There has been a wide range of wildlife spotted on the reserve this August. The scrape remained a habitat full of bird life with both Shoveler and Teal spotted. The best time of year to spot Teal in the UK is over the winter months. Teal are the smallest native duck in the UK and the males in particular are not hard to spot during the breeding season with their vivid green patches over the eyes. Very excitingly Mandarin Ducks were also spotted on the scrape. Mandarin Ducks were introduced to the UK from China and have become established after many escapes from captivity. The male when in breeding plumage is a stunning bird with plumage that is made up of many different colours however when in eclipse the males have brown and grey plumage and look very similar to the females. Mandarin Ducks will lay their eggs in tree cavities that are high above ground and after the ducklings hatch, they will jump out of the tree, free falling to the ground. Other wildlife spotted on the scrape this month include Common Snipe and adult Moorhen with juveniles.
Mandarin Duck male in eclipse, Photo by Ally Dowd
The Spotted Flycatchers were several times at the leaning posts on the Aird meadow trail. There was lots of activity at the feeding station on the Aird meadow trail including Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robins, Chaffinch and Siskin. Siskin are a small, lively finch species and can be distinguished by their forked tail, long narrow bill and bright yellow plumage. Although many Siskin are resident in the UK all year round, many more will arrive in the UK over winter from Europe. A juvenile Stonechat was sighted on the reserve. Stonechat live up to their name as their sharp loud call sounds like two stones being tapped together. It is exciting to see a juvenile Stonechat on the reserve as until recently sightings were not common.
Juvenile Stonechat, Photo by John Stevenson
There was also plenty of raptor sightings, a Peregrine Falcon was spotted flying over the scrape earlier in the month. An Osprey was also spotted flying over the reserve on the 6th of August. Osprey are a magnificent bird of prey species and will mostly feed on fish, they have a special transparent eyelid that protects their eyes while they are hunting underwater. Osprey will migrate to West Africa for winter and will cover up to 5,000km during their journey. Sparrowhawks have also been spotted this month. Sparrowhawk are considered the most widespread bird of prey in the UK. Females are usually 25% larger than the males and have even been known to kill courting males that don’t impress them.
Osprey flying over reserve, Photo by Len McDonald
It wasn’t just birds that were spotted around in August, it was also a good time for insect life. Red admiral butterflies are among the many insects spotted on the reserve. Red Admiral caterpillars love to feed on stinging nettles, and this is often where Red Admirals will lay their eggs. Red Admirals are found all around the world including in North America, Europe, New Zealand, Northern Africa and Asia and can survive in a wide range of habitats from tundra to subtropics. A Migrant Hawker Dragonfly was sighted on the board walk. 60 years ago, this species was an uncommon migrant from the continent but is not continuing to spread both northwards and westwards in Britain. Last year was our first sighting of one at the reserve but this year there has been many sightings.
Red Admiral butterfly, Photograph by Stuart McIlroy
Other sightings on the reserve in August include 100+ Tufted Duck on the bar loch as well as 8 Raven seen around the Barr Loch. 150 Swallows were counted flying around the Aird Meadow Loch. An Otter was also spotted on the Aird meadow and there has been some lovely sightings of both Kingfisher and Grey Heron from the Aird meadow hide.
Grey Heron, Photo by Ally Dowd
Written by Rachel Reid