Yellowhammers and frost

It has been such a treat to see up to 14 yellowhammers flitting through the avenues, best seen in the paddock area and near the Peter Scott Observatory.

It has been such a treat to see up to 14 yellowhammers flitting through the avenues, best seen in the paddock area and near the Peter Scott Observatory. The hedges are also full of beautiful redwings and some fieldfares. Along with a few frosty mornings and ice on the ponds, it is feeling like winter here at Caerlaverock!

We have regular sightings of lapwing and curlew, often found around the folly pond or in the nearby fields. We also had 2 oystercatchers on the whooper pond recently, which is an unusual sighting as they tend to stay further out on the coast. A long-eared owl was last seen a couple of days ago as it shot down the avenue and disappeared into the trees. A male hen harrier came in from the saltmarsh and was spotted flying over shallow water hide, which is a rare occurrence. It was amazing to see it so close! We have also had some great sightings of peregrines flushing up birds while hunting around the folly.

We have a steady number of whoopers around with 80 counted fairly regularly on the whooper pond. We were happy to welcome back whooper swans Renfrew and Paisley, who are a very special pair here at Caerlaverock.

This week's high tide times are:

Thurs 2/12 - 1015
Fri 3/12 - 1102
Sat 4/12 - 1148
Sun 5/12 - 1234

Photo credit: Alex Hillier

As well as this week's highlights, you are likely to see the following on the reserve:

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