Reserve Update Thursday 25th May - Orchids start flowering

With the recent spells of sunny weather interspersed with rain showers ever more wild flowers are coming into colour.  The first Orchids have now been spotted in the Meadow and there is one that has popped up alongside the path down to the Peter Scott Observatory.  There is a lot of Blackcap activity down the Avenue, with females out collecting food and even one brave fledgling taking it's first flight this morning as observed from Avenue Tower!  The Oystercatchers and Black-headed Gulls were having a disagreement first thing as they both tried to claim nesting rights on the raft on the Folly Pond.  A Brown Hare has been seen on a fairly regular basis in the entrance to the field opposite the Peter Scott Obs.

Todays high tide is at 12:33, 9.7m

Around the reserve today:

Barnacle Geese: 3

Wildflowers
Hawthorn
Guelder Rose
Ramsons
Red Campion
Cuckoo Flower
Bluebells
Herb Robert
Northern March Orchids
Common Spotted Orchid
Lesser Trefoil
Common Vetch
Tufted Vetch

Insects
Peacock Butterfly
Large White Butterfly
Orange Tip Butterfly
Green-veined White Butterfly
Small Tortoiseshell
Large Red Damselfly
Common Blue Damselfly
Four Spotted Chaser Dragonfly
Common Darter Dragonfly
Early Bumblebee
Tree Bumblebee
Common Carder Bumblebee
Red-tailed Bumblebee
Beefly
Drinker Moth caterpillar

Mammals
Brown Hare
Weasel
Roe Deer
Fox
Badger
Otter
Soprano Pipistrelle Bat - evening

Whooper Pond
Whooper Swan 2
Mute Swan 1
Mallard 16
Moorhen 1
Canada Goose 1

Folly Pond

Mallard 9 and ducklings
Moorhen 2 + 2 chicks
Shelduck 3
Mute Swan 2
Oystercatcher 2
Black-headed Gull 2
House Martins collecting mud

Teal Pond

Little Grebe 2 - nesting
Mute Swan 1 - nesting
Grey Heron 1
Swallows - sitting on eggs on the left hand side - enter slowly and quietly
Oystercatcher 1 - nesting on raft

Avenue Tower
Barnacle Geese 3
Mute Swan 2  & 1 cygnet
Lapwing 8 - nesting
Black-headed Gull 10 - nesting
Shelduck 2
Mallard 15
Gadwall 1
Greylag Goose 1
Moorhen 1
Longhorn Cattle 3

Saltcot Merse Observatory
Peregrine
Kestrel
Osprey
Buzzard
Skylarks singing
Hebridean Sheep 10

Avenues & Feeders
(notable species)

Reed Bunting
Sparrowhawk
Coal Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Linnet
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Treecreeper
Great-spotted Woodpecker
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Blackcap
Garden Warbler

Twitter & Facebook

Follow us on Twitter @WWTCaerlaverock for instant WWT Caerlaverock bird news, wildlife news and upcoming events to your mobile phone or computer. This is a great way to get instant news as we update from our mobile phones as we are finding the birds.

You can also ‘Like’ us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/wwtcaerlaverock.

Osprey Webcam

See live footage of our local Osprey nest here: http://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/caerlaverock/experience/ospreys/

The camera is online between 10am and 5pm daily.

rhiannon.hatfield@wwt.org.uk

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