The Nature of Scotland

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The path along the flood bank extends for about 1 km
before the boardwalk on the left appears and access to the
Flooders is available. The wet marsh to the left has been
created by breaches in the flood bank allowing the tide to
inundate the marsh and mix with freshwater seeping from
the fields inland. ‘The Flooders’ (as this area is known) once
grew barley and other cereal crops. The unequal struggle
to keep out the sea was abandoned and today it is a very
wet marsh, with deep overgrown and hidden channels and
disused drainage ditches, which supports an abundance of
wildflowers, including meadowsweet, northern marsh orchid,
ragged robin and flag iris. The pools also support dragonflies
and the oldest living species in the world, the tadpole
shrimp, a species largely unchanged over 220 million years.
It survives in slightly salty, muddy pools and its eggs can
survive for decades in the mud. The species has recently
been rediscovered on the reserve following an absence of
almost 50 years from the Solway coast.
On warm spring and summer days, the merse is full of
the song of skylarks towering high into the air proclaiming
their territory. This is the lark of the castle’s name and whose
song is such a distinctive part of the reserve. In summer
large flocks of shelduck gather with their crèche of ducklings
on this section of the merse. These large black-and-white
ducks with their green heads, red bills and pink feet are
almost as big as geese and are characteristic of the reserve.
The merse at this time can be a carpet of pink flowers of
thrift, with sea aster and sea lavender on the edges of the
creeks, pools and salt pans.
In autumn and winter, this can be one of the best
places to see grazing flocks of barnacle and pink-footed
geese along with whooper swans and, at the biggest tides
which can lap the foot of the flood bank, huge flocks of
waders such as curlew, lapwing, golden plover, knot and
oystercatcher. It is worth searching for the visiting flocks
of twite and linnets, occasionally with snow buntings, and
small finches with tinkling calls, feeding on seeds washed
up along the tide line.
The boardwalk to the left is the only safe access onto the
Flooders and leads on to the reed beds and past newlycreated
pools in a circular walk. In summer this reedbed is
home to sedge warblers and the occasional marsh harrier.
In winter it provides a roost for starlings, with attendant
sparrowhawks, merlin and peregrine falcon in pursuit of a
meal.
Follow the boardwalk past the lane that leads to
Hollands farm and on to where the boardwalk divides, the
left branch leading to the corner of the field where a path
leads between hawthorn hedges. The fields on either side
are frequently used by geese to feed during the autumn
and winter. The hedgerow can also be full of fieldfares and
redwings gorging themselves on the abundance of berries.
The path leads on to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
reserve. There is an admission charge to the reserve, but the
centre holds a shop, tearoom and toilets.
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‘The Flooders’ is a wet
marsh supporting a
huge range of plant
species.
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Barnacle geese are an
autumn and winter
highlight on the
reserve.
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Boardwalks assist the
visitor to reach a range
of otherwise difficult to
access habitats.
Caerlaverock is
one of 47 NNRs in
Scotland. Find out
more at www.nnrscotland.org.uk
40 The Nature of Scotland