Tayside and Clackmannanshire
Loch
Leven National Nature Reserve
News and Events
This page was last updated: 14/09/09
- Return of the pink feet!
- The World of Fungi & Autumn Forays
- Mary’s Knowe Bird Feeding Station
- Damsels, Dragons and Ospreys - July 2009
- National Spring Clean and Newt Surveys- 25th and 26th April
- A month in the life of NNR volunteers…
- Easter Visitor Surveys
- Detective work at Loch Leven NNR
- Volunteers needed in March…
- Tree Sparrow Day- Sunday 8th February 2009
- Pastures new for the Reserve Manager
- Willow clearance on the islands
- Winter Bird Walk- Saturday 31st January
- Events
- News Archive
If you would like to get in touch you can contact us by:
tel: 01577 864 439
email: Craig.Nisbet@snh.gov.uk
post: Scottish Natural Heritage, The Pier, Kinross, KY13 8UF
Return of the pink feet!
Throughout the country, the return of our population of pink-footed geese is being eagerly anticipated. After their breeding season in Iceland, they will be heading south to the British Isles to avoid the harsh Icelandic winter. Loch Leven is a hotspot both for wintering geese and passage migrants on their way south, so numbers can reach up to 20,000 during October and November. The first sightings have already been reported at Loch of Strathbeg, so we are expecting the arrival any time in the next couple of weeks. Look out for the large, high-flying ‘V’ formations as they take their first approach on to Loch Leven this month.
Pink-footed geese in flight against a classic Loch Leven background.
Jacqueline Miller
For an opportunity to see the wildlife spectacle of thousands of geese lifting off from their night time roosts as they make their daily movements to local feeding grounds, book your place now on one of 2 scheduled Dawn Goose Watches. They will be taking place on Sunday 11th October and Saturday 17th October at 6.30 am meeting by the Watchtower in Kirkgate Park. SNH staff will be on hand to introduce you to the population, and to explain more about the habits, movements and management issues relating to this iconic species. Please call the reserve office on 01577 864439 to book your place.
The World of Fungi & Autumn Forays
With autumn setting in, there are changes taking place at Loch Leven National Nature Reserve. Apart from the thousands of pink-footed geese returning from Iceland, we also begin to notice the appearance of mysterious mushrooms and toadstools emerging from the undergrowth. These fascinating organisms are important recyclers of rotting material in woodlands throughout the world. With a wide variety on display at Loch Leven, our fungi forays have proved very popular over the last couple of years, so we are once again teaming up with Tony Wilson from the British Mycological Society for two guided walks. The walks are suitable for all, whether you are seasoned mushroom pickers or novices intrigued to know more.
The first walk will take place from Findatie car park, meeting at 2 pm on Sunday 4th October. The second walk will be taking place from Burleigh Sands car park, now meeting at 2 pm on Sunday 25th October. Please note this is a change of date from previous publications. Water proofs and stout footwear are recommended for both walks, which will last approximately 3 hours.
As a precursor to the two walks, Tony will be speaking at the next volunteers’ meeting in the Millbridge Hall, Kinross from 7.30 pm on Wednesday 30th September. This will be an excellent opportunity to familiarise yourselves with the diversity of fungi on display, and will help in terms of searching and identifying when out on a walk. The meeting is also a good opportunity to meet volunteers working on the reserve, and is open to all.
If you would like to book your place on either of the two fungi forays, or the volunteers’ meeting, please contact the reserve office on 01577 864439.
Saturday 26th September, 10 am – 3 pm – Mary’s Knowe Bird Feeding Station
With a busy autumn ahead, we are keen to improve habitat around the reserve for woodland birds in need of food during the winter months. Plans to develop a woodland bird feeding station opposite the ponds at Mary’s Knowe are underway, and we hope to encourage a few new people to help with some hands on volunteering work at Loch Leven. We plan to meet at Burleigh Sands car park on Saturday 26th September at 10 am, and have a variety of tasks planned including sycamore removal, pond clearance and habitat management work needed in preparation for a bird feeding station to be installed. Water proofs, wellies and a packed lunch are advised. Chest waders and hand tools will be made available where necessary.
If you are interested in helping out on this day, or volunteering at Loch Leven National Nature Reserve generally, please contact the reserve office on 01577 864439.
Damsels, Dragons and Ospreys- July at Loch Leven National Nature Reserve
Every year the emergence of dragonflies marks the return of summer. These aerial predators are spectacular in their behaviour, appearance and life cycle. They can also provide useful information relating to climate change and habitat quality, as their distribution can shift dramatically given the right conditions. To launch their British Dragonfly Atlas Project in Scotland, the British Dragonfly Society (BDS) will be joining reserve staff at Loch Leven on Wednesday 22nd July. In the afternoon they’ll be leading Damsels and Dragons- a walk from 1 – 4 pm, meeting at Loch Leven’s Larder to explore some of the reserve’s best dragonfly sites and have a look for a variety of species including Emerald Damselfly, Four-spotted Chaser (pictured) and Common Darter. In the evening, the latest in our series of Volunteers’ Meetings at the Millbridge Hall in Kinross will play host to Jonathon Willet and Stephen Prentice, for a talk focussed on British dragonflies and the work of BDS. The meeting will start at 7.30 pm. Both events are open to all, but booking is essential, so please contact the reserve office on 01577 864439 to book your place.
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July also sees the return of our ever popular Osprey Walk, where you’ll have the opportunity to see the angling raptors as they patrol the loch surface for unsuspecting fish. Other highlights to look out for around Burleigh Sands at this time of year are duck broods as they use the shelter of shoreline vegetation, and Kingfishers darting down the North Quiech. The first of two walks takes place on Thursday 16th July from 6 to 8 pm, meeting at Burleigh Car Park on the north shore of the loch, with the second walk scheduled for Thursday 6th August. Booking for this walk is also essential.
The latest instalment of our Meet the Wardens sessions will be on Sunday 19th July, from 11 am to 3 pm at the Boathouse Hide near Kirkgate Park. If you’d like to meet reserve staff, discuss current management issues, or simply take a closer look at the wealth of wildfowl diversity on the loch, feel free to drop in for a chat.
National Spring Clean and Newt Surveys- 25th and 26th April
This month we have two volunteer activities planned for the weekend of 25th and 26th April. As part of an annual National Spring Clean campaign run by Keep Scotland Tidy, we are planning a litter pick for those who want to help us with the task of cleaning up the reserve. Litter is not only an eye-sore; it is also a danger to our wildlife, especially small mammals, birds and amphibians that can get trapped in our discarded waste. We’ll be meeting on Saturday 25th April at The Pier, Kinross at 10am.
Palmate Newt
On Sunday we look forward to welcoming David Bell of the Fife Amphibian and Reptile Group to Loch Leven. David will be helping us in our search for newts in ponds around the loch. If successful, this will be a new wildlife species for Loch Leven. Volunteers are invited to meet at The Pier at 7.30pm on Sunday 26th April for a talk about the status of amphibians and reptiles locally. We will then head out onto the reserve to search with lamps and torches. Lamp surveys can be particularly revealing, with pond life being lit up in a way otherwise unseen, and for this reason it is an exciting experience. The possibility of witnessing a natural history record in the making is also something we are looking forward to. If you’d like to share in this experience, or help with the Litter Pick, please contact the reserve office on 01577 864439 to book your place. As this is a night time survey, please be aware that we’ll be finishing late so wear warm clothing and bring a torch (if you have one). We plan to be back at The Pier by 11pm.
A month in the life of NNR volunteers…
Our volunteers have been busy in March, with various projects stirring enthusiasm and interest in Loch Leven and management of the wildlife here. Four rafts were built on the 14th March, for Great-crested Grebe to use as floating platforms on which to construct their nests. With fluctuating water levels, grebes are often discouraged from their usual breeding habitat amongst reed beds, but we hope that these steady platforms will provide them with an alternative. Volunteers were able to help build the rafts and particularly enjoyed willow weaving to create a semi-natural surface for birds to nest on.
The following day a team of volunteers headed out to Burleigh armed with spades to plant a total of 420 trees in the area. A mixed hedgerow has now been planted along the fence line next to the Kingfisher hide, with a further 20 Scot’s Pines being planted throughout the coniferous woodland along the shoreline.
Thank you to Sarah Eaton and Elspeth Christie from the Fife and Kinross Bat Group for their assistance with our bat box building day on 28th March. Volunteers helped to construct and install 25 bat boxes in the woodlands at Burleigh, so hopefully we’ll see an increase in bat numbers swooping through the air shortly.
Easter Visitor Surveys
Visitor questionnaire surveys are being carried out this Easter, to find out what members of the public think about the newly installed Heritage Trail. Having completed the trail in November of last year, TRACKS are particularly interested in finding out how much it is being used, so they have organised a team of volunteers to conduct questionnaire surveys over the next two weeks. If you meet the surveyors around the reserve, and could spare ten minutes of your time, why not stop for a quick chat to share your views on the project and what it means to you? Information provided will be anonymous, and will help Scottish Natural Heritage, RSPB and other organisations involved in the management of Loch Leven National Nature Reserve with their continued efforts to make it a special place to visit.
Detective work at Loch Leven NNR
As spring sets in the countryside comes to life, with trees budding, birds singing and animals courting. This is a great time of year to explore your local woodlands, and on Sunday 29th March Scottish Natural Heritage will be leading a group of Nature Detectives into Levenmouth to explore the emergent flora and fauna. Tracks and signs of a variety of birds and mammals will be evident at various points, and your best investigative skills will be needed to make the most of this day of discovery. High on our list of priorities will be the search for Otters, which are known to breed locally, and have frequently been seen nearby the River Leven and Levenmouth pools. The walk will start from Findatie car park at 10am-12noon, and we recommend water proofs and binoculars, although the latter can be provided. If you miss the opportunity to explore the spring woods with reserve staff, another walk is planned for Friday 10th April, so to book your place on either of these two walks, please call the reserve office on 01577 864439.
Volunteer activities continue the same weekend, when we will be teaming up with the Fife and Kinross Bat Group to build bat boxes for installation at various points around the reserve. Bats are an important link in the food chain as they feed on flying insects which are abundant at Loch Leven, but suitable roosting habitat for them is sparse, as old trees are often absent from managed woodlands. Bat boxes are therefore an important conservation tool in terms of providing these airborne mammals with alternative roosts. A Bat Group representative will be giving a short talk about the importance of bat populations, before construction of the boxes takes place in the boatshed at The Pier in Kinross. The day will start at 10am on Saturday 28th March, and once the boxes have been built volunteers will head out onto the reserve, where the boxes will be put in place. Some existing boxes will also be checked to look for signs of activity from previous years. For more information regarding this day, or volunteering at Loch Leven generally, please contact the reserve office on 01577 864439.
Volunteers needed in March…
If you’ve ever wondered what’s involved when volunteering at a national nature reserve, then this month there are three great opportunities to find out. Scottish Natural Heritage has planned a selection of spring activities with which we need your help.
The first day involves an experimental project to boost our population of breeding Great-crested Grebes. On Saturday 14th March rafts will be constructed and installed at strategic locations with nearby reed beds, where the birds usually nest. In recent years, the fluctuating water level has prevented them from finding suitable nesting sites in the reeds, so we have seen a decline in the local population. With floating rafts installed, and disguised with vegetative cover, the Grebes will have the option of nesting regardless of the water level. Volunteers will be needed to help assist with raft construction, and will also get the chance to help with the installation of them on the reserve.
great crested grebes
The following day (Sunday 15th March), the annual tree planting project will take place in a bid to boost the number of native trees locally. Previous years have seen the development of coniferous woodland at Burleigh Sands, and extending shoreline vegetation which provides excellent cover for the internationally important population of breeding ducks at Loch Leven. Volunteers are needed to work as part of a team, and for those of you who don’t mind getting your hands dirty a little digging will be required for each tree planted. A job for the more green-fingered people out there!
On Saturday 28th March we’ll be joining forces with the Kinross and Fife Bat Group to build and install more bat boxes at selected locations on the reserve. Bats are an important part of our eco-system, and providing suitable habitat for them is essential, as their preferred roost sites of old trees are routinely removed from managed areas of woodland. Bat box kits are waiting for volunteers keen to knock some wood together, where guidance and information on bat populations will be presented in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
So it’s a busy month at Loch Leven National Nature Reserve, and we are hoping to get more people involved in wildlife management projects locally. For all activities, the groups will meet at The Pier in Kinross. Raft building will start at 9am, with tree planting and bat box building starting at 10am. If you would like more information on volunteering at Loch Leven NNR, or to book your place on any of these activities, please contact the reserve office on 01577 864439.
Tree Sparrow Day- Sunday 8th February 2009 10am
Following the last two year’s development of a tree sparrow nest box programme, SNH staff plan to hold a Tree Sparrow day with volunteers. Tree Sparrows are a species in decline, having been subject to an 87% reduction in the 25 years up to 1996. This catastrophic decline in population is poorly understood, but availability of insects for nestlings and availability of nesting holes are likely factors. On the reserve, to increase suitability of habitat for this species, we currently have about 70 nest boxes scattered in various wooded areas. More boxes will increase the chances of Tree Sparrows successfully breeding in the coming season, so this work is important for the survival of this species locally.
The Tree Sparrow day we are holding will be roughly divided into two
parts, separated by a lunch break. We will spend the morning
constructing nest boxes in our boathouse at The Pier in Kinross, where
we will learn how best to construct the most appropriate nest box for
different species. After lunch we will look for suitable
locations for our newly constructed nest boxes, where you can
personally install your own handy work. While out and about we
will keep a keen eye open for our little subjects in the hope that they
show themselves for the group.
The Tree Sparrow day will be held on Sunday 8th February at 10am.
We have a busy schedule planned for volunteers in the coming year, so
for an opportunity to help us with our conservation efforts on the
reserve, please contact reserve staff on 01577 864439 to join the
Volunteers’ Newsletter mailing list and to book your place.
Pastures new for the Reserve Manager
Scottish Natural Heritage sadly say goodbye this week to the Reserve Manager, Paul Brooks (pictured). After over 11 years of service at Loch Leven, Paul has been instrumental in many of the changes that have occurred at the reserve in recent times. He has over-seen the re-signing of the National Nature Reserve Agreement of 2003, the Land Reform Act which implemented the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and perhaps most notably the development of the ever popular Heritage Trail leading around the loch to Vane Farm from Kinross. He has been a key player in much of the management of the reserve’s natural heritage, and to this end SNH would like to thank him for his time here, and wish him all the best for the future.
Willow clearance on the islands
As the early stages of succession take place, willow begins to dominate on the smaller islands of Loch Leven. Succession is the process by which woodlands develop, from bare ground, to mature stands of trees. By maintaining the bare ground and preventing succession, these small islands will provide excellent breeding sites for ground nesting birds like ducks and gulls. Scottish Natural Heritage has this week been carrying out willow clearance of two of these islands. Scart Island and Roy’s Folly have both been cut back, and are now noticeably different from the other islands in the loch. In time, this will boost productivity of our breeding bird population.
Scart Island, prior to the clearance
Winter Bird Walk- Saturday 31st January 10am
There was an excellent turn out for the first Winter Bird Walk last month, with a wide range of wintering ducks and geese on display. As winter sets in, birds have to work harder to survive on the loch, battling against the elements to forage and keep warm. As the loch freezes, ducks and swans often congregate by patches of unfrozen water where they are still able to feed, making this a good time to view them.
The second Winter Bird Walk will be taking place on Saturday 31st January at 10am from Findatie Car Park on the south east shore of Loch Leven, where views of the water out to St Serf’s Island often reward you with large numbers of Teal, Wigeon and Whooper Swan. Please call 01577 864439 to book your place and join Jeremy for a walk on the wild side!
