Author Archives: SimonR

It’s the first blog of the year, so I better wish everyone a Happy New Year! We are now officially on the count down to Spring, this was evident through Shelduck making an appearance on the Loch. Shelduck are an … Continue reading →

It’s been a cold week at Loch Leven NNR. We have seen temperatures dip to -8c at night and not get any warmer than -1c during the day! This has provided a lovely winter-scape to the Reserve. Here are a … Continue reading →

It has been a week of brisk winds, and rain. The temperature has been dropping and we had a bit of ice overnight on a couple of occasions. The Sunset and Sunrise can be spectacular, and you don’t need to … Continue reading →

Autumn is well and truly here. I have been out and about on the Reserve this week with various practical tasks. Being out and about has let me truly appreciate the current autumnal scenes at Loch Leven NNR, here are … Continue reading →

It’s fantastic to see and hear Whooper Swan on Loch Leven as they return back for the winter. They first arrived at Loch Leven on the 23rd of September, which is slightly later than the average (normally they arrive mid-September). … Continue reading →

It’s my favourite time of year! The Pink-footed Geese have arrived back from Iceland and Eastern Greenland. Every year in mid-September, the ‘Pinkies’ make their annual journey from their breeding grounds to spend the winter in the UK. Here at … Continue reading →

We are rapidly descending into Autumn, sorry summer lovers….on this date in 2019 I had my first flock of Pink-footed Geese flying high over Montrose. We will soon be graced by their presence in the next fortnight! Our resident population … Continue reading →

During the summer months, we have a regular survey of ducklings on the loch. This is known as a ‘brood count’. Every week to two weeks, we are out on the loch at dawn in the electric boat and we … Continue reading →

This week we were out on Carsehall Bog completing our annual Lesser-butterfly Orchid (Platanthera bifolia) counts. Lesser-butterfly orchids are fantastic little plants, although not so little as they can grow to 30cm! Lesser-butterfly orchids are white/yellow in colour and are … Continue reading →

This week we have been out conducting our annual Duck Nest Surveys on St Serfs Island. Loch Leven NNR has one of the most important duck colonies in Europe! We have a large breeding assemblage of ducks, and the data … Continue reading →