This will probably be the last update before Christmas to fill you in on what’s been happening. First off, the loch is frozen – you can check it out on our webcam – it looks amazing because snow has now fallen on the ice so its quite magical out there although very few birds this end of the loch due to the big freeze.

What has been spotted though is one of our resident water rails – very elusive birds – forced out of the reed beds to feed, dotting around the front of the centre for around 20 minutes so some mealworms have now been scattered on the ground to help it out should it return. Still got the odd Whooper hanging around on the loch although like I say they are fast swimmers and can make it from one end of the loch to the other in about 10 minutes when its not frozen solid!

The wee birds at the feeders are frantic in this weather with another (gigantic) brambling popping up and a solitary goldfinch appearing multiple times a day along with the usual suspects. Squirrel action is still good – the baby one popping up most days although it isn’t going to stay tiny for long the amount it’s been eating. After some advice from our SWT red squirrel officer, an antler (from a fallow deer) has been put in the feeding area, for the squirrels to knaw on, as a diet of just peanuts can lead to calcium deficiencies so this antler should provide some of the minerals etc missing from peanuts to help our baby grow.