Garden Blue Tits

Great to see the Blue Tits back in the garden, I am hoping they will again use the nest boxes provided.

Trying to get a decent shot of them is difficult, since they are such active birds and moving all the time !

Was lucky and managed to get a few out of 20 odd attempts.

Moorhen and Merganser

What was another fresh but lovely spring day, also gave nice lighting conditions for the camera lens too. 

The shy Moorhen ventured into the moat and got as close as it would dare. 

The Red Breasted Merganser was sunning himself close to the Merryton bridge,  being on the right side of the sun was useful for some nice shots.

 Popeye meanwhile was standing guard over the nest.

Dogs and Nesting Season

The River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust would like to remind Dog owners that the bird nesting season is getting under way. 

Half of Scotland's birds are ground nesting and therefore vulnerable to dogs that are not kept under close control by owners taking them for a walk. The Scottish outdoor access code states that dogs should be kept under close control in areas used by wildlife, this includes our riverside where ducks and swans are nesting for the next 4 to 5 months.

Ducks will sit on their nests relying on camouflage to keep them safe, 

owners should not allow their dogs to sniff them out, sometimes resulting in the death of the birds because they try to protect their eggs or young.

Choosing open spaces to let your dog run free is the responsible thing to do at this time of year.

Remedial Work Completed

After last summers flash floods, hundreds of tons of shingle were washed down river blocking the swans island Moat. This was a new hazard which had to be rectified, as well as the torn wire mesh baskets at the Merryton bridge.

After weeks of hoop jumping I got the go ahead from Marine Scotland, The regional Harbour authority, the 4 district councillors, and the District fisheries board to rectify the blocked moat.
The River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust will foot the bill for this improvement, as part of our commitment to care for the wildlife their habitat and environment.  Any donations will be welcome !

Spring is in The Air

Spring is in the air, with brilliant sunshine again favouring the Moray firth, the Nairn Swans are getting in the mood for another breeding season.

  
Popeye and Penny were enjoying the renovated moat and new abundance of fresh water available. 

Penny started the courtship today by blowing bubbles, and Popeye soon joined in 

- the sequence of photos shows the annual mating ritual.
Enjoy !

Rare Bird on East Beach

One of our trust members spotted a rare visitor to Nairn East beach mudflats today. George Berryman took a couple of photos of the rare bird, although slightly out of focus because of the distance and zoom.

However it is clearly a Little Egret and would not normally be seen this far north in the UK.
The mild winter conditions may have contributed to it being in the area.

Spring Heron

What a difference a day makes, it has been a glorious sunny day with a real feel of spring in the air.

All sorts seemed to be taking to the air today, a microlight aircraft, the Heron, and I even saw my first butterfly of the year.

 While inspecting the remedial work carried out on the island Moat, I noticed the Heron sunning itself on the Island.

It was also a perfect day to release the rehab rock dove, after 2 weeks intensive care his ruptured air sac was finally healed !

 I let him go this morning but he returned briefly this evening for a meal in the aviary.

More Merganser

Our friend the Male Merganser is still on the lower reaches of the river.

 Once again he gave me the chance for some nice pics.

Perfect Pair

After a gruelling chase yesterday, Popeye and Penny appear to have finally seen off last seasons offspring.

The pressure on the youngsters was immense, 

they had no choice but to leave their beloved birthplace, or face the wrath of their parents !

This was the longest term they have ever allowed the cygnets to stay, and now deserve a well earned respite before nesting again.

Head to Head

With Spring like conditions, the Drakes are getting frisky and trying to impress the ladies by having trials of strength with one another.

Going head to head is now the order of the day !