Watery Paradise and Grandad’s 90th

Loch Lomond NNR

The last visit of the breeding bird surveys at Loch Lomond and the attention is not drawn to the last of the bird song, they are getting tired after a long and busy breeding season. Instead the eye is drawn to the lush, rich flowery paradise that stretches as far as the eye can see. Being really wet is what has saved this ecosystem by making it very difficult to farm in a modern way. Instead cattle lightly graze across a wide area gently opening up gaps through munching and treading for flowering plants to come through.

The open water looks a bit like a Monet with water lillies and bistort  filling the pools.

In the swamp marsh cinquefoil, iris, bog cotton and ragged robin light up the sward.

And the mute swans just add to the picture postcard appeal.

While the ospreys take a break from fishing and watch over the reserve.

A lovely watery paradise but spoilt a little by Grandad’s birthday. I think that it is great that Grandad’s made it to 90, a great achievement but a shame that friends and family had decided to mark this important occasion by littering a wonderful nature reserve and endangering cattle and wildlife. Please don’t release balloons, they only cause damage and pollution.