on park wildlife Spotlight


Eilidh & Joe’s wildlife witter


Froglet.


iT hAS BEEN A WARMER, if not wetter, spring for wildlife in the country park this year. Last year at the beginning of May we still had no leaves on the trees and no butterflies to flutter by. This year our first butterfly was a small tortoiseshell which was spotted in Darnley Mill on 14 April. With the warmer weather many of our summer


visiting birds made an early appearance this year compared to last: housemartins were 20 days earlier, swifts 11 days earlier, grasshopper warblers 7 days earlier and chiffchaffs 17 days earlier. Strangely, swallows returned 10 days later this year compared to last. Our first frog spawn was seen on 5 March in a pond at Darnley Mill. Over the


next couple of weeks the spawn kept coming until huge mats of jelly covered much of the ponds. The tadpoles are now hatched and swimming in the ponds. Look out over the next few weeks as they sprout legs, then the tiny froglets will leave their ponds for the surrounding grasslands. The first coltsfoot flower was blooming on 6 March, closely followed by lesser


A watersports centre for Balgray Reservoir?


Balgray Reservoir is also an important site for breeding and wintering birds. As a result the location of any facility needs careful consideration, as would the management or zoning of activities.


WhilST ThE NuMBER of people visiting the country park and taking part in countryside ranger led activities has increased over the last few years it is clear that a lack of facilities remains a major drawback. In addition, apart from the recent completion of new angling platforms at Balgray Reservoir, the potential for water based recreation at the Barrhead dams has not been progressed to date. As a result options associated with creating a watersports


centre at Balgray Reservoir have begun to be examined. A centre could also provide facilities for visitors such as a café, toilets and parking. It is recognised that the


peace and quiet provided by the country park is one of the main reasons why people visit. Only non- motorised activities such as canoeing and windsurfing would operate from a potential facility, there are no aspirations or plans to develop motorised activities at any of the Barrhead dams.


Options for a potential watersports centre at Balgray Reservoir will be examined over the coming months through discussions with key stakeholders. Important considerations include potential locations, costs and funding sources and operational and management arrangements. Future editions of


Wagtail will provide updates regarding the potential development of non-motorised activities at Balgray Reservoir as options around a watersports centre are examined in more detail.


REPORT ANY


PROBLEMS


Report any antisocial crimes in progress to the police on 101


Other antisocial problems such as fly-tipping or graffiti should be reported to the countryside ranger service on


0141 577 4053/54


Outwith office hours call ‘Clean Glasgow’ on 0800 027 7027 or East Renfrewshire ‘Ring and Report’ on 0800 013 0076


celandine on 12 March. The beautiful delicate cowslip flowers are just getting past their best since first appearing on 5 April. By 10 April the country park woodland had fully sprung into life with an impressive carpet of wood sorrel and wood anemone. We are now all looking


forward to a blooming good summer.


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