News
The crunch of snail shells
I walk down the Saltcot Loaning and hear a crunch as I step. Glancing down, I notice a snail shell under the toe of my boot. I jerk back immediately, worried I’ve just crushed some little creature. I crouch down to look at it and it is just an empty she
6 February 2024
Caerlaverock Bird Race 2024 Final Update
With the end of January comes the end of the Bird Race.The wardens, placement students and our very own site manager were put against each other in a battle of birding to see who knows their fieldfare from their redwing and who mistakes a blue tit for a g
1 February 2024
Going for Gold (Bird Race update 7)
The longer we do the bird race, the trickier it gets. We were seeing three or four new species everyday in the first week or so but now a good day is a single new species. It becomes important that all the regulars are checked off the list and there is on
29 January 2024
Greenshank, twite and snipe (Bird Race update 6)
Another week of the Bird Race and we're approaching the final stretch now. Highlights for the teams this week are greenshank on the Lochar, twite on the saltmarsh, large numbers of knot during the WeBS count and three woodcock in the carpark. Other sighti
21 January 2024
Who would choose that pond?
You see a shallow, muddy-looking pool in an area where there is little to no plant life around. You know that there must be a creature that likes it because there is almost nowhere on the planet that isn’t occupied by one animal or another. But who in t
21 January 2024
Gadwall, brent geese and siskin (Bird Race update 5)
Meg: It’s over two weeks into the bird race and Ed started us off strong. I have added several species to our slowly growing list: we are on 62 species, trailing behind Team Warden and Team Dave. But I think it is an impressive feat considering our expe
17 January 2024
Working the office window (Bird Race Update 4)
This Bird Race is tough for me: I’m not like the other teams, gallivanting round the reserve all day, in amongst the birds all the time. They only have to stumble over them to add them to their lists. I am busy taking one for the team, working the desk
14 January 2024
January Whooper Swan Update
Swans are numbering at about 100 a day currently. A few more ringed and named have returned including Sugar Baby! ZJHAspen. -ZHLWhoopyZLABeatrice.YHVWowsieZJBBlessing.RenfrewZVXBrooklyn BelleZNDRosieZY2626Elsie BarbaraACFZLPKeith JohnTUZZNJLanriggUNRXLXLi
12 January 2024
End of week 1 (Bird Race update 3)
It is Sunday and therefore the end to the first week of an exciting bird race.So far Team Warden is on 66 species. Their highlights include: spoonbill, hen harrier, merlin, goldcrest, sparrowhawk, tree sparrow, snipe and bullfinch.Two goldcrests in a hedg
7 January 2024
Who dares wins
We really feel the winter at Caerlaverock. We get a lot of wind and a lot of rain. These ingredients are part of what shapes Caerlaverock, filling the wetlands, shaping the trees or sometimes removing them. The days where we get both in spades can be chal
7 January 2024
Would you risk your car's suspension for a sparrowhawk?
As a trading assistant at WWT Caerlaverock, it’s not a mandatory part of my job description to know a thing about birds and wildlife. I don’t own an anorak or wellies. I don’t know how to talk about tits without secretly finding it funny and I am ce
4 January 2024
Dave gets stuck in (Bird Race update 2)
I’m already regretting being away for New Year's Day. Those pesky kids in the Bird Race have got a flying start and are well ahead. So to catch up I am going to have to use guile, intelligence, experience... and if that doesn’t work just plenty of har
3 January 2024
And so it begins... (Bird Race update 1)
EdIt’s the first day of the Bird Race so I arrive at the reserve early for extra time – I know that Jake has dedicated too much of his life to birding so was going to be tough competition. When I opened up the reserve office I knew that I was the firs
1 January 2024
The Caerlaverock Bird Race is back for 2024!
After all the fun we had last year, we are bringing back the Caerlaverock Bird Race, this time with a third team! Who knows their birds and who mistakes a blackbird for a robin? Get ready to place your bets and follow along here and in the centre.Rules ar
1 January 2024
Less hibernation, more sensation
In the sometimes bleak Scottish winter, it can be tempting to become a homebody and shelter from the elements. Whilst it is good to rest at any time of year, it is important to keep getting out and spend time connecting with nature when possible.Making th
28 December 2023