Witten by Rachel Reid - Volunteer
It's almost the end of the summer and we have just had a very wet August however the weather has not put off the wildlife at Lochwinnoch, with over 90 Lapwings being counted on the scrape. Lapwings are easily recognised by their long crests, black and white patterns and broad, round wingtips. From a distance Lapwings look mostly black and white but once you get a close up view you can see the iridescent green and purple sheen on their back. The wet weather last month also allowed for an abundance of vegetation to grow on the scrape, with Shoveler Ducks seen to benefit from this. Shovelers will feed by sweeping their large, flat bills back and forth through the water which allows them to filter out small invertebrates, plant seeds and other plant matter.
Shoveler Ducks, Photo by Dan Snowdon
We’ve had some fantastic sightings of Great Crested Grebes feeding their young on the Barr Loch, evidence of a successful breeding season for this waterbird. There have also been various sightings of a Little Grebe on the Aird Meadow Loch; the Little Grebe (also known as a Dabchick) is small and brown with a fluffy round looking bottom. They are very noisy birds and are known to make a distinctive whinnying trill. They are also very shy and will readily dive into the water when disturbed and will surface again a distance away so will often go unnoticed.
Little Grebe, Photo by John Stevenson.
August saw some exciting raptor sightings. Ospreys were spotted fishing on the reserve on various days, and on the 30 August an Osprey was sighted and was identified as one that had been ringed in 2010 at the lake of Menteith. A Marsh Harrier was also spotted flying over the reserve on the 16th. The Marsh Harrier is the largest of the Harriers and can be recognised by their long tail with wings held in a shallow V. The females are larger than the males and have obvious creamy heads. Marsh Harriers today are more abundant across the UK than they have been at any other time in the last century.
Marsh Harrier flying over the reserve
Many wetland bird species made good use of the wet weather with some sightings of Kingfisher on the Aird Meadow Loch. Kingfishers are active all year round and can be found near rivers, canals and wetlands. They hunt by diving into the water for small fish such as minnows as well as invertebrates including dragonfly nymphs. There was also multiple sightings of a Grey Heron on the Aird Meadow Loch. Grey Heron are unmistakable with their long legs, long beak and grey, black and white feathers. However, despite their size they are very lightweight birds, and they weigh on average half as much as a Greylag Goose. They mostly feed on fish but will also eat small birds such as ducklings as well as small mammals like voles and amphibians.
Grey Heron with an eel, photo by Ken Ramsey.
There was lots of bird activity at the feeding stations with many juveniles making good use of the abundant food supply. Regular sightings at the feeders include Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Chaffinch and Nuthatch. Juveniles have also been spotted around the trails including young Blackbirds and Wrens. The Blackbird is one of the most numerous breeding bird in the British Isles with a population of around 6 million pairs. They breed everywhere in Europe with the exception of Iceland.
Juvenile Blackbird, Photo by Allan Kelly
Other sightings in August included a juvenile Curlew spotted in flight over the reserve on the 9th. There have been several Otter sightings on the Barr Loch and the Aird Meadow Loch, including a sighting of an Otter enjoying the tower pool on the 15th. Over 300 Tufted Ducks were counted on the Barr Loch. Large numbers of Snipe were also seen foraging on the scrape.
Juvenile Curlew flying over the reserve, Photo by John Stevenson.