Wetlands at WWT Caerlaverock

Caerlaverock's wetlands span from small gardens filled by rainwater, to ponds and scrapes favoured by ducks and waders, to the landscape-spanning saltmarsh that stretches right to the estuary.

Read on for more about everything from the mini-wetlands within the visitor centre and the best ponds to see winter waders to the sights and sounds of the Solway's saltmarsh.

Ponds

Reliable homes for ducks, geese and swans. Caerlaverock's ponds are peaceful places where you can get close to wildlife from the comfort of a hide in any season.

The Folly pond

The closest body of open water to the centre, the Folly pond is a short walk away from the centre. It features the most accessible of our hides, and in the colder months, it often has the greatest concentration of winter duck species like wigeon, teal, shoveller and pintail.

Other stars can include autumn and winter lapwing, curlew and redshank, with a 4pm swan feed virtually guaranteeing flights of whooper swans in colder months.

In summer the grassy edges and muddy banks can reveal waders on passage, like the gorgeous black-tailed godwit, while rarer stars occasionally drop in for unscheduled visits.

The Whooper pond

The hub of the reserve in winter. The Whooper pond is overlooked by the cosy Peter Scott Observatory, offering the closest views of whooper swans in Scotland. In autumn and winter the pond regularly hosts up to 100 wild whoopers each day, as well as mute swans and winter wildfowl like teal and Canada geese.

We are also working to encourage breeding gulls in the summer, adding to the value and variety of species calling these wetlands home every year.

Back pond

The Back pond hosts a modest hide with views over a well-vegetated pond, surrounded by reeds, bullrush and willows, providing a serene window on wetland wildlife.

From mid summer this is the best place on the reserve to spot kingfishers, as young from the Lochar water leave their nests and disperse into surrounding wetlands.

When the Whooper pond overflows with swans in the winter the back pond is often their backup, and peering into the rafters might reveal roosting bats year-round.

Teal pond

A favourite nesting ground for little grebes, mute swans and occasionally home to an elusive Scottish bittern. Dense vegetation sees this pond being favoured by gadwall and teal after their autumn migration northwards.

The two benches close to the hide and adjoining the nearby summer meadow trail are the best places to look for dragonflies of all varieties on the wing without taking a step.

Wet meadows and fields

For a long time Caerlaverock's fields were managed to keep water off them, but we're deliberately moving back to being a wilder, wetter landscape. Read about our brilliant trails and the new wetlands we've created, including new wet grassland areas and scrapes on the reserve.

Summer meadow trail and Lochar Water

Our traditional wildflower meadow - open from May to the end of August - flowers most impressively in June and July. A mix of colours every year come from flowers like red clover, yellow rattle, hawksbit and buttercups, but the wildness of the trail means anything could pop up.

As well as the wildflowers the trail is the best place to spot our delicate banded demoiselles, sedge warblers and is sometimes graced by visiting green sandpipers.

Walking on to the winding Lochar Water brings you to the wilder side of the reserve. Here patient (or lucky) wildlife watchers might have the chance to spot roe deer, otters and osprey.

Corner field wetlands

Some of our newest wetlands sit between the Glengoyne and Teal hides, in what we call the corner field. Several seasons of establishment have seen these pools and scrapes hosting hordes of teal and wigeon in the winter and a rare record of breeding lapwing in the spring - the perfect reward for our wetland creation efforts.

We're very interested to hear what people spot popping up here, so please share your sightings with us if you see rare visitors dropping in, or waders and wildfowl looking like they're sitting on eggs.

The Flood Ground

North of the Campbell hide and Avenue tower are the wet grasses we call the Flood Ground. The smaller pools here are home to black-headed gulls nesting in the summer and grazing ducks in the winter.

Being on the wilder side of the reserve these wetlands sometimes get a visit from marsh or hen harriers looking to single out slower members of wildfowl flocks, injecting drama into an otherwise relaxed viewing experience.

Staff will be undertaking work to control water flows, digging newer pools and upping the grazing on this area in the future, so watch out for even more improvements to this area of the reserve.

Lochar field and High Middle

On fields both to the north and south of the Avenue Tower we've been hard at work creating new wetlands. While it's early days for these fledgling features, we're already seeing waders taking advantage of them in the summer, and huge flocks of ducks and geese enjoying the new digs in winter. Watch this space.

Wetlands to recreate at home

Caerlaverock is known for its wild wetlands, but there are some virtually anyone could recreate at home. Visit these miniature marvels for inspiration on how you could practice wetland restoration on a small scale.

Visitor centre mini-wetlands

Our modest but mighty mini-wetlands. They are fed by drainpipes that collect rainwater from the visitor centre rooves. These are amazing examples of wetlands you could build at home.

Including a tiny reedbed and sprigs of fragrant water mint, these courtyard ponds are a home to underwater invertebrates and a top spot for small birds seeking a sip of water. Come and see for yourself and get inspired.

Wildlife garden

Once a formal garden on the approach to the centre, we've added a wetland twist and received nature's seal of approval. Fussy lawns and flowerbeds have become rich with herbs and lavender, while an old pond has become a vibrant bog garden with water-loving species like yellow flag iris.

The grasses are now bejewelled with wildflowers and wetland specialists: yellow rattle, betony and common knapweed growing next to fragrant meadowsweet and structural marsh orchids.

As well as being a botanical bonanza, this garden is a reliable spot for all kinds of bugs and butterflies in the warmer months, with invertebrates drawn to the rich and varied bounty of nectar we've cultivated.

Eastpark Merse

This is Caerlaverock.

The Solway Firth is internationally important for the precious saltmarsh habitats here, stretching from the mouth of the Lochar Water, up to Castle Caerlaverock and then onto the western shores of the River Nith.

Eastpark Merse is the expanse of saltmarsh that stretches from both ends of the reserve out to the estuary, and forms part of Scotland's largest uninterrupted sections of this particular type of vital coastal wetland.

An ancient intertidal landscape

With the Lake District just across the water this section of the reserve is the wild jewel in Caerlaverock's crown. A complex and ancient network of pools and channels that fill with saltwater from the estuary on the highest tides, providing a home for a huge variety of life, and swathes of flowering plants found only in intertidal zones.

Winter on the saltmarsh

Winter tides launch thousands of waders up to the high tide mark, while barnacle geese regularly graze the merse during their winter residence. Raptors follow - giving the chance to spot merlin, hen harrier, marsh harrier and more.

"Castle of the Skylark"

From spring through summer, the saltmarsh is alive with the soaring song of the skylark, the namesake of the area. Caerlaverock means "Castle of the Skylark" and these merse maestros claim nesting territories in the upper marsh with dizzyingly high song flights every year.

Open the windows of the Salcot Merse observatory for a front-row seat to this skylark choir and watch the horizon into late summer as insects and hobbies tear across the sky.

Nature's carbon champions

If the nature isn't enough for you, saltmarshes are also some of the world's most important carbon sinks, trapping carbon up to 40 times faster than temperate forests. Read more about these super-powered wetlands.