Browse by Tags

The last few days have felt more like summer than the whole of July and August put together! The sun has been shinning over Kinnordy and the wildlife has responded in appreciation of the much missed summer. As a blog hasn't been written for a over a month, there is quite alot to catch up on. So...

White and yellow lilies in flower on the Lily Pond and masses of tadpoles- it must be summer despite yesterday's frost. Our youngsters are growing up fast with a number of juvenile lapwings already taking to the air and young oystercatchers who will be airborne shortly. Half grown curlew chicks were...

Its now the middle of the month and the signs of summer continue to encroach despite the freezing air and the odd snow shower. I'm sure many of the regular visitors to the reserve are now aware of the new Konik ponies that arrived last week. They can be located at the far west of the reserve near...

It's official! A marsh harrier pair have successfully managed to breed for the first time ever at Kinnordy! As if it wasn't exciting enough knowing that the marsh harriers finally had one fledged juvenile, it turns out we now have TWO juveniles! It's great watching the family of 4 flying...

This is the news we have all been waiting for... Yesterday (Tues, 9th Aug) there was a sighting, by one of regulars, of a juvenile marsh harrier flying with both parents!! Looks like the marsh harrier young has finally come out of hiding. All the waiting and patience endured by staff, volunteers...

What a summer it's turning out to be - not that you'd think it has been summer recently with our lovely Scottish weather! Half the time, the volunteers and myself are still wrapped up in our winter gear and waterproofs thanks to all the wind and rain! The rain hasn't helped much with the...

Breeding season is always a wonderful and exciting time of year, especially at Kinnordy. Lots of family groups have been seen on a daily basis. Last count was; 3 mute swan families - 1 pair with 1 cygnet and 1 pair with 5 cygnets seen from East hide and another pair with 4 cygnets seen from Gullery...

What a beautiful sunny day we had at the reserve today! Is this the start of summer? I hope so :) The osprey and the female marsh harrier were both out for awhile enjoying the sun too. The osprey managed to catch a couple of fish while at the loch. It looks like we now have two mute swan families...

Yesterdays first ever "Marsh Harrier Watch" was a great success. Lots of people managed to find them time to come and were amazed to see the male marsh harrier when he decided to make an appearence. I've never seen some many people in the Gullery hide, but luckily that didn't put...

The reserve is now fully open again as of this evening (Tues 24rth May) Many thanks to all the hard work of our volunteers. All paths have been safely cleared of any fallen branches. Back to birdwatching - it looks like there may be good news on the marsh harrier front! Since the end of last week...

Apologies for a delay in keeping up with the blog. Last week saw our surprise visitors back again for a short period. Two cranes were spotted on the 3rd & 4rth May. I think it was just a quick visit this year - blink and you would have missed them. No sign of them since the 4rth. Maybe next year...

What a wonderful day at Kinnordy yesterday. Even after the otter has been about there are still reasonable numbers of black headed gulls in front of Gullery hide, and they continue to let us know when any prospective predators are about. This certainly helped us to know when the Marsh harriers were up...

Some exciting news! I got a text from the residential volunteers saying that it was all go, go, go at the reserve yesterday. Things were looking really positive for the prospect of the marsh harrier pair attempting breed at Kinnordy. The Marsh harrier pair have been seen regularly for almost two...

I think we can finally admit it is truely spring here at the reserve. Lots of paired up birds with hidden nests in the reeds. There is a coot's nest and a mute swan nest directly opposite Gullery hide, and a further couple of possible mute swan nests over by the East end of the reserve. Plenty...

I know I have been harping on about it for ages, but it really does feel like spring is here now. We carried out a water rail survey this morning and found 11 pairs, plus there are a few males hanging about which might yet get a female. Part way round we spotted the osprey fishing, and saw the female...

I've just heard there is a pair of marsh harriers at the reserve today. I believe the male has a green wing tag on the right wing, which may indicate it is the same male which was present at the reserve last August, at which time I had a report that the pair present then were seen displaying....

Site manager Hannah is off having a well-deserved break in Australia for the next couple of months, but all the regular Loch of Kinnordy volunteers will be keeping an eye on things at the reserve for her. They are joined by Iain Malzer, a Glasgow University student who is splitting his time between Loch...