Blogs

Okay, so we can't quite compete with the Loch Garten ospreys or the white-tailed eagles on Mull in terms of egg-citement (ho ho!), but this morning we arrived to find our very own camera stars, the Lochwinnoch blue tits, had laid their first egg of the year. One tiny white egg sitting in the middle of a perfect cup-shaped nest. In previous years they have laid up to 10 eggs in this tiny nest and we have watched them grow up from tiny hatchlings to fully-fledged members of the bird world! We hope the same will apply this year.

For the first time we also have a camera on a great tits nest, and my what a difference! Whilst the blue tit seems to very carefully choose its nest material and make a perfectly round cup for its eggs, nicely lined with feathers, the great tit appears more like a teenager - chucking stuff all over the box in a completely random order, before finally making the effort to tidy it all up in time for egg laying.

It'll be great to watch how the two birds, so closely related, differ in their behavior in the nest.

The cameras are on show every day at the RSPB Lochwinnoch Visitor Centre, and we will continue to update the blog for those who are unable to make it along.

Paula

As some of you may know, Mike Andrews, our Information Officer, has now left Lochwinnoch to move on to pastures new. He has left Scotland to work in Yorkshire at RSPB Blacktoft Sands reserve (a great reserve by the way!). So today, this blog is dedicated to him.

Mike came to us in October 2006 on a three year contract. He quickly became an integral part of the team, his time, effort and enthusiasm for the job and the reserve showing no bounds. One of Mike's fortes was developing activities, events and games for families and young people visiting the reserve. Some examples include:

Wildlife Challenge:

Our monthly Wildlife Challenge has proven to be a hit with children and adults alike, the idea being to see as many species as possible, with a 'challenge 8' set each month for which stickers can be collected on our special collectors card. This activity now takes place at Vane Farm and Mersehead reserve, one of the first inter-reserve games of its kind, and I should imagine Mike will take it to the Yorkshire reserves as well.

Young Volunteers Group:

Quite early on in his contract, Mike and I were spending some time discussing the increasing numbers of teenagers wanting to volunteer with us here at the reserve. There were very few activities that we ran especially for that age group, so we began discussing setting up an RSPB Phoenix group - however, a better idea came up, and we now have our Young Volunteers Group, who meet once a month to help us out with reserve tasks, planning events and RSPB campaigns. The group will certainly miss his time and enthusiasm, but fingers crossed the group will continue to prosper.

Mike's presence at the reserve will certainly be missed. He became a very recognisable face, was always approachable and put in a great deal of time to make sure our visitor centre was one of the best places to come to see, learn about and discover wildlife.

Bon voyage and good luck!