Recent Sightings 12.07.23
Frequent heavy showers between bursts of bright sunshine have been the common trend this July and with summer well underway, you will be treated to a fantastic variety of wetland life at WWT Caerlaverock.
At the Folly Pond, oystercatchers, black headed gulls and common sandpiper are likely sights. Lapwing nested around the pond in the spring and their chicks are now well developed. Greenshank and linnet are also frequent visitors. House martins are still building and making repairs to their nests so you might see them collecting mud at the edge of the pond.
A gang of young long tailed tits were hanging out in the trees on the Peter Scott Trail this week and two buzzards were seen flying overhead.
The mute swans and their four cygnets are regularly visiting the Back Pond. It seems like it has become a bit of a nursery: moorhens and chicks in tow, two young herons and mallards with their ducklings are all frequenting this pond.
Along the summer trail, we saw latticed heath moths and a common darter this week (which was the first sighting here of this dragonfly in 2023).
Under the shade of the trees along the Avenue, the song of blackcaps, sedge warblers, chiffchaff and songthrush fill your ears. Keep your eyes peeled and you might spot a tree creeper like one of our volunteers did this week. Lowering your gaze to the flower-lined track, a red admiral might be resting on a grass stem.
Once up the Avenue Tower, swifts fly high and juvenile herons can be spotted as well as roe deer. At this time of year, many of them have fawns.
You are definitely going to be treated to an abundance of swallows, both juvenile and adults, as they are nesting all around the Saltcot Merse Observatory. This week, we have also had a juvenile pied wagtail, a white throat and hares out on the merse.
As you head back towards the visitor’s centre, don’t forget to meander through the Paddocks and Wildlife Garden. It is a great spot for insect life: we have seen ringlet, large skipper, comma and small tortoiseshell butterflies. More notable sightings include reed bunting and juvenile goldfinch.
Words by Marianne Nicholson
Feature image of the view from the Folly Pond Hide out across the reserve towards the Saltcot Merse Observatory
