This week has been another marvellous week for sightings. I had the moth trap out this week and got some amazing species. I have records of my first sighting of peppered moth which is absolutely beautiful.

So for our mammals we have had sightings of numerous grey squirrels clambering through the trees. We have seen our roe deer with fawn walking through the woods accompanied by our pipistrelle bats flying over head.

For our wildflowers we have wild garlic growing on the corehouse side of the reserve. We also have herb robert, yellow pimpernel, sanicle, redcurrant, dandelion, great wood rush, lesser celandine, marsh marigold, dog’s mercury, cuckoo flower, alternate-leaved golden saxifrage, opposite-leaved golden saxifrage, red campion, common dog violet, wood sorrel, bluebell, wild strawberry and pink purslane. We also have the addition of wavy bitter cress, creeping forget me not, white dead-nettle, meadow saxifrage, water avens, crosswort, greater stitchwort, pignut and globe flower.

Then onto our insects with the moth trap I managed to get scorched wing, two common quaker, two red-green carpet, two grey pine carpet, early thorn, two scalloped hazel, two nut-tree tussock, peppered moth and coxcomb prominent. Also found in my moth trap was a cockchafer beetle which was also an amazing find. With our bumblebee transect we had gypsy cuckoo bumblebee, forest cuckoo bumblebee, early bumblebee and common carder bee. Then to our butterflies we have sightings of red admiral, orange tip and green-veined white. I also found a pair of mating large red damselflies which is always nice to see.

So on the reserve for our birds we have had recordings of whitethroat, garden warbler, treecreeper, song thrush, great tit, blue tit, coal tit, black cap, chiffchaff and willow warbler all singing within the woods. On the river we have had sightings of grey heron, common sandpiper, dipper and grey wagtail along with two sets of mallards with young.

Finally to off the reserve we have a reporting of a carrion crow being chased playfully by a hare in the field next to Hyndford Bridge. There have also been sightings of six dotterel at Eaglesham.

Feel free to send in your local sightings to fallsofclyde@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk.

Mike Butler – Falls of Clyde Seasonal Ranger, Scottish Wildlife Trust
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