September is off to a strong start with a number of interesting species seen around the reserve. We’re delighted to report that the nuthatch is still being seen regularly at the feeding station on the trail, giving visitors plenty of opportunity to get close to a species which is rare for Scotland.
We also had a charm of 20 goldfinch at the feeders in front of the visitor centre, and plenty of red admiral and peacock butterflies have been frequenting the wildlife garden.
Excitingly, a kingfisher was seen around the Barr Loch, which is always a thrill – another good place to spot these stunning birds nearby is the river Calder, where they can sometimes be seen flying down the channel, in a flash of metallic blue and orange.
If you follow the goings on at the reserve via our Facebook page you may well have seen that we had some very special visitors recently: we were very lucky to get some fantastic footage of otters using our camera traps. It’s great to be able to share some intimate views of these elusive animals, as they’re very shy creatures and generally are not seen by visitors to the reserve.
One species that you’re guaranteed to see when you visit RSPB Lochwinnoch is the mallard, but visitors – and staff – were not quite prepared for some behaviour recently witnessed. One particular mallard was observed eating a juvenile goldfinch! This rather gruesome behaviour happened not once, not twice, but three times over the course of an afternoon, to the astonishment of everyone in the visitor centre, who were able to watch each episode at close quarters through the viewing windows. A quick discussion ensued and it emerged that no one had seen or heard of this before, but a little search through the literature did find reference to this occurring, albeit rarely!
All photos © Joe Crossland
The mallard appears to have a juvenile goldfinch in its bill, and shakes it violently from side to side.
The mallard swallows the goldfinch.
The mallard with another, unidentified bird, legs clearly visible.
Again, the mallard shakes the bird before attempting to swallow it whole.
The bird is carried around for a few minutes, and other mallards attempt to take the bird...
...before the mallard retreats, keeping the bird for itself.