The days are getting shorter and the temperature colder with the looming arrival of winter but that also means the arrival of lots of exciting migrant species to the reserve. The lochs have been particularly busy with the arrival of many wetland bird species - over 100 Wigeon were counted on the Barr Loch this month, and large numbers of these colourful ducks will visit the UK over winter from Iceland, Scandinavia, and Russia. A variety of other duck species have already appeared on the Barr loch this month including Pochard, Goldeneye and Tufted Duck. A Scaup was an unusual sight on the Aird Meadow loch on the 14th – only 3000 of these black and white diving ducks travel to the UK from their breeding grounds in Iceland, Scandinavia, and Western Russia to overwinter, and they can easily be mistaken for a Tufted Duck. However, the lack of a crest and different profile on the water can give them away. Large numbers of Teal have been enjoying the scrape and its margins, some of whom have migrated from the cold climates of the Baltic and Siberia.
Drake Goldeneye, Photo by Ally Dowd
Great Crested Grebes are regulars on the Barr Loch, but these elegant waterbirds will look a little different when seen in the winter as they are no longer in their breeding plumage. Excitingly, a Slavonian Grebe was found on the Barr Loch on the 21st, one of probably less than a thousand that will visit the UK each winter. Even fewer birds nest in the UK - this is one of the UK's rarest nesting species, with numbers of pairs at low double figures. Another rarity arrived the same day in the form of a Long-tailed Duck, normally a winter visitor to our coastal waters but this one had been blown inland by storms.
Whooper Swans have started arriving in small numbers. Whooper Swans will winter in the UK often arriving in late autumn from Iceland, and they will stay until the spring. They will often land to feed on fields during the day and afterwards will head to roost on open water. When the Whooper Swans head back to Iceland, they will fly non-stop at very high altitudes until they reach their destination.
Slavonian Grebe, Photo by Ally Dowd
Large flocks of thrush species have arrived to spend their winter months on the reserve, including groups of about 50 Fieldfares on the Barr loch trail. These winter visitors head to the UK from Scandinavia for the fruit and berries on our native trees which are a vital resource for these migrants. These native trees include Hawthorn, Holly, Juniper, and Yew, and in the summer their diet will switch back to eating insects and invertebrates. Fieldfares are often accompanied by Redwings, a slightly smaller thrush which can be told apart by its red flanks.
There have been increasingly regular sightings of Jays along the Aird Meadow trail. The Jay is a colourful member of the crow family and are very distinctive with striking blue and black barring on the wing and pinkish plumage. The Jay has an extremely distinctive raspy call, but they are also a very skilled mimic and can copy the songs and calls of other bird species. Jay will become more noticeable and easier to spot in the autumn months when they are foraging for acorns which they will then hide - this is called "caching” and this behaviour allows them to have a reliable food source throughout the winter when food may become scarcer. Not all these acorns are found again, and some will actually grow into oak trees, so Jays also provide important ecosystem services!
Jay flying over, Photo by John Stevenson
Visitors have been delighted by some wonderful sightings of raptors in October including regular sightings of Sparrowhawk, one of which was to be seen hunting Snipe out over the scrape. There were also some views of a kestrel catching a vole, using its remarkable ability to hover in the air for long periods of time while hunting. This allows them to strike their prey from above while keeping their eyes fixed on the ground.
Kestrel with a vole, Photo by Richard Bennett
Other sightings have included large numbers of Lapwing using the scrape, a Pink-footed Goose on the Aird Meadow loch, and groups of Swallows migrating south to spend our winter in southern Africa.
Lapwing on the scrape
Written by Rachel Reid - Volunteer