Introduction

This evening, I am reporting on today’s visit to the Hogganfield Loch Nature Reserve. This is located within an urban area to the north east of Glasgow’s city centre.

Information

Hogganfield Loch is a large shallow loch (lake) with a wooded island. Hogganfield Park is a 48 hectares/119 acres site and is excellent for bird watching or simply walking. Access is very easy, with a tarmac path all the way around the loch edge. There is a wide variety of water birds on the loch, including some rarities. This is Glasgow’s best site for wintering water birds such as whooper swan and goldeneye duck.

This is a popular spot for persons requiring gentle exercise, bird watchers, botanists and photographers. Refer images below for examples of birdlife, plants and even an exotic dog or two.

The key highlight for me were the yellow billed whooper swans which, hitherto, I have never encountered. This bird rarely breeds in the U.K. However, there are large populations which winter here after a long journey from Iceland.

Overall, a worthwhile trip.

More Information for the visitor to Scotland

The publication, Visitors’ Guide to Scotland includes sections on landscapes, bird watching, wildlife and much more. This book is heavily illustrated and contains a wealth of information on Scotland. The ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. Also available via Kindle.