I went to Cathkin Marsh yesterday. The main reason was botanical: I was hoping to see some orchids, but I think I was too early. It was the early July when the reserve was full of them last year.
Bird-wise I saw at least nine male reed buntings and one female (I suspect there was at least nine pairs), whitethroat, willow warbler, sedge warbler, song thrush, grey heron, mallard (complete with ducklings), common buzzard, kestrel, a wheatear sunbathing on a fence post, and barn swallows and house martins feeding overhead, the former occasionally skimming the water surface.
I saw three butterfly species: large white (or small - I'm not sure if there's an obvious size difference), orange tip, and small tortoiseshell.
Two damselflies too: azure and large red.
One of the things I like about this reserve is that it's so quiet. You can feel you're a world away from civilisation, despite a farm being over the hill, and the occasional aroma wafting over from the nearby landfill. When you're down in the marsh proper, it is very tranquil.
I did notice on the path into the reserve that most of the hedges had been cut down. Last year I saw a yellow shell butterfly here, but there doesn't seem to be much cover for birds or insects. Hopefully in time new hedges will grow back, but it wasn't a pretty sight. I hope that all the attention isn't being focused on the marsh and they consider this short path to be expendable.
