We’ve had another busy fortnight at WWT Caerlaverock Wetlands Centre. You can feel spring in the air and there are snowdrops popping up all over the place. However, our wintering ducks, waders and geese are still around in flocks and will be for some weeks yet.
We’ve had large groups of teal, wigeon, barnacle geese, curlew and lapwing sighted recently. In the flocks of barnacle geese, a leucistic individual has been reported (if you are interested in learning more about that, you can find an article here).
We've had a large flock of knot observed from the Saltcot Merse Observatory. Red knot make one of the largest migrations of any bird, flying 9000 miles from the Arctic to coasts around the Zealand, Australia and South America, and then the same in reverse. Sites like WWT Caerlaverock on the Solway Firth are important stopover sites for them during their journey.
Kestrel have been spotted from the Saltcot Merse Observatory quite regularly. This makes us hopeful for the success of our nesting boxes that have been put up around the reserve recently. Kestrel populations have declined since the 1970s, mainly due to changes in farmland. They are able to multiply quickly under good conditions though, so by providing boxes for them, we are hoping to encourage breeding and help to bolster their numbers.
Written by Marianne Nicholson
Feature photo by Steve Nicholls
6th February
Whooper Pond
Folly pond
8th February
Saltcot Merse Observatory
Saltcot Field
Folly Field
9th February
Peter Scott Trail
Folly Pond
Floodground
Avenue Tower
Peter Scott Observatory
Saltcot Merse Observatory
Newfield Hide
12th February
Newfield Hide
Folly Pond
Peter Scott Trail
Teal Pond
Floodground
Peter Scot Observatory
Saltcot Merse Observatory
Outside Peter Scott Observatory
13th February
Newfield hide
Peter Scott Observatory
Peter Scott Trail
Sharp’s Lookout
Saltcot Merse Observatory
Saltcot Loaning
Avenue Tower
Backpond Hide
14th February
Folly Pond
15th February
Floodground
11/02/23 - Inland Bird Count
Teal - 73
Shelduck - 2
Moorhen - 13
Whooper swan - 86
Curlew - 2
Shoveler - 33
Mallard - 131
Wigeon - 170
Mute swan - 6
Oystercatcher - 5
Canada geese - 10
Little egret - 1
Gadwall - 1
Snipe - 1
Pintail - 4
Barnacle geese - 880