Print pageSeasonal highlights
Each season brings a different experience at our nature reserves. In spring, the air is filled with birdsong as they compete to establish territories and attract a mate. In summer, look out for young birds making their first venture into the outside world. Autumn brings large movements of migrating birds - some heading south to a warmer climate, others seeking refuge in the UK from the cold Arctic winter. In winter, look out for large flocks of birds gathering to feed, or flying at dusk to form large roosts to keep warm.
Spring
Water levels are lowered at North Plain Farm as lapwings, redshanks and snipe display to secure breeding territories in front of the hide. Teals, wigeons and shovelers are all present in reduced numbers. Passage waders such as black-tailed godwits and whimbrels are often present, too.
Look out on the farm fields for brown hares and roe deer. Curlews call noisily over the peat bog where cotton grass forms a sea of white, bobbing heads in May. The rosy pink flowers of bog rosemary also bloom in May. Pomarine, Arctic, great and long-tailed skuas pass up the Solway in May. Look out over the estuary on rising tides with westerly winds.
Summer
The peat bog supports large numbers of dragonflies. Look out in early summer for four-spotted chasers and azure damselflies. Metallic green emerald damselflies fly in mid-summer and the impressive common hawkers and abundant black darters in late summer.
Yellow stands of bog asphodel spring up amongst the sundews here too. During August, the high tide wader roost begins to build up with large numbers of oystercatchers and early returning knots and dunlins.
Autumn
Look out from the roadside laybys an hour either side of high tide to view the wader roosts. Up to 10,000 oystercatchers flock with knots, dunlins, grey plovers, bar-tailed godwits, curlews and lapwings.
Raised water levels at North Plain Farm attract wildfowl with numbers peaking in November. Teals, wigeons, shovelers and pintails can all be viewed in good numbers from the hide. Looking out from the hide at dusk often produces good views of hen harriers hunting along the peat bog edge.
Winter
North Plain Farm and Rogersceugh Farm hold good numbers of barnacle geese in December and January, with pink-footed goose numbers peaking in February and March. Fields around Cardurnock, Anthorn or Newton Marsh are other favoured feeding grounds if geese cannot be found on the reserve.
High tide roosts visible from the roadside laybys hold good numbers of oystercatchers, knots, dunlins, grey plovers, bar-tailed godwits, curlews and lapwings. Look from the hide at North Plain Farm for teals, wigeons, shovelers and pintails.