Morning all,
Just returned from the first bird survey of the Barr Loch this year, and what a fab morning we've had! Started out at 6am (starting to drop off as I type!) and had loads of great sightings all the way round. In total (numbers refer to singing birds), we had 84 sedge warblers, 18 willow warblers, 9 grasshopper warblers, 5 reed buntings, a cuckoo (first time i've ever seen/heard one there), a pair of common sandpipers, 4 lapwings displaying in a nearby field, 1 pair song thrush, 2 drumming great spotted woodpeckers, 9 wrens, 11 chaffinches and then lots of other common species, and some non-breeders such as oystercatcher, wigeon, goosander, greylag goose, teal and 26 tufted ducks. We also saw a male and female roe deer, a hare, found otter spraints and saw nests of mute swan, willow warbler, blackbird and carrion crow.
About halfway round we also started seeing some really pretty caterpillars...we must have seen around 20 in the end, and probably missed a lot more. I am going to try and find out what they will turn into, i think they might be moth ones, but will ask my lepidopterist (moth and butterfly expert) friends what they think!
A great morning for birds!
Paula Baker
Site Manager, RSPB Scotland Loch Lomond