Team Placement brushes up on their bird ID (Bird Race 2025)
Bird Race update 3
We're nearly at end of the Bird Race and as it stands Team Placement's tally is at 65. As much as it's a race against the other guys, it's also been a really good opportunity to focus on our bird ID skills. Off that bat we saw the show stoppers first, flocks of barnacle geese with their distinctive chattery yaps and of course, the whooper swans causing a scene with their dramatic honks. But in between all of the commotion, there are some birds on the reserve that are more silent and elusive in their movements. Birds that you have to wait to get a glimpse of, such as water rails. The Peter Scott Trail specifically at the bird feeding station is a great area to view them and we ended up seeing two! A great get for the scoreboard.
The main attraction at Caerlaverock is its wetlands but the areas in between have so much to offer too. The hedgerows leading up to the Saltcot Merse Observatory have been buzzing with bird activity this winter. We’ve kept a close eye on them during the work day and have been able to bump up our Bird Race numbers and spot beautiful birds like redwing, song thrush, bullfinch, yellowhammer and even a coal tit!
Down the loaning, where the reserve opens out into the wide expanse of saltmarsh, is the perfect place to see waders pecking on the mudflats. During low tide times you can get a good look birds feeding on the exposed mud. Through the scope we’ve seen the usual suspects, curlew, lapwing, redshank and oystercatchers. However, we were caught by surprise by a wader which was larger than a redshank but with a similar look. But on closer inspection we saw it had lighter legs, almost greenish… a greenshank! Another one for the team placement.
Current Scores
Team Placement: 65
Team Warden: 78
Team Office: 83
Words by Madisyn Pett and Annabelle Gurney
Feature image of greenshank by Ian Henderson
