Pop-up cafe coming Easter weekend! Grab a bite to eat on the 29th, 30th and 31st of March 12- 4pm.

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Caerlaverock news

Between showers, spring arrives

Between showers, spring arrives

We've been enjoying a seasonal shift in some of our wildlife sightings here at Caerlaverock. Spring showers, between blue skies and rainbows, are beckoning tree buds to leaf, blossoms to emerge and more flowers to begin blooming. Since the rafts have been

27 March 2024

Nighttime escapades

Nighttime escapades

Pitch black. Jacket zipped up. Torch at the ready. It is night and a group of us are standing in a field at Powhillon, one of the northern holdings of WWT Caerlaverock. We get the go ahead and switch our bright torches on. We are looking for eye shine.

19 March 2024

What is WeBS?

What is WeBS?

Ever heard someone referring to webs and then when they started talking about birds instead of spiders were a bit thrown? Well that's because they were talking about WeBS, the British Trust for Ornithology's monthly Wetland Bird Survey. It is a UK-wide su

13 March 2024

Green winged teal and more sightings highlights

Green winged teal and more sightings highlights

We have had a special visitor causing a bit of a flutter this week: a drake (male) green winged teal. It was first spotted on the Folly Pond this Wednesday (6th March) and was moving around the site the rest of the week. Very similar to our Eurasian teal

9 March 2024

We all know what March means...

We all know what March means...

It’s getting to that time of year: we are nearing the end of daily swan feeds.The swans are getting ready to head back to Iceland for their summer holidays. We are seeing fewer and fewer of them on the Whooper Pond during the feeds and will soon be able

4 March 2024

Observations from the Big Hideout

Observations from the Big Hideout

Excitedly I grab some old binoculars after hearing that we have a certain visitor to our Whooper pond.Although they delight our team and visitors from time to time, I am yet to see one.It is with glee that upon hurriedly reaching the observatory, I am gre

16 February 2024

Put a ring on it

Put a ring on it

It is uncommon for us to be finding new swan rings at this time of year. Normally by this time, we stop seeing birds with rings that haven’t visited the reserve yet this season. But at the end of January, ZJA was spotted. The ring was old and weathered-

14 February 2024

Caerlaverock Bird Race 2024 Final Update

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)

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)

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

Gadwall, brent geese and siskin (Bird Race update 5)

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)

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

End of week 1 (Bird Race update 3)

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

Dave gets stuck in (Bird Race update 2)

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)

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