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Overview
Situated within the Clyde-Muirshiel Regional Park, Lochwinnoch is one of the few remaining wetland sites in west Scotland.
Birds
Notable Species
The visitor centre, with its viewing tower and telescopes, gives good views over the marshland and loch, where in the winter you may see a wide variety of wildfowl and goosanders. In the spring, Great Crested Grebe and Northern Lapwing can be seen displaying and Sedge Warbler can be heard singing in the marshland. Osprey are increasingly being seen passing over the reserve, and an unsuccessful attempt was made to attract them to nest at the reserve a few years ago. Hen Harrier that breed on the moorland of the nearby Clyde Muirshiel Country Park occasionally hunt over the reserve.
Smew have been visiting every winter for several years now, usually one or more males, and sometimes females as well.
In summer the reserve comes to life with flowers along the path, with species including Common Spotted Orchid present.
Rarities
To do
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Smew, Common Goldeneye, Common Teal, Garganey, Common Pochard, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Greylag Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Common Buzzard, Black-headed Gull, Common Snipe, European Robin, Fieldfare, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Eurasian Treecreeper, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Sedge Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Hen Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Western House Martin, Eurasian Wren, Dunnock, Song Thrush, Redwing, Eurasian Blackbird, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Common Starling, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Siskin, Eurasian Bullfinch, Reed Bunting, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Water Rail, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, European Robin, Wood Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Common Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Lesser Redpoll, Eurasian Bullfinch
Other Wildlife
Otter, Bank Vole
Site Information
History and Use
To do
Areas of Interest
The reserve is adjacent to Castle Semple Loch on which many water-based activities, including sailing, take place. The area is very popular with cyclists as it's on a cycle route from Glasgow to Ayrshire.
A few miles above the village of Lochwinnoch along a fairly quiet road (but with a few potholes) is Clyde Muirshiel Country Park. Hen Harriers nest here, monitored by seasonal staff from a visitor centre with a video link. These birds can sometimes be seen while walking around the park, and these are the birds that occasionally pay a visit to Aird Meadow, the major part of the Lochwinnoch RSPB reserve.
Other birds that can be seen on the moorland or around the rivers include Meadow Pipits, Stonechats, Dippers, Grey Wagtails, Common Buzzards, the occasional Raven and Wheatears. Garden Warblers can be seen in the woodland.
There are many fine walks in Clyde Muirshiel, some fairly strenuous, including the aptly named Windy Hill which gives a real feeling of remoteness despite being only about 15 minutes walk from the visitor centre, and all revealing tremendous views over to the hills on the opposite side of the Clyde (although the river itself cannot be seen).
Barr Loch is another, larger, body of water adjacent to Aird Meadow. Whooper Swans and wintering wildfowl can sometimes be more easily seen here than on Aird Meadow, although access to Barr Loch can be more difficult.
Access and Facilities
The reserve is ideal for all the family, as the trails, birdwatching hides and visitor centre are easily accessible. A programme of events is run throughout the year. You can also enjoy a light snack or browse in the RSPB shop.
Grid reference: NS358580
Contact Details
Tel: 01505 842663
External Links
Content and images originally posted by glasgowbirder
Reviews
glasgowbirder's review
I've stressed the pros above as I don't want to be overly critical of Lochwinnoch. It would be a fantastic place to take a young family or someone who was maybe in a wheelchair as there is a good viewing area where you can see a good variety of garden birds and the woodland walk is pleasant and but not very long.
The large feeding area in front of the window in the visitors centre does attract a large number of birds but it�s a bit like feeding time at the zoo. To my mind its not the same as a spot "out in the wild".
You would think that the up close birds would make for good digi-scoping (especially for me -then on my second outing with all my kit). The staff though seemed to think I was just in the way. There's a recently built photographic hide but it also housed a wasp's nest (now boxed in) and I'd already set up and was ready to to start snapping away when I was asked on no less than 3 separate occasions if wanted to move through to the new hide. It wasn't particularly busy and I wasn't in anybody's way so I politely declined. Subsequently one of the members of staff was rude to me when purchasing a Mars bar. Bizarre.
There is also limited viewing from the other hides. There's just not much in the water. I have seen Grebes displaying here but quite how that justifies the amount of money the RSPB have pumped into this place I don't know.
Unless you're stocking up on bird food or on a toilet stop give this place a miss. Barons Haugh reserve is a bit more rough and ready, doesn't have a visitor centre, or a warden it is about equi-distant from Glasgow Central Station and has friendlier twitchers and more importantly more numerous and rarer birds. Pros
- 5 minutes from Lochwinnoch station. RSPB Shop. Telescopes. Good for children. Bird feeders bring dozens of excellent garden birds up close. Toilet and food facilities.
Cons
- Almost no birds to look at on the loch. No circular walk. Staff attitude to digiscopers (see below)
gordon mid's review plenty of wildfowl on the loch in autumn and winter months, tufties, pochard, wigeon, teal, golden eye,etc. and the occasional scaup . closer views from the hide than the visitors centre. Always found staff pleasant and helpful. Pros
- good paths
- good views from the two hides on the trail
JTweedie's review
This was the first place I ever visited which made me realise there were more to birds than Feral Pigeons and Starlings (although nothing wrong with them!) On my first ever visit a Pheasant was seen running along the path just ahead of me, a bird I hadn't seen until that time. I've got plenty of other lifers there too, birds that I would see very often now, including Reed Buntings, Goldeneye, Goosanders, Pochard, Teal, Wigeon, Little Grebe, Snipe and many more.
There does seem to have been a lot of change to the area in the past few years, especially to Aird Meadow. First of all, one of the hides got burnt down - this hide was a good alternative to the present two hides as it gave you a real alternative view of the reserve, including viewings of parts of the reserve normally hidden away. The water appears to be much higher now, I don't know if this has made it less attractive to some birds - Great Crested Grebes used to be easily seen - apparently they're still there, but I've only seen them once in the past year. A couple of artificial islands seem to have been removed too - these used to hold Black-headed Gulls, but you only see these now as they pass over from the neighbouring Castle Semple Loch.
For me, the best thing about the reserve is not the loch itself, but the small strip of woodland running around it - I've seen many species here, including Spotted Flycatcher, Treecreeper, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker and many others. I see people rushing along the paths to get to the hides, but they're missing out on a rich abundance of birdlife around them.
The reserve is good for Common Buzzards, and occasionally Hen Harriers visit.
I too wish the path went right around the loch, that way you could also see into Castle Semple Loch, but this may not be done as this part of the reserve may be to give some shy birds space to nest.
If you're concentrating on what's on the water, then you're best visiting in the winter when there's normally a lot of wildfowl, including occasional Whooper Swans. Pros
- Ease of access
- shop facilities
Cons
- Very quiet in summer
- can get very noisy when school groups are in
