Winter is fast approaching and on the days where it hasn’t been absolutely pouring it down (note: there has been very few of these!) we have been welcomed by a lovely array of autumn colours on the trees around the trail, and loads of birds to tickle your fancy at Loch Leven NNR. Here’s a wee selection from this week.
Lovely working conditions this day!
I’ve been trying to showcase the amount of ducks we get on the loch right now but my camera will never be able to capture this as well as I hoped it could – you just have to take my word for it!
This heron was well positioned at the Sluice next to all these ducks – look at those long legs!
I also managed to grab a few shots of a Goldcrest this week! These are gorgeous wee birds and so tiny, and they move about so quickly so I’m happy to have got these. Keep an eye out for them when passing the gorse at Findatie as this is often where I see one!
We also had a really good encounter with a Sparrowhawk this week as it was sitting close enough to us to grab a quick photo – this is one Sally took just on her phone!
However, the main bird that has been on our radar this week is the Waxwing! These birds are winter visitors to the UK and are one to keep your eye out for as they aren’t hard to miss when sat still – they have a prominent crest, black eye mask and yellow tail-tip and wing tips. There have been groups as large as 150 being spotted in Kinross this week. Across the UK this is set to be one of the best Waxwing winters in recent times! Definitely a bird to look out for feeding on berries or perched high in tree tops!
These were taken in poor light with a poor camera – you can see much better ones on our Facebook (or try and see them for yourself)!
The waxwings have brought some colour to a winters day, and so too have the fungi – here’s a few from the Levenmouth area including some massive ones!
DeceiverBlusherLook at the size of these!
We’ve also been helping out at nearby Flanders Moss NNR for one day this week, and we will be back throughout this month to help them with tree and scrub removal from the bog so it stays nice and wet! It was a lovely day out on Tuesday this week and I look forward to returning.
Trucks all lined up ready to goChainsawing and loping on the bog
I will leave you with some lovely views over the reserve this week…
River Leven looking lovely in the autumnal sunCastle IslandDewy grass
Have a good one – and let’s hope for less rain next week!
Last week Storm Babet hit the country very hard, and Loch Leven NNR was no exception. As of Saturday, all trees have been cleared from the trail, so we can return to a state of almost normalcy. This week’s blog is not going to focus on the storm, and is instead a selection of photos taken after the storm of all the wonders you can see at Loch Leven right now! Starting with the high loch level recently…
Pier’s almost gone!
One thing that is always about at this time of year is the Pink-footed Geese, and I’ve enjoyed watching them fly overhead while out working during the day.
This morning, I got to Kirkgate park early and watched some of them take off from Scart island – although the weather was a bit horrible so it took a while for them all to leave! This is not a great photo but should show them all in a big raft beside the island, with some readying for takeoff.
And it’s not just the geese – there are loads of ducks out there right now. I enjoyed watching this group of (mainly) tufties hanging out by green isle at Burleigh the other day.
And these pochard were close in at Findatie too, so allowed for a slightly better picture. I love seeing that striking red head against their grey body – they do stand out.
One species I’ve noticed I’m seeing a lot of is Little Grebe. You can often seeing a wee group hanging out by the Phoenix hide – and this one got very close!
Loch Leven is obviously known for it’s waterbirds, but this week I’ve enjoyed watching the arrival of the Redwing and Fieldfare. Seeing them flying overhead in large numbers or feeding on berries around the reserve has brought a smile to my face! Redwing can be spotted by their eyestripe and red underwing, and their ‘tseep’ call as they fly overhead.
Fieldfare, however, look very different with a grey head and buffish breast. They can also be seen in large numbers flying over the reserve, but make a ‘chack-chack’ call as they do.
Feeding on berries – a gorgeous looking bird!A normal view of fieldfare
Both Redwing and Fieldfare are in the thrush family (along with song thrush, mistle thrush, blackbird) and have migrated from Scandinavia to spend the winter in the UK. Some of the blackbirds we see at this time of year have also migrated and are known as ‘continental blackbirds’. Although not always an accurate identification feature, blackbirds with all black bills (as opposed to orange bills) could be birds that have migrated here this winter, such as this one.
These wintering thrushes were putting on quite a show at Burleigh the other day so here’s a short video of some of the action on one hawthorn tree!
In other news, as well as lots of interesting birds on the reserve, I’ve also been getting close views of our mammal species such as red squirrel and roe deer this week.
And of course I have to include some fungi I’ve spotted recently too.
It’s feeling more and more like autumn every day here. Whether it’s looking out to hundreds of ducks and geese flying over, pointing out new fungi or seeing the changing colours of the leaves – it’s all proof we are well into the autumnal season! I have a whole bunch (very scientific term) of photos for this weeks blog – so let’s jump straight in!
A flat calm Loch Leven and pinkies overhead – a lovely scene!
There’s been lots of different fungi about – it seems I’m noticing a new one every day now! My favourite so far has to be the Jelly antler!
Brown Birch-boleteJelly antler
It’s been lovely to walk about in the mornings looking at all the dew on the grass. In the sunshine it can almost glisten, and I’m especially a fan of how the harebells look covered in dew.
Fallen leaves are beginning to coat the paths – a true sign of autumn.
The turning colours of the leaves has been lovely to see – I particularly like the fiery red of Rosebay Willowherb.
This week we’ve also been visited by a couple of Black Terns on the loch. Jeremy’s photo below is pretty impressive considering how fast they move over the water. Really nice (and rare) birds to see here!
But it’s not all been wildlife – we’ve also been out doing some work too! For the past few weeks we have been out doing work on the car park, including a bit of mowing.
This week a few of our volunteers gave the Kirkgate viewing screen a wee tidy up, and it’s looking great!
Now back to wildlife! We’ve seen a few Angle Shade moths out recently – and this one looked very nice in open play resting on our direction sign.
This Pink-barred Sallow even wanted to get involved in some tree tube removal!
Of course I can’t forget about the birds! There are big rafts of ducks out there – I took this from Findatie, which is often a good place to see loads of Tufted Duck, Pochard and Coot.
As I said in the blog last week, the Pink-footed Geese have arrived in their thousands. I’ve loved watching skeins fly over the reserve this week.
The passerines have been putting on a good show too, such as this Blue Tit.
This Treecreeper was also a treat to watch as it moved up this tree at Burleigh – I love watching these birds!
I also finally managed to take semi-decent photos of a Jay this week. I stopped quite suddenly while cycling to grab a few snaps before it darted back under the cover of the woodland! They are very good looking birds!
Our little grebe numbers are quite high on the loch right now! Keep an eye out for these tiny waterbirds when out and about.
Not a great photo but this is a group of little grebe seen from the Phoenix hide during our WeBS count – there was at least 16 seen from here!
And with the little grebes come the great crested grebes! Keep an eye out for wintering slavonian grebes as well!
Great crested grebe
There’s still some summer stuff hanging on though!
Common darterRed campion
One of my favourite trees to see the leaves turn is Oak – it looks so pretty in the autumnal sun!
And finally some more fungi! There’s so much to see.
I’ll end with this photo of 3 Roe Deer on Kirkgate point. And that ends my photo bonanza! Have a good weekend everyone!
They’re back! It’s that time of year again where thousands of Pink-footed Geese drop in to Loch Leven from their summer breeding grounds in Iceland and Greenland, and we’re very happy to welcome them back!
The arrival of the pinkies!
Large numbers have started arriving from around the 5th September, at first in dribs and drabs and then in some larger groups. Jeremy spotted around 7000 on one evening last week! At our peak counts we can see around 20,000 that use Loch Leven NNR as an important stopover site. These numbers do, however, vary depending on various factors – last year we had slightly lower numbers due to shorter stopovers in Scotland and more geese travelling down south. Many of these ‘pinkies’ we see at this time of year use Loch Leven as a stopover before heading south, but we do have a population that stay at Loch Leven all winter round. We will have our first goose count soon and will keep you updated on the latest numbers this winter!
Moving over the reserve
If you’re visiting during the day, you can see relatively small groups or ‘skeins’ passing overhead – listen out for their ‘wink wink’ calls that distinguish them from the resident Greylag geese, and keep your eyes to the skies to spot them on their travels. These geese move between fields around Loch Leven NNR during the day to feed up after their long journey and fuel up for the journey still to go for those heading more south. The big numbers, however, are seen at sunrise and sunset where birds move from the loch to the fields or vice versa – and this is something really worth seeing!
Pink-footed geese feeding in the fields
These birds spend their summer in Iceland and Greenland but migrate in the winter to the UK for our ‘warmer’ climate – I can’t imagine how harsh the winters must be there for the UK to be considered warm! There are around 500,000 Pink-footed Geese in the world (almost double what it was 20 years ago), and they all winter in the UK! Loch Leven supports on average 15,000-20,000 pinkies at peak.
Breeding (green) and wintering (blue) grounds of pink-footed geese. Alexander Kürthy CC-BY-SA-4.0
These ‘pink-feet’ have a harsh journey to get here every winter – a non-stop journey of 12-15 hours or 800 miles over the sea! That’s pretty incredible, especially if you’re a juvenile goose on their first journey. Loch Leven is one of the first large bodies of water they encounter after this journey, part of the reason this place is so special.
Pink-feet on St Serfs
Autumn is truly here now! I’ve been enjoying hearing the call of the pinks again, and seeing those V-shaped skeins overhead. As I said, the best time to see this autumn spectacle is at dawn where they take off en-masse. Kirkgate is a great place to catch this, especially during the peak counts in mid/late October. Happy autumn and happy geese watching!
Very varied weather this week here – whereas at the start of this week I was ready to welcome summer back, the nights and mornings have been very chilly and there’s been a bit of rain recently. So, it is certainly Autumn, and the bird life agrees – we have had a large movement of wintering birds to the loch in recent days. We urge you to please not go out on kayaks, paddleboards, canoes etc during this time as this disturbs these birds who have just travelled miles to touch down and rest, and do not want any unnecessary movement. Thank you to those who are understanding to this message!
No water access for winter
This week I used one of the nicer days to cycle around the whole loch – the purpose is to check on things, check overhanging vegetation, chat to people, and of course look out for wildlife, and it’s always very enjoyable. I started from our office at the pier and went anti-clockwise around the loch, taking enough pictures as I went to make a bit of a virtual tour on the blog this week.
Cycle stop with a view
Starting from our office, the first place I take a look at is the bridge over the South Queich. It’s always a lovely view and I have oftentimes seen a Kingfisher here so I always stop to have a look – on Tuesday I had some rather large fish swimming about in the clear water and a flock of Pink-footed Geese overhead so it was well worth a stop.
The clear waters of the South Queich
Our (relatively) new Phoenix Hide was my next stop and this was jumping with activity. Over 200 Mute Swan were gathered here amongst Little Grebe, Mallard, Tufted Duck and even a Little Egret working it’s way along the spit. Even without all the bird activity, it’s a fantastic view over the loch, and one that I can’t stop taking a photo off when I pass by.
One of the best views
The long straights after this are quite nice and peaceful to cycle through. At this time of year (and earlier in the summer) there are normally loads of butterflies flying around and sunbathing on the path and I love to watch them as they follow you and fly beside as you cycle or walk along.
A lovely bit to cycle throughSmall white butterfly
Further along this section, I have a look in the gorse bushes as there are loads of spider webs right now. The perfect intricacies of these webs always amazes me.
After a short cycle past hedgerows and up the wee hill at the RSPB section, it opens up to the East Brackley viewpoint. This view is always worth it!
East Brackley viewpoint
Down the other side of the hill, you shortly get to Findatie. The meadow on the right hand side is filled with Devil’s-bit Scabious at the moment, and the beach is a great place to look out and see what birds you can see. The Great Crested Grebe’s were close in and easy to spot on this day, amongst loads of waterbirds on the far shore, including tufties in their many hundreds. There’s at least 10,000 Tufted Duck on the loch at the moment! I also had a Great Diving Beetle on the path here so something for everyone!
Footprints in the sandDiving beetleDevils bit scabiousThe view from Findatie beach
Along the Riven Leven is usually a great place to spot Grey Heron. Recently, I’ve been looking at how good the brambles look along here. I had my eye in to try and spot a Comma butterfly as they like to feed on these brambles, but I saw a Blackcap instead! Sorry butterfly lovers but that is definitely better, especially at this time of year! It was far too quick for a photo though, as usual.
Brambles looking tasty
Across the river and through the woods I came across loads of Red Admirals on the oak trees by the bridge. This butterfly has been seemingly everywhere recently, and it’s great to see. The photo below should show at least 5 Red Admirals with another few outside the frame!
How many Red Admirals?
Normally my next stop (and halfway point) is the Levenmouth Hide, but at this time of year there’s less water about in the pools so I decided to keep going to Levenmouth bench (although I do recommend a seat in the hide in the spring!). The view from Levenmouth bench was definitely worth stopping and looking at – there were at least 100 Mallard close in amongst a few other nice bits and pieces.
On a sunny day like it was on Tuesday, I enjoy cycling through the woodland areas of the reserve (Levenmouth and Black Woods) and seeing the sun peak through the trees. I also saw at least 5 Speckled Wood butterflies in these woodland areas too. These butterflies are expanding their territory here – whereas in previous years we would be lucky to see one, this year they are a lot easier to spot, especially at Levenmouth. The fungi is also emerging here too, like this Scotch bonnet.
Speckled woodScotch bonnet
The end of Blackwoods soon opens up to Carsehall bog, where I could hear the rustle of deer moving about and various small birds flying about. The section of the trail between here and Burleigh holds loads of ducks and swans at this time of year – many of these are winter visitors that may have just touched down on the loch recently.
The view over carsehallThere are loads of birds out there, I promise!
Shortly after this I stop at one of my favourite views over the loch. This is from the east side of Burleigh looking towards Green Isle and beyond. It’s especially stunning on a lovely flat calm day like earlier this week. Almost a perfect reflection!
When I cycle through Burleigh, I like to take a quick detour to the Burleigh viewing screen and check out the birdlife here. There has been loads of Black-headed gulls hanging out here this week, along with mallard, geese, little grebe and goosander and much much more. I also wanted to check out the dragonfly life around the ponds and saw loads of common darters so it was a worthwhile stop.
Burleigh viewing screenFemale common darterMale common darter – a darker red than the female
My favourite part of the cycle is from Burleigh back to the office as there is such a range of habitats and species to see. There’s a great bit of bracket fungi at the plantation after Mary’s Knowe. From Kirkgate viewing screen there was a few gadwall close in and the black swan that has been hanging about on the loch for a while was easily spotted from here on Tuesday. Kirkgate beach is also a good place to see mute swans close in as well.
I ended the day by watching skeins of Pink-footed Geese passing over Castle Island, and feeling quite autumnal! It’s a great time to be at Loch Leven NNR.
It’s the start of September and that means it’s officially Autumn – the best time of year at Loch Leven. Although you wouldn’t think it because of the sun and warmth this week – where was this in July?
Pretty views at Loch Leven
We’ve already had a few Pink-footed geese arriving back so it’s definitely Autumn now! But we’ve had some other movements in the ornithological world that are signs of Autumn too. Here’s a group of about 50 Curlew flying over Findatie last week.
Camera still out of order so phone photos will have to do!
In practical news, last week our volunteers and staff attended a scything course. It was great to learn all about how to use scythes to cut meadows around the reserve. This course was a lot of fun, and hopefully we’ll be able to put it to use at Loch Leven.
This time of year is one of the best for birdwatching, as we will be starting to get numbers of various bird species such as Tufted Duck, Coot, Mute Swan, Teal etc increasing and we start to get some rarities turning up as well. Loch Leven is one of the best spots for overwintering wildfowl in the country, and this is why our water access guidance has changed this week to protect these birds – we will no longer be allowing kayakers, paddleboarders, swimmers etc to access the loch over the winter.
Heron coming in to land
The bird photos are still limited this week, but I’ve been using my phone to capture some of the reserve’s smaller creatures over the past couple of weeks. Here’s a few below.
A very pretty spider – I believe this is a Cross OrbweaverAntler mothPeacock caterpillarBright-line Brown-eye moth caterpillarMillipedes hiding away
We’re still doing our weekly insect surveys with our volunteers for the rest of this month. Insect numbers begin to decrease during this time as we approach winter, but there are still a few bumblebees to be spotted – I love looking at the size difference between bees at this time of year!
Butterflies are still around in the warm weather – Red Admiral, Peacock, and Small Tortoiseshell are amongst some of the species you’ll see at this time of year. I had my very first Large White at Loch Leven last week as well – finally!
PeacockLarge WhiteSmall TortoiseshellSmall Copper
One of the hardest species I was determined to capture on my phone was the Common Darter – there are lots around on the trail at the moment, but as shown from Ian’s last blog, they are very difficult to get close to before flying off. Here is my attempt.
There’s also more fungi to be spotted on the reserve – keep an eye out!
The main plant species I’ve been interested in these past few weeks has been the Devils-bit Scabious. The ‘scabious’ part of this name comes from it’s traditional use to treat scabies and other skin conditions, and the ‘devils-bit’ is because the roots look as if they have been bitten off (legend has it, by the Devil)! But it’s not just the name that’s interesting – it is a fantastic late summer flower for a whole array of pollinators such as butterflies, bumblebees, hoverflies etc. Here’s a short video of how popular this plant is – check out our Instagram for more. When walking by this plant, make sure to have a look and see what pollinators you can spot!
As I mentioned in my last blog, Loch Leven Spearwort is looking great at the moment – especially now the water level has dropped and it is more exposed. Ian and I noticed last week that there was also a patch of Lesser Water Plantain growing beside it – I tried to get both plants in the same photo here with little success (you can just about spot the yellow of the spearwort in the back).
I will leave you with a picture of Rowan berries from the reserve, and an old wives tail – it was thought that when there were lots of berries on the tree like this then we were in for a harsh winter. I don’t know how much I believe it – but maybe that’s because I’m hoping for a good winter! After all, the weather this summer has been far from perfect!
This week we have another change in the staff here at Loch Leven NNR as we say goodbye to Seasonal Reserve Officer, Ian, as he moves on to a new job!
Ian has worked here for 3 seasons (since April 2021) but he’s made it to the big leagues and is moving on to a job as an Operations Officer (still with NatureScot but no longer based at Loch Leven). Ian has done some incredible work, talked to hundreds of visitors, and picked up countless litter over the past 3 years and we are surely going to miss him at Loch Leven.
Picturesque
Ian’s main role over the past few years has been visitor engagement, and he has executed this in many ways. Whether that be chatting to campers and kayakers, getting involved with school and nursery groups, or putting on various events – he has done a lot in his years here.
Pond dippingKinross showBetter place to live
But of course, he has also been busy with various surveys and monitoring over the years too – including our very busy WeBS surveys (which I’m sure he will miss now he’ll be more desk based… maybe!)
There’s also been loads of practical tasks that he’s got involved with in his 3 years – some more fun and memorable than others I’m sure!
Bird boxesHibernaculumsScything Balsam bashing – going to miss it Ian?!
But more than this, he’s been a great colleague and friend to everyone that worked at Loch Leven during his time. I, for one, am grateful for the laughs we shared during our weekends working together these 3 years, and couldn’t have asked for a better fellow seasonal to work with!
Ian and I in our usual formationHappy facesBack in 2021!From our Creag Meagaidh trip a few weeks ago
That’s all folks – Ian finishes up at Loch Leven this weekend! He will still be working fairly locally so I’m sure he won’t be too far from the reserve when he inevitably misses it – right?! Good luck Ian and thank you for everything!
That’s us getting into the end of August now and the sun is still shining (and wind still blowing). The reserve continues to fill back up again with birds as many return from breeding grounds or simply leave the nest. Just yesterday I saw a juvenile wood pigeon (at first glance closely resembling a stock dove), a juvenile willow warbler nicking some seeds off a yarrow flower and the bustling cacophony of many lapwings, whose collective noun appears to be a ‘deceit’; apparently they used to be thought of as a treacherous bird! Unfortunately only still armed with a phone, the birdlife photos are out the door for now!
Continuing on with the floral theme from last week, there are even further botanical sights to be seen. It’s a good job we have these late flowerers as they are vital to the last of the faded and tattered bumblebees and 2nd (or more) generation butterflies. The peacocks in particular adore devil’s-bit scabious (below right). I recall counting 7 in one square metre last year – Buddleia eat your heart out!
The first of these three is amphibious bistort (Persicaria amphibia), which I used to confuse with redshank (Persicaria maculosa). It grows, as you might expect, in marginal areas around the loch. The second of these is grass-of-parnassus (Parnassia palustris) which too prefers the marshy areas.
Have you ever seen a spring? Not the coiled variety, but the hydrological variety. Loch Leven has one slightly off-piste on the southern side of the reserve. Similar to a ‘flush’, these are points where groundwater, stored in an aquifer, naturally rises and becomes surface water. They form many rivers and burns in the country. I always think that they seem to defy reason, bubbling away indefinitely, and there is something a tad otherworldly about them. They can be excellent sites for rare flowers and provide clean drinking water throughout the world. There are few natural wonders that come close to a spring in my book (or bok!)
The fungi are well and truly out now, with the deep crimson of Russula lining little pockets of the trail. I spotted this odd all-white fungus growing underneath some gorse. Some searching is leaning me towards white domecap (Clitocybe connata) but as with many if not most fungi species, correct identification can be quite tricky without picking the fruiting body – I’d rather not know than harm it! The second picture I’m afraid I am even more lost.
You may have come across the little critters in the left hand picture below if you’ve been on the trail recently. They are white ermine moth caterpillars (Spilosoma lubricipeda) – I cannot believe how many of them I am seeing at the moment, wriggling from one side to the other. Similarly, you may have seen some common darters (Sympetrum striolatum) sunning themselves on the gravel. The photo on the right is the usual view of them (if you can make it out); a small red or orangey line that suddenly takes off as you walk past.
It looks like the rest of the month is set to continue in the high teens and with a decent bit of sun – let’s hope the wildlife keeps its head held high for the last of the summer wine!
It is typical that as the young ones head back to school the weather makes a slight improvement, although not much to behold! It certainly feels like summer is drawing to a close recently with the build-up of wildfowl numbers, many of our flowers starting to release their seed and the increasingly plentiful array of fungi which are enjoying the warm edaphic conditions.
The fungal highlight for me on Loch Leven is usually the emergence of the amethyst deceiver, named because of its highly variable shape and colour. A beechwood specialist, the only place I have spotted it is unsurprisingly within the beeches near Mary’s Knowe. There is a patch of them which are almost completely white!
I came across the following peculiar plant the other day during a pond-dipping event. Pleasantly known as water-starwort (Callitriche stagnalis), it is a native aquatic plant that favours slow or non-moving water. One to look out for the next time! One thing that becomes clear very quickly during pond-dipping is that there is an entire world at work below the water that we’d never know a thing about if we didn’t look.
On the topic of wetlands, the plant below is known as thread rush (Juncus filiformis). Much like the Loch Leven spearwort (Ranunculus x levenensis) from the last blog, it is thought to have been brought to the reserve on the feet of wildfowl who use the wetlands. Although inconspicuous, there are only a handful of sites in Scotland, requiring sites that are periodically-inundated with water.
I noticed that there are still many invertebrates around within our wetlands. This poor damselfly was turned into a meal for a spider.
While passing by Pollinator Park, I noticed this excellently-camouflaged shieldbug in amongst the dispersing seeds of the field scabious. Not one I recalled seeing before, some ID shows it to be Dolycoris baccarum, the sloe shieldbug. With blackthorn (i.e. sloes) growing at Pollinator Park, I assumed it may have a connection with the shrub, but apparently neither the adult or larvae have anything to do with sloes!
The image below details well two different forms of lesser stitchwort (Stellaris graminea), pointed out by colleague and former Loch Levener Steve Longster. The left flower shows a healthy, unaffected plant but the right and bottom flowers have been infected (apparently by a species of fly). Despite attempts in the past, I have been completely unable to find any further information about this phenomenon so you will just have to take my word for it!
There has still been plenty to be getting on with here at the reserve. The balsam is approaching its final days (before any attempts to prevent it seeding actually just make it worse!) and we still have many visitors enjoying the last of the summertime. Keep an eye out on the loch for all sorts of wildfowl youngsters.
It is now just under 2 weeks before our water access guidance reverts back to its winter timetable, where all forms of water access are prohibited, so if you are planning on getting out on the loch by following the suggested route, now is your last chance! Although, you’ll be needing gusts to be under 25mph, unlike today…
We are now a week into August and that means it’s almost normal to mention Autumn… or even Winter! The weather has been so bad this summer that it almost feels like we’re skipping over it and right into autumn! The build-up of duck numbers on the loch is a sure sign that autumn is approaching. Our monthy WeBS (Wetland Bird Survey) has now become twice monthly as our wintering wildfowl start to return and the number of birds on the loch increase.
A classic Loch Leven view this time of year – Greylag geese and hirundines overhead
This Monday was our first of the two WeBS of August – and quite a fun one too! In my third of the loch that I counted, I had my first pair of Little Egrets of the winter, but also an Osprey very close in over Burleigh at 5pm – so we’re right on the cusp of autumn now. And speaking of Ospreys – we will be holding two Osprey Watch events this month! They will be on the 17th and 22nd August from 6-8pm at Burleigh Sands. Fingers crossed for some great sightings!
Also spotted on Mondays WeBS – loads of hirundines over Kirkgate cemetery
This week we held our Purple Hairstreak Walk with Chris Stamp. Thankfully the weather subsided enough on Tuesday evening for these butterflies to come out, and we saw many individuals flying about at the oaks by the Leven Bridge. A very successful event!
Eyes to the skies – photo courtesy of Chris Stamp
We’re also right into Balsam bashing season at the moment! This invasive plant is probably one you have seen around the reserve – it’s in full flower right now and needs to be removed as quickly as possible before it seeds. So if you see us slashing and pulling away at some pink flowers around the reserve, don’t be alarmed, it’s all good conservation!
BeforeAfter
We have also been holding a few pond-dipping events recently and this has allowed me to look at the tiny invertebrates we have in our ponds in more detail. Amongst the many pond snails, we have found Mayfly larva, damselfly nymphs (a sign that the water in this pond is clean!), Caddisfly larva, Sticklebacks, water mites, dragonfly larva, water boatmen and many more!
Pond snailDamselfly nymph
We are also commonly visited by a frog or toad at these events – there are lots around the pond at the minute.
Another insect group that lives by the ponds are damselflies and dragonflies. Our usual damselflies such as this Azure are now being joined by Emerald damselflies. I haven’t seen one myself this season but they are extremely pretty with their metallic green coloration. You may have noticed an increase in dragonflies too, specifically the Common Darter, whose bright red colour (in the males, the females are more orangey) can be seen not only darting about the ponds but also along the trail. Keep an eye out!
Azure damselfly
The non-pond dwelling insects of Loch Leven are also making an appearance. If you look closely you may spot a Shield bug, a Red-tailed bumblebee, caterpillars, carder bees, or even this Mouse Moth that was spotted by Ian last week. This is just a very small selection – there’s lots to be seen.
There’s also lots of fungi to be spotted this month – another sign of autumn returning!
And something that’s not a fungi is this Slime Mould – known by the lovely name of Dog Vomit Slime Mould. It very much appealed to me on the bark of this tree in the Blackwoods as it looks almost like a pair of lungs!
Last but not least are the plants spotted recently. Here’s two very cool ones below – on the left is Loch Leven Spearwort, a hybrid spearwort with Loch Leven in the name – what’s better than that! On the right is Broad-leaved Helleborine – a tall orchid with greenish purple flowers and very exciting to see here.
Loch Leven spearwortBroad-leaved helleborine
Hope you have a good rest of the week, and if you’re coming to the Kinross Show on Saturday then feel free to pop by our stall and have a chat!
Loch Leven National Nature Reserve 