Trip reports
Fieldtrip -Caerlaverock 16th January 2010
Water Rail (some of those who missed this trip were very envious!) RSPB Images
Saturday, 16 January 2010
The rain only stopped near Gretna and there were still some areas on the way under a considerable amount of snow, but in the westerly distance we could see a clearing sky and sunny snowy hilltops.
As we approached the Centre, many Barnacle Geese could be seen in various fields and others flying above.
We were greeted by one of the wardens, Alan, who warned us to be careful as some of the paths were still covered with ice but it was neither raining nor windy. (Could Brian be right after all?) Many small birds could be seen feeding on the various feeding stations scattered around the main path, such as Yellowhammer, many Tree Sparrows, various tits and finches, Siskin, Reed Bunting and many more. We followed Alan to the Whooper pond as it was feeding time for the waders and waterfowl. He told us that all the ponds on the reserve were still frozen but they managed to keep one side of the main pond clear as it was important for birds to have water and a place to wash. They were giving the birds 16 kg of various foods a day. Alan explained the tagging system on the Whooper swans. The pond was covered with a variety of waders and water fowl: Barnacle Geese, a Shoveler, Wigeon, Coot, Moorhen and many more. From the Peter Scott observatory we had a 360 degree view of the reserve. We then moved on to the Avenue Tower, a three-storey panoramic viewing tower, where Golden and Grey Plover were spotted. Roe deer and hare were seen in the fields. At that time the weather had cleared enough to give us a few sunbeams. In the last hide, Saltcot Merse observatory, overlooking Eastpark Merse and the Solway Firth, we saw a large flock of Knot moving back and forth, giving quite a nice display, and a large number of Shelduck were spotted along the shore. Some of us were lucky enough to see a shy Water Rail at the foot of the farmhouse tower.
A couple of members reported seeing a female Merlin. At 3pm, delighted with our day, we left the centre to go and see the starling roost. We stopped at the Gretna Green service station which didn't seem to be the ideal place to view the Starlings but we were not going to be disappointed: what a display - thousands upon thousands of birds came together to give us their best performance ever- what a show! This was the highlight of our day (see photograph on cover of Newsletter). Buzzard and Peregrine Falcon didn't miss the display either. The bird list came to 57 different species seen during the day.
We all came back home with the distinct feeling of really being in awe of nature.
Marie Ollerenshaw
Bird List:
Grey Heron
Whooper Swan
Mute Swan
Pink-Footed Geese
Barnacle Geese
Canada Geese
Shelduck
Mallard
Shoveller
Wigeon
Teal
Tufted Duck
Common Buzzard
Peregrine falcon
Kestrel
Merlin
Pheasant
Water Rail
Mooerhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Grey Plover
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Knot
Dunlin
Curlew
Black Headed Gull
Herring Gull
Greater Black Backed Gull
Feral Pigeon
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Redwing
Fieldfare
Blackbird
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Magpie
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Jay
Starling
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Brambling
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Siskin
Yellowhammer
Reed Bunting (57)
Roe Deer
Brown Hare