Caerlaverock news
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
Geese Increase
This last week Pink-footed have been the most numerous geese species on the reserve, with numbers in the thousands. We are keeping an eye on the Barnacle geese which are building in numbers, but more gradually with currently around a few hundred or so. Ot
25 September 2022
First Barnacle geese of the season
This week saw the return of the first flocks of Barnacle geese to our site, a very welcome sight (and sound). On Wednesday 14th September, around 134 were counted from our Avenue tower. There were also some Pink footed geese amongst them. We look forward
16 September 2022
Autumnal wetland wellbeing
Restore your wellbeing in our wetlands this autumn As autumn approaches, we welcome the change in season and opportunities to immerse ourselves within the wetland nature Caerlaverock has to offer. Making the most of quality time engaging all the sens
14 September 2022
A hill of Gibeagan
The inclement weather earlier on in the week brought in a flock of curlew to the folly pond along with increased numbers of lapwing all escaping the harsher weather out in the Merse. They joined the snipe, black-tailed godwit (collective nouns for which i
11 September 2022
Ruff, Greenshank & Godwits
The lowering of the water levels in the Folly Pond and whooper pond continue to offer really good mud for feeding waders. So the Black-tailed godwits have been very entertaining to watch and have been joined by a supporting cast of Greenshank, Snipe and a
3 September 2022
Fond Farewells and Warm Welcomes
Placement students are an integral part of our team. Whilst it is sad to say farewell to our recent graduates, we look forward to welcoming our new recruits.
31 August 2022