Loch Spynie

Address: RSPB Loch Spynie, Scarffbanks Farm, Elgin, Moray, IV30 5PQ (approximate)

Grid ref: NJ238662

What3Words: fizzled.advice.excellent

Just 10 minutes from the towns of Elgin and Lossiemouth, Loch Spynie is one of Moray’s hidden gems. The reserve is a haven for ducks, geese and swans and offers visitors a good chance to spot otters and red squirrels.

Plan your visit

Open at all times

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free

Children: Free

Student: Free

Facilities

Car park
Pushchair friendly
Guided walks
Viewing point
Nature trails

Accessibility

How to get here

By train

The nearest train station to the reserve is Elgin. You will need to to continue your journey by foot/bike or taxi: turn right onto Station Road and cross straight over at the roundabout on to Maisondieu Road, continue to the next roundabout. Cross straight over onto Pansport Road, which becomes Newmill Road, crossing the bridge over the River Lossie and continue past Johnston’s of Elgin. Take the third right (signed Pitgaveny) onto Calcots Road, then veer left after 150 yards (140m) on to single track Pitgaveny Road. Continue down this road for 0.8 miles (1.3km) to the crossroads. Continue straight over the crossroads and down the single-track road for 1.4 miles (2.2km), including veering sharp left to follow the course of the road. Take the farmtrack on the left signed "Loch Spynie/Scarffbanks farm". The reserve entrance is half a mile (0.8km) down the track, to the right-hand side when you reach the farm. 3.7 miles (6km) in total.

By bus

There are no useful nearby bus stops to the reserve.

By bike

The nearest SUSTRANS route is Route 1.

By road

From the B9103 (accessed from the A96 east of Elgin or Lossiemouth), take the road signposted for Pitgaveny, 2.2 miles (3.5km) from Lossiemouth and 3.7 miles (6km) from A96. Follow this for 0.9 miles (1.4km) to the farm track on the right-hand side signed "Loch Spynie /Scarffbanks Farm". The carpark can be found after half a mile (0.8km) on the right-hand side at the end of the track.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

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Dogs must be under close control due to presence of livestock and wildlife.

Contact Loch Spynie

c/o RSPB Loch of Strathbeg, Starnafin, Crimond, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire AB43 8QN
strathbeg@rspb.org.uk
01346 532017
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What will you see?

Our star species

Grey heron

Raucous grey herons breed high in the Scots pine trees behind the hide, but you are more likely to hear them than spot them.

Mute swan

Several pairs of mute swans breed in the reserve during summer.

Little grebe

The "laughing" call of little grebes can be heard from the reedbeds in spring.

Spring is a noisy time at Loch Spynie, when the little grebes' "laughing" display call and water rails' pig-like squeals can be heard from the reedbeds. Wander in to the woodland and you'll realise that you are not alone. Raucous grey herons breed high in the Scots pine trees behind the hide, but you are more likely to hear them than spot them. If you are lucky, you might also see an osprey hunting over the loch looking to catch its next meal, or spot a red squirrel on the feeders by the hide. The squirrels can be seen throughout the year.

Out on the platform on the loch, common terns and black-headed gulls will be busy raising young and squabbling with their neighbours. The artificial platform creates a safe haven for these birds away from predators, helping them to thrive. Ospreys can often be seen fishing in the loch, and watch marsh harriers on patrol, trying to flush out small birds from the dense stems of the reedbeds. See if you can spot an otter searching for fish, frogs and toads. These elusive mammals are good at playing hide-and-seek in the aquatic vegetation but can be seen all year

Returning migrating ducks, geese and swans will be using the loch at this time of year. Whooper swans regularly visit to feed and preen. You should see wigeons, teals, tufted ducks and goldeneyes and there is always the chance of other ducks like pintails, shovellers and scaups at this time of year. Listen out for the "laughing" calls of the little grebes. These fluffy characters, also known as dabchicks, are often busy fishing in front of the hide. Coal tits regularly visit the feeders by the hide and you might also see red squirrels, great spotted woodpeckers or delicate treecreepers – although, as their name suggests, these tiny birds are more often seen creeping up trees.

Red squirrels can be seen all year round at the feeders, but are most active during the autumn and winter, as the colder months make food more scarce. Joining them on the feeders are lots of woodland birds, such as great spotted woodpeckers, treecreepers, blue, great, coal and long-tailed tits, and lots of chaffinches. At this time of year, the loch is home to both mute and whooper swans, along with a range of ducks including goldeneyes and tufted ducks. From a distance goldeneyes look black and white, but the males have a smart green head. These big-headed ducks dive into the loch to find food, while tufted ducks spend their time diving and bobbing below the surface. Male "tufties" have distinctive black and white plumage with a tuft at the back of their heads. If you are very lucky, you might spot an otter searching for food.

About Loch Spynie

Habitat

The loch is surrounded by wet woodlands, fen meadow and the largest freshwater reedbed in Scotland making it a haven for ducks, geese and swans.

A Scots pine plantation means the reserve is also home to a variety of woodland birds.

Take a stroll along short trails and enjoy peaceful views of the loch from the hide where you can regularly spot otters and red squirrels too.

Conservation

The RSPB is working in partnership with Pitgaveny, the landowners, to restore and maintain the wetlands and continue to look after the water quality of the loch. The wide range of habitats makes Loch Spynie special. The loch is internationally recognised as an important home for wildlife through its designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Protection Area (SPA). It is also a Ramsar site.

In summer, common terns and black-headed gulls use the artificial nesting platform as a protected spot to make their nests, while the loch and surrounding reedbeds provide a safe haven for local ducks and geese, with mallards, wigeons, teals, tufted ducks and several pairs of mute swans all breeding at the reserve. When autumn arrives, they are joined by more adventurous travellers including whooper swans that return to the loch from their breeding grounds further north, along with goldeneyes, pintails, gadwalls and more wigeons and teals.

The reserve stretches further than the loch edge and encompasses areas where the reedbed transitions into wet woodland and fen meadow. It also includes an area of old Scots pine plantation behind the hide. These venerable old trees provide homes for creatures large and small. In the summer, you can hear the herons nesting high in the trees from the track and all year round you can be delighted by the antics of the red squirrels that call Spynie their home.

Partners

The reserve and much of the surrounding land are owned by Pitgaveny. For many years, a local volunteer group has helped look after the hide here and monitor the wildlife. Since 2016 the RSPB has been working with Pitgaveny and the local community to provide even more homes for nature.

Site information

There is a hide overlooking the loch with feeders nearby for the woodland birds and squirrels. This can be reached by a short walk from the car park.

The landscape around the loch appears static and as if it has been this way for centuries, yet even over the last 200 years remarkable changes have taken place. The Laich of Moray was once a huge sea loch. In the 1700s engineers were commissioned by local landowners to design the Spynie Canal to drain much of the loch and create the surrounding farm land. Thomas Telford added to this feat of engineering in the mid-19th century and Loch Spynie is the remaining body of water. An extensive area of farm land continues to be drained by the canal to this day.

The loch, as it is now, was created during this process for fishing and wildfowling. Shooting at the loch stopped during the mid-1980s and it has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because the fen meadow, the loch, the wet woodland and the reedbeds, along with the breeding birds they support, have international importance.

Please note at certain times of the year there are livestock on this site, and you may encounter them on your visit.

RSPB Scotland welcomes responsible access, in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

For more information on events and to book tickets, please visit events.rspb.org.uk/lochspynie

Loch Spynie