Christmas at Caerlaverock

Rachel

Dec 19, 20186 min read

My university course is the best! Not only do I get to learn about amazing subjects both in media and in ecology, but we also get to visit some really special places. Our course Christmas trip this year was to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust reserve at Caerlaverock, Scotland. I've never been to this particular reserve before, but I've been to a couple of other WWT sites and really enjoyed them so I had high hopes.

The day itself didn't get off to a brilliant start. We were instructed to arrive at campus for 8:45am to ensure that we were all ready for the bus, which meant a rather early start for me. This meant, naturally, that the bus was late. After a further half an hour of waiting our transport arrived and we were on our way! It was a very beautiful journey and I had the joy of watching the morning light pour across the countryside as we wound our way north.

So often on trips like these I often feel that I have to hang out with other people and do what they want me to do in order to make the most of the day. Whilst doing this has always been nice, I've sometimes felt restricted in how I make the best use of my time at places like these. Today saw a change in regime. I decided that I would enjoy my own company for the day and get up to the things that I wanted to do. So I did – and it was really liberating!

My first excursion took me through the Wildlife Garden and down to the Scottish Water Hide where I settled down to take in more of the sunrise, and enjoy the various waterbirds including: shoveler, mallard, whooper swan, wigeon and barnacle goose (don't worry about remembering all of these – there will be a complete list at the end). I was joined by two members of staff who then pointed out a lone lapwing that I had missed in my surveying. After reporting my findings in the Whatapp chat I saw that there had been an interesting sighting of a female scaup by my lecturer. Excited by the prospect of adding a new bird to my lifetime species list I headed over to the Peter Scott Observatory.

The Peter Scott Observatory was absolutely fantastic. For a start, it had heating! What a delight on a rather chilly Scottish morning. There were lots of waterfowl gathered here for their daily feed – and as the birds grew in number so did the crowd of students! By the time I got there the scaup had wandered out of view, but a flurry of activity from the pond alerted our attention to the presence of an otter! Absolutely fantastic to see such an incredible mammal – and to see it so close. I managed to grab a couple of photos. They won't be winning Wildlife Photographer of the Year, but at least you can see it was there.

It was then time for food (for the birds, not me). The staff bestowed generous amounts of seeds to the birds whilst informing us of the value of continuing the daily routine. Not only does it keep the birds trust in the humans on site, but it also provides a valuable monitoring opportunity. By feeding the birds, the swans in particular, the WWT staff are able to keep an eye on lead poisoning in the bird population – which has been a significant problem in recent years. At this hide the bird species I spotted included: whooper and mute swan, wigeon, mallard, teal, tufted duck, Canada and greylag geese, moorhen and feral pigeon as well as an impressive flyover by a flock of curlew. Just before I left the scaup made a reappearance which meant I could add that to my lifetime list of birds – hooray!

I then took a stroll down to the Folly Pond Hide. En route I was delighted to spot a number of fungi including turkeytail, orange slime mold and candlesnuff fungus, as well as a friendly blackbird. I was particularly happy to see so much fungi because I was so sure that mushrooming season was over – this bodes really well for by photography coursework. The view from the hide was very much similar to that at the Scottish Water Hide so I didn't stay long – just adding carrion crow and shelduck to my previous list.

Acting on further information from the Whatsapp chat I decided to check out the feeders on the Peter Scott Trail. This turned out to be a brilliant decision! There was so much life and the air was humming with wing-beats. I took a few minutes to just watch their behaviour before I started taking pictures and honestly, it was so lovely to just experience the moment without a camera between me and the birds. It was also fantastic to see some greenfinches here! I know my lecturer has seen some on campus, but it has been years since I last saw one and it just made me so happy. Other species spotted at the feeders included chaffinch, blackbird, great tit, tree sparrow, house sparrow, coal tit, dunnock, blue tit and goldfinch.

I continued around the Peter Scott Trail and poked my head into some of the other little hides in the vicinity. It was mostly the same birds again, but in the Newfield Hide I spotted my first oystercatcher of the day – they're one of my all-time favourites. I then heard that I managed to miss a species at the Folly Pond Hide; there were black-tailed godwits feeding amongst the barnacle geese. I went back to see them for myself so I could add them to my list – goodness only knows how I managed to miss them! After this mishap I decided to head inside for some lunch and refuelled with an excellent cheese toastie (highly recommend!) before heading out for an equally exciting afternoon.

I decided that the best use of my time would be to make my way straight down the Avenue to the tower before working my way back up all the other hides before parking myself at the Salcot Merse Observatory for the sunset. There were loads of fabulous lichens lining the trees of the avenue, which I've been noticing much more since I heard a talk from Plantlife's April Windle. A kestrel posed ever so nicely for me at the top of a tree which was a lovely treat!

The Avenue Tower had stunning views around the reserve and I just sat and enjoyed the landscape as a whole for a little while. I was particularly enthralled by the radio masts that stood across the bay – perhaps I'm the only person, but I really rather like the aesthetic of random manmade objects in the middle of natural landscapes. The species present at this hide included a large flock of barnacle geese, loads of lapwings, curlew and a small chattering of starlings. I met one of my friends on the way out and we exchanged sightings and pictures. He'd seen a hen harrier, a buzzard and a sparrowhawk at the Salcot Observatory – lucky!

We parted ways and I began meandering down the Avenue towards my final goal, mostly seeing the same birds that I'd already spotted at previous points during the day. At Sharp's Lookout I got a better glimpse of the black-tailed godwits, and was surprised to see a little redshank feeding amongst them – its bright red legs capturing my attention amongst the general brown of the scene. Once I got to the Salcot Observatory I realise that there were a couple of problems with my plan: a) most of the birds had already gone, and b) the hide was no good for the sunset views I wanted. I made the executive decision to head back the way I'd come and enjoy the sunset from the Avenue Tower – where the height of the building would give me the views that I desired. Just as I was packing up to leave, a little egret flew by a landed right outside the window, which was a great last bird spot of the day.

I made it back to the Tower with a good half an hour before the sunset. Another of my friends turned up to sit with me, and she pointed out that a pair of roe deer were feeding in the next door field, which was absolutely fantastic! The sun set in fabulous form; the sky was full of glorious colours and the vista of the reserve in the shadow of the mountains looked stunning. It really topped off what had been a brilliant day.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Caerlaverock. I saw some familiar species, which is always wonderful, but also had the chance to see a new bird species and a rare mammal – it really doesn't get much better than that, does it? It was well worth the visit, and I will definitely go back when I have the chance. Thank you so much to the staff of the University of Cumbria and the team at WWT Caerlaverock for such a great day!