Print pageStar species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Gadwalls are attractive, subtly-marked ducks which feed on the surface of the water. You may see them closely following coots as they dive, bringing up food for the gadwall to steal! |  |
Kingfishers can be easier to hear than to see. Listen for their piercing, high-pitched whistle as they fly in an electric-blue blur down the River Clyde at high speed. Watch them carefully and you may see them perch at the water's edge or dive for a fish. |  |
This interesting woodland bird is a recent colonist of southern Scotland. Watch and listen for them foraging in the canopy - they are the only British birds to be able to climb down tree trunks head first! |  |
Sand martins cross the Sahara on their spring journey north from their African wintering grounds. They have a buzzing call and excavate nest tunnels in sandy banks. |  |
Wigeons arrive at Baron's Haugh in autumn. You can watch large flocks grazing on vegetation here until the following spring when they depart for northern Europe to breed. |  |