Summer visitors to Seven Lochs

While some birds live at Seven Lochs all year round others are only here for part of the year. Birds that arrive in spring to nest and raise their chicks before leaving in autumn to spend the winter somewhere warmer are known as summer migrants.

So, what summer migrants should you look, and listen, out for at Seven Lochs? Here’s our top 4 visitors for April to September. We’ve included links to the RSPB website for you to find out more.

1. Chiffchaff – about the same size as a sparrow, you’re most likely to hear the distinctive two note song of this greenish-brown warbler in the woodlands at Cardowan Moss, Bishop Loch or Gartcosh local nature reserve.
2. Grasshopper warbler – this small, speckled brown warbler is much easier to hear than to see. Listen for its high-pitched grasshopper-like song in the grasslands around Bishop Loch and Gartloch pools.
3. Whitethroat – with its characteristic grey head and white throat, this sparrow-sized visitor nests in dense woodland and scrub at Todd’s Well woodland, Commonhead Moss and Drumpellier Country Park.
4. Osprey – this large, fish-eating bird of prey doesn’t nest at Seven Lochs, but they are sometimes seen hunting at Frankfield, Bishop and Woodend Lochs. Maybe one year we’ll get a pair to nest in Glasgow for the first time in over 100 years!

We’d love to know what you’ve seen at Seven Lochs. Share your pictures on Instagram.