Hello everyone,

Mike here bringing you the latest sightings from on and near the reserve. This week has been a great week for sightings. I have had the pleasure of seeing the first bluebells sprouting up on the reserve. Come along to our self-guided trail to find them!

We managed to carry out some moth trapping again and we had two new species. We had one scarce prominent, four water carpets, two brindled pugs, two common quakers, one mottled grey and one Hebrew character.

Moving on to mammals I have seen our resident three roe deer. Alongside this there have been regular sightings of grey squirrel and also at night I can hear the sounds of badger as they snuffle around for earthworms.

With our plant sightings we have wood anemone, dandelion, great wood rush, lesser celandine, marsh marigold, dogs mercury, cuckoo flower, alternate leaved golden saxifrage, opposite leaved golden saxifrage, common dog violet, blackthorn, wood sorrel, , wild strawberry, pink purslane and finally moschatel are all out.

For the birds seen on the reserve we have recordings of jay, three buzzards, great tit, blue tit, coal tit and a pair of siskin looking to be making a nest in one of the Douglas firs. On the river we have had sightings of goosander, dipper, sand martins and grey wagtail.

Finally to round off we will show what has been recorded nearby. There is a barnacle goose with around 900 pink-footed geese at Douglas Water, and a willow warbler has been recorded singing at Lanark Loch. There is also a reporting of a nuthatch pair nesting in Biggar. There has also been a sighting of a drake ring-billed duck at Woodend Loch in Coatbridge. There has been a sighting of five crossbills and three nuthatches have been seen at Linn Park.

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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