News - Caerlaverock
Spring sightings
Spring has definitely arrived in full force as we head into April. There has continued to be lots of chiffchaff seen (and heard!) around the reserve as well as our first confirmed sightings of sand martins and swallows from the Peter Scott Observatory. Mo
9 April 2023
Species spotlight - Tree sparrow
The tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is in the family of old world sparrows. This passerine is easily identifiable due to the brown chestnut cap on the top of the head. Between the sexes there is no difference which is quite unique in birds as the majority
3 April 2023
Spring's awakening
Although we are saying fond farewells for now to our whooper swans that have started their migrations back to Iceland, we are welcoming signs that spring is underway. We've been enjoying quite a mix of all four seasons recently, but there are definitely m
20 March 2023
Until next time, Caerlaverock
I have spent the last four months working at WWT Caerlaverock and my main takeaway: it’s a little bit magic. For a lot of people, winter is a dark, sad time where all you want to do is wrap up and stay inside to hibernate. And for a long time, I was muc
12 March 2023
Large Flocks of Knots from the Saltcot
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 we
15 February 2023
Big Bird Challenge Final Update
And the results are in!The end of January saw our reserve staff’s Big Bird Challenge wrap up, where our placement students were put against the wardens in a competition to see which team could spot the most birds in the first month of 2023. The teams dr
4 February 2023
Why is that bird paler than it should be?
Birds are not always exactly the same colour and pattern as they appear in bird guides. Often this is only a slight difference in an individual’s appearance to the typical example of that species. However, an individual’s appearance can be drastically
26 January 2023
Marsh Harrier and Otters
In the last fortnight, we've continued to have a significant number of raptors around: people have been reporting hen harrier, peregrine falcon and kestrel, as well as a marsh harrier! These are a much less common occurrence here than other birds of prey.
22 January 2023
Dawn geese by sound and sight
I am standing alone in WWT Caerlaverock’s car park in the dark, well before first light, being gently soaked by a fine drizzle of rain and I wonder if anyone will turn up … and why I am doing this job.It is a dark Saturday morning and time for a dawn
15 January 2023
Reserve Resolutions 2023
WWT Caerlaverock is very special for wildlife but there is always more that can be done to make this place even better.As a team, we have decided to give ourselves some targets to aim for in the year. This is partly to motivate us but also to smugly bask
9 January 2023
Goosander and Flocks of Winter Waders
We’ve had a great start to the New Year here at WWT Caerlaverock! Our Big Bird Challenge started on the 1st of January with the placement students being pitted against the wardens to see who can spot the most species of birds before the end of the month
6 January 2023
A Whooper with distinction
U75 came in during the 2005/06 season and was ringed in January 2006 during the swan catch. He was a very small adult male weighing 8.4 kg and was seen on his own in 2005 through to 2008. In 2009 he came in with an unringed mate and a cygnet. The mate was
22 December 2022
Winter comes to Caerlaverock
The first thing you notice when you step out of your car is the chill. If you’ve not put your gloves on already, you quickly pull them out of your pockets. After that, the thick cover of frost that hasn’t melted in days glistens at you and catches you
12 December 2022
Species spotlight - Little grebe
The Little Grebe or ‘Dabchick’ is a common resident and winter migrant of the UK with around 16,000 individuals present each winter. Although they are common, Little Grebes are elusive. Opting to stay hidden amongst vegetation on the edges of lakes, p
23 November 2022
Marvellous migration
There's no mistaking that migration is an amazing natural phenomenon. As the Barnacle geese return to us each year from Spitspegen on the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago, we marvel at the journeys they and many other wildfowl take between winter and summer
19 October 2022