwing parents see a threat to the nest they will mob any potential predators, which can become a very noisy display.
Lapwing chick on the Scrape, Photo by Ian Johnstone.
Gadwall have also been showing nicely on the scrape. These dabbling ducks may look just grey and brown from a distance but up close you can make out the intricate fine stripes and speckling they have throughout their plumage. Gadwall nest in low numbers in the UK and are currently an amber list species. A drake Garganey has also been seen several times this month on the scrape, once with a female. Males are very distinctive in their breeding plumage with a brown head and breast, grey flanks, and a broad white crescent above the eye. Garganey will spend the winter in Central Africa, with small numbers starting to appear in the UK between March and October. Breeding pairs are very secretive and will choose areas with lots of cover from aquatic plants so they can't be spotted. There are only an estimated 100 breeding pairs in the UK each year, found mostly in Central and Southern England.
Male Garganey on the scrape
The star of the show has definitely been the Wood Sandpiper. This wading bird has a fine straight bill, yellowish legs, and a pale stripe from the bill over the eye to the back of the neck called a supercilium. The Wood Sandpiper migrates through the UK in spring and autumn, they will breed in Northern Europe and spend the winter in Africa although a few pairs do breed in the Scottish Highlands. The Wood Sandpiper has a UK conservation status of amber.
Wood Sandpiper on the scrape
The Black-headed Gulls are having another successful breeding season on the reserve this year and they have been putting the new rafts on the Aird Meadow Loch to good use. At least 39 Black Headed Gull chicks have been counted so far this month, from approximately 50 pairs (a nearly 3-fold increase on last year, which is fabulous news. The Black-headed Gull is the most widely distributed seabird breeding in the UK and similar numbers will breed inland as well as on the coast. The UK holds around 6% of the world’s breeding population of Black-headed Gulls. An important ‘umbrella’ species for other wetland birds, research has shown that declines in Black-headed Gull colonies are linked to declines in other species – this is due to the additional protection from predation that protective Black-headed Gull adults provide.
There have also been some incredible sightings of Osprey flying over the reserve this month. These stunning birds of prey have made an amazing comeback after being driven to extinction in the Victorian era. The Osprey will mostly feed on fish, and they are a spectacle to watch while they hunt. being capable of speeds of up to 125km/h in steep dives to capture their prey. They can be seen in the UK from mid-March until the end of summer before they make the incredible 3,000-mile migration to Sub-Saharan Africa.
Osprey flying over the reserve, Photo by John Stevenson
A variety of Warbler species can be seen and heard throughout the reserve this month especially from the boardwalk, including Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Chiffchaff. Willow Warblers and Chiffchaff are easily confused as they look very similar. The easiest way to tell the species apart is through their song - the Willow Warbler has a very musical song with a series of cascading notes, whereas the Chiffchaff simply sings its name "chiff-chaff -chiff-chaff". The Blackcap, in contrast, is a very distinctive warbler, with the males having the black cap which gives them their name while the females have a chestnut brown cap. Its beautiful song has earned it the nickname "Northern Nightingale". The Sedge Warbler is a small warbler with a broad creamy stripe above its eye. It’s a summer visitor and will spend the winter in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. Its song has been described as a noisy, rambling warble.
Sedge Warbler seen from Boardwalk, Photo by Len MacDonald.
Other sightings this month include a Water Rail with a chick seen from the boardwalk on the 28th of May. One of the Spotted Flycatcher pairs has been seen frequently from the leaning rails on the Aird Meadow trail. Large numbers of Swallows and Sand Martins have been seen feeding over the lochs with 230 Sand Martins and 170 Swallows counted on the 4th of May. The first Cygnets were spotted in the pool in front of the visitor centre on the 23rd of May.
Mute Swans with Cygnets in front of visitor centre