Birding on holiday at the Lake of Menteith
There is a fabulous array of birds to be seen at Lochend, from the Ospreys who fish in the lake all summer to the Tawny Owls who nest each year in the giant Scots Pine at the bend in the drive. Guests in our chalets, cabins and lodges beside the lake become very familiar with the resident heron, who fishes right in front of the chalets, occasionally flying off across the bay, squawking in his pre-historic way.
As for the ducks, they were wild once, before they worked out it was easier just hanging around everybody’s patios waiting for bread! Meanwhile, we also have swans, elegantly gliding from Lochend to their nest in the reeds across the bay, as well as bullfinches and tree-creepers, long-tailed tits and goldfinches, cormorants and buzzards, goldeneyes and great crested grebes. Bird and bat boxes are dotted about all over Lochend; recycled bird-feeders on the front of each chalet are busy in spring and summer with the chatter of finches and tits.
Here is a full check-list of birds seen so far at Lochend – 94 and counting. We have bird books in each chalet to help you identify what you see, and we’ll be really excited if you can add to the list.
| Barn Owl | Blackbird | Black headed Gull |
| Blue Tit | Bullfinch | Buzzard |
| Canada Goose | Carrion Crow | Chaffinch |
| Coal Tit | Collared Dove | Common Gull |
| Common Tern | Coot | Cormorant |
| Corn Bunting | Cuckoo | Curlew |
| Dipper | Dunnock | Fieldfare |
| Garden Warbler | Goldcrest | Goldeneye |
| Goldfinch | Goosander | Great Crested Grebe |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | Great Tit | Greenfinch |
| Greylag Goose | Grey Wagtail | Herring Gull |
| Heron | Hooded Crow | House Martin |
| House Sparrow | Jackdaw | Jay |
| Kestrel Kingfisher | Lapwing | Lesser Black-backed Gull |
| Linnet | Mallard | Meadow Pipit |
| Muscovy Duck | Mistle Thrush | Moorhen |
| Mute Swan | Nuthatch | Osprey |
| Oystercatcher | Partridge | Peregrine |
| Pheasant | Pied Wagtail | Pied Flycatcher |
| Pink-footed Goose | Pochard | Raven |
| Red-breasted Merganser | Red Kite | Redwing |
| Robin | Rook | Sand Martin |
| Sandpiper | Shag | Siskin |
| Skylark | Snipe | Song Thrush |
| Spotted Flycatcher | Sparrow hawk | Starling |
| Swallow | Swift | Tawny Owl |
| Treecreeper | Tree Sparrow | Tufted Duck |
| Whooper Swan | Widgeon | Willow Tit |
| Willow Warbler | Woodcock | Wood Pigeon |
