Birds at Loch Riddon Bothy

Many bothy guests are enjoying watching the comings and goings of garden birds at Loch Riddon Bothy and mention this in their reviews.  There is a good pair of binoculars in the Bothy as well as a bird book to help with identification. 

Spring is a great time of year to start on your ‘birding’ journey – birds are in their brightest plumage trying to attract a mate.  They love the peanuts and fat balls that we put out for them on feeders just behind the Bothy, close enough to the cover of trees to make them feel a little safer.  Most birds are super sensitive to movement so best to settle down somewhere comfy inside or out. There are often clouds of the more common birds around and on the feeder.

A trio of blue tits with one more coming in to land

Probably the most numerous birds are the blue tits, great tits, coal tits, dunnocks and chaffinches.  Some commonly seen birds like robins and blackbirds are not normally seen clinging to the feeders but cruising around underneath them picking up bits that others have dropped.

Of course it’s always exciting to see more unusual birds and we are lucky enough to have regular visits from siskins, woodpeckers, bullfinches, wrens, long tailed tits and goldfinches. 

Siskins picking up seeds under the feeder

Herons come to camp out at the edge of the pond waiting for a careless frog to emerge.

A heron - just waiting…

The most unusual bird we’ve seen is a red poll which was around for a few days last year.

Redpoll with two goldfinches and a siskin

Of course I have to mention the red squirrels which are such fun to watch shimmying up the pole to get to the feeders.

We have had sandpipers nesting in the garden.  They lay their incredibly well camouflaged eggs on the ground.

Over head you will frequently hear the mewing cat like noise of the buzzards. And, if you are looking out over the water at lowish tide you may see an osprey hovering before it dives down for a tasty meal.