Wigeon and fussy toads: How a successful Scottish wetland project has seen species go from zero to thousands

The wigeon can be seen in areas of central Scotland in summer and in most coastal areas in the winter.The wigeon can be seen in areas of central Scotland in summer and in most coastal areas in the winter.
The wigeon can be seen in areas of central Scotland in summer and in most coastal areas in the winter. | Canva/Getty Images
A corner of Scotland has a successful story to tell ahead of World Wetlands Day next week.

Dabbling ducks and rare natterjack toads are just some of the species that have been reaping the benefits of a nature restoration project under way on the southern coast of Scotland.

The Wilder, Wetter Caerlaverock initiative, in Dumfries and Galloway, is halfway through a three-year project restoring an area to its former wetland and saltmarsh state on the Solway Coast, located between the southern Scottish region and England.

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The project, funded by NatureScot’s Nature Restoration Fund, is reverting much of the site to its natural state of wetland and saltmarsh after decades of previous attempts to go against this by installing drainage networks, the team saidThe project, funded by NatureScot’s Nature Restoration Fund, is reverting much of the site to its natural state of wetland and saltmarsh after decades of previous attempts to go against this by installing drainage networks, the team said
The project, funded by NatureScot’s Nature Restoration Fund, is reverting much of the site to its natural state of wetland and saltmarsh after decades of previous attempts to go against this by installing drainage networks, the team said | WWT

Already, it seems work to hold water on the land, which the team said previously had drainage networks across it, is proving a success for several species. This includes the wigeon, a migratory duck that winters in Scotland, where the bird is listed as a species of concern.

In some fields where the rewetting has happened, wigeon numbers have gone from zero to in their thousands.

The wigeon can be seen in areas of central Scotland in summer and in most coastal areas in the winter. They are an amber-listed species in Scotland. The wigeon can be seen in areas of central Scotland in summer and in most coastal areas in the winter. They are an amber-listed species in Scotland.
The wigeon can be seen in areas of central Scotland in summer and in most coastal areas in the winter. They are an amber-listed species in Scotland. | Canva/Getty Images

In the last count, between October and December, 2,163 of the birds were counted.

“It’s a sign the system is working,” said Jake Goodwin, a project officer at WWT Caerlaverock, the reserve where the project is taking place.

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In the same section on the reserve, Mr Goodwin said lapwing, a red-listed species in Scotland, which means it is of great conservation concern, were also showing signs of benefitting from the project.

“We had at least one chick fledge from lapwing in a field we’d done work on in a previous year,” he said.

“That wouldn’t have been possible without this project.

“We hadn’t seen them in that field before so it’s is a good sign for wildlife that what we’re doing is working.”

It's possible to see a teal across most of Scotland at some point during the year, with the duck favouring lowland wetlands, moors and mires. While some are resident to the country, many arrive in the winter from the Baltic coast and Siberia.It's possible to see a teal across most of Scotland at some point during the year, with the duck favouring lowland wetlands, moors and mires. While some are resident to the country, many arrive in the winter from the Baltic coast and Siberia.
It's possible to see a teal across most of Scotland at some point during the year, with the duck favouring lowland wetlands, moors and mires. While some are resident to the country, many arrive in the winter from the Baltic coast and Siberia. | Canva/Getty Images

In this same area of the reserve, a brood of teal, a species that are in decline breeding-wise, was spotted with nine ducklings.

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Other than the bird life, Mr Goodwin said there has been an impressive number of dragonflies, to the point where the site has been recognised by the British Dragonfly Society (BDS) as a dragonfly hotspot.

“When I look at this specific area where we are seeing these species, I see a thriving ecosystem from bottom to top and that’s what we’ll aim to replicate elsewhere across the site,” he said.

“We’ll also keep our survey and monitoring of those areas so we can record progress.”

The site has also been commended for favouring the rare natterjack toads.

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A fussy species, Mr Goodwin said they need a lot of parameters to succeed in life, including ephemeral pools - pools made with heavy rainfall but that also dry out.

Luckily for the toads, the team has made 12 of them in the hope they will support the local population by providing the right breeding environment.

An drone image showing some of the rewetting work at the siteAn drone image showing some of the rewetting work at the site
An drone image showing some of the rewetting work at the site | WWT

Old fencing at the reserve has been replaced and some removed to allow cattle to graze some of the area. This supports the diversity of grasslands and allows wildflowers a chance to flourish as it helps control areas of thick rush which can take over in certain areas of the reserve. The team has been working with local farmers and contractors to achieve this work.

WWT Caerlaverock is famous for its vast flocks of over-wintering water birds, wildfowl, including around barnacle geese from Arctic Svalbard (the Solway is the only place in the UK where these birds spend their winter – 40,000 in total) and large numbers of wigeon, teal and whooper swans.

The £325,000 WWT Caerlaverock initiative is supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot.

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