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Lapwing Andy Hay (rspb-images.com) With May being Lapwing Month at Loch Leven, it should come as no surprise that this iridescent wader has been prominent, both visually and vocally, all month. So far 36 nests have been identified, of which 19 are still active. The first chicks were seen on the 7...

It's been a busy month for breeding birds on the reserve. Lapwing have been active all month, and can be regularly seen mobbing and chasing off predatory Crows . There are, as of now, a minimum of 19 nests, with most of these on the east side of the reserve. Visitors can view the nests from the...

We’ve had fairly stable weather conditions over the past ten days. Unfortunately, it’s consisted of cold easterly winds and almost constant light snow showers. On the plus side, the ground temperature has remained above freezing most of the time, allowing the birds to continue to feed on...

We’ve had a couple of seasons in the past few weeks. Spring-like weather with clear skies and sunshine resulted in large flocks (100+) of Lapwings returning to the reserve, with many birds actively displaying over the grassland. Pre-breeding flocks of Curlews too, have been prominent, with regular...

Whew! What a couple of weeks we’ve had! Our new multi-coloured sightings board with, using state-of-the-art blackboard pens, is up and running. The new Cafe library, comprising of a number of wildlife books, generously donated by an unknown benefactor, will allow visitors to browse a book...

With the recent mild weather, the White-tailed Eagles had been absent from the area, however this cold spell has seen them return. , Eagle Turquoise H (2009 release) was seen on Reed Bower in the morning. Later in the afternoon, a second bird, Red 2 (2011 release) was seen on St Serf's. Both birds...

This week saw winter arrive with a vengeance. The views of the loch from the cafe, however, were especially good in the clear, dry and cold conditions, as was the latte and freshly baked scone. The Carden Flood and smaller pools were frozen over today, and consequently showed little activity apart from...

The loch this morning was picture perfect, with blue skies above and a flat calm loch. The change of season has also brought with it thousands of pink footed geese, that were today feeding on the reserve and the adjacent fields. We now also have some whooper swans at loch Leven with six of them feeding...

Another day, another WeBS count - what did I spy yesterday? The loch is a little on the quiet side - many of the birds are hiding away while they moult, but good numbers of mute swans are very obvious as they gather on the loch to moult. A large raft of greylag geese remain on on the loch - regularly...

Well, I'm just back from a fantastic week on the isle of Mull where I was lucky enough to see sea eagles, golden eagles and hen harriers. Though there's no eagles here at loch Leven there are plenty of other great animals to keep us occupied. Again, this morning, a tawny owl flew over the picnic...

The loch still has some ice on it, though it has definitely been a lot milder today. When I arrived this morning the birds were calling loudly and the feeders where as busy as ever, there were also a few blue tits beginning to investigate our array of nest boxes. On the loch there are loads of pochard...

The reserve is full of birds today, especially curlew which have been probing in the damp mud all day. There is also a small flock of teal and mallard feeding close to the first hide, a great opportunity to see the wonderful colours of the teal up close. On the loch there is a variety of ducks including...

It's dreich and misty at Loch Leven today, but there's still a few birds emerging from the haze. Teal and mallard are happily swimming by the 2nd hide, while black-headed gulls and curlew continue to feed in front of the 3rd hide. Hopefully as the mist lifts the 2 white-tailed eagles that...

Well it's been a long wait, but the moment has finally come - we have re-opened the 3rd hide. The bridge has been on site since last Friday, just waiting to be slotted into place, and just yesterday Donnie the Digger and the team swung the bridge into the gap between the path and the hide. Come...