It's my favourite time of year here at RSPB Lochwinnoch and it's not hard to see why as the reserve is full of new life. 6 mute swan cygnets were spotted on the scrape this month. Mute swans tend to mate for life and will work together to build a huge nest with the male gathering the materials and the female building the nest. Cygnets will stay with their parents for around 4-5 months after hatching. It's been cuteness overload on the Aird meadow loch with plenty of mallard ducklings, and there have also been 3 shoveler ducklings seen.
3 newly arrived ducklings
On the scrape there have been several lapwing nests and two 4 week old chicks so far.. A lapwing nest is a scrape in the ground lined with plant material -lapwing adults will choose an area where they can get a good view from all around the nest to spot any predators. Lapwing chicks are covered in down when they hatch and are able to walk around and feed within hours after hatching which is vital for their survival. For the second year running we also have breeding little ringed plover on the scrape, which is an exciting development as this is a Schedule 1 breeding species, meaning it has extra protection and doesn’t usually breed in this part of the country.
30 black headed gulls were counted on the rafts on the Aird meadow loch with 13 chicks so far. Black headed gulls are actually more brown headed gulls despite the name, although they have a white head for most of the year until the breeding season. These birds are very sociable and noisy and will often breed in large groups. This is the first time in many years we have had numbers of these birds breeding on site, and after fledging 1 chick last year these numbers are a great sign for the future.
Lapwing chicks, Photo by John Stevenson
The trails have also been busy with many young birds fledging from their nests and familiarising themselves with their new world. Juvenile long tailed tits were spotted along the Aird meadow trail. Wren and robin fledglings were also seen near the visitor centre. Robins will usually fledge from their nest 2 weeks after they have hatched, they will then stay with their parents for another few weeks until it’s time to make it on their own. The care of the young after fledging is often left up to the male as the female will prepare for her next nesting attempt as robins will have at least two broods a year. Fledgling tree creepers have also been seen on the Aird meadow trail this month. Spotted flycatchers have arrived on the Aird meadow trail, these beautiful but understated birds arrive in the UK during late spring to breed after spending their wintering months in Africa. Unfortunately, the breeding population is declining and they have been on the UK red list since 1996, but in recent years their numbers have been increasing on the reserve and seem to be responding well to our efforts at managing for them by creating some small, open glades around which they like to feed
Fledgling treecreepers photographed on the reserve
The woods and marshes are alive with the song of many different warbler migrants. Chiffchaff have been seen around the reserve as well as grasshopper warbler. You will be more likely to hear a grasshopper warbler than see one as they can be very difficult to locate in the foliage. The population has unfortunately suffered dramatic declines making them a red list species. Sedge warbler has also been a frequent sight on the reserve this month. Sedge warbler are a summer visitor after spending the winter months in Africa. They have a distinctive noisy, rambling song that allows you to tell them apart from other warbler species, although it can be very similar to the slightly more rhythmical song of the reed warbler which is much less common in this part of the UK. Our brand new boardwalk is a fantastic spot to look and listen for these birds.
Sedge warbler photographed on the reserve, Photo by Len McDonald
We can't give the birds all the attention as there has also been plenty of insect life this month. Insect sightings have included buff tailed bumblebees which are the biggest of the bumblebees and will emerge in early spring, they prefer to feed on open daisy-like flowers as they can more easily reach the nectar with their short tongues. Carder bees and common blue damselflies have also been spotted as well as plenty of orange-tip butterflies. There have been plenty sightings of swallows, house martins, sand martins and swifts across the reserve this month, with house martins and swallows collecting mud for nest building from around the scrape, which means all of our summer migrants have now arrived!
Orange-tip butterfly, Photo by Ally Dowd
Written by Rachel - Reid - Volunteer