Caerlaverock news
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
Water Rails and Frosty Weather
As we approach the end of the year, it’s been pretty quiet at WWT Caerlaverock, especially when the big frost came. Everything was iced over for a week and there was a significant decline in waders and geese numbers (with zero barnies seen on the 12th o
21 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
Cetti's warbler, Hen harrier & named swans
A recent highlight here was that a Cetti's warbler was heard from the Sir Peter Scott trail. This is one of only a handful of sightings for this species in the region.Cetti's warblers are rich chestnut-brown above and grey below, with a pale throat. They
25 November 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
Bevies of Whoopers & Gaggles of Geese
We are seeing larger numbers of our migratory wildfowl now. Our peak count for Whooper swans on the Whooper pond for this week was 38 although we probably had days this week with a total of 40+ on the site itself. More Barnacle geese seem to have made
16 October 2022
Harriers and more Barnacle geese
Our latest wetland bird survey showed we have 1,037 Barnacle geese in the area which were very active with a high number of those counted in the corner field which is next to the Folly. More species of duck seem to be cropping up to like Pintail and mo
10 October 2022
First Whooper swans arrive
Autumn feels fully underway, we had our first Whooper swans back this week! The first one being spotted on the Folly pond on Tuesday morning. This was then followed by another two individuals on Thursday afternoon. We’re not sure whether these are feral
2 October 2022