Welcoming the Kingfisher: A New Artificial Nest Bank at the Reserve

We’re excited to share that a new feature has just been added to the reserve – a specially designed artificial kingfisher bank! Kingfishers are one of the UK’s most dazzling birds, known for their electric blue feathers and fast, darting flight. However, they are also notoriously shy and selective about where they nest.

In the wild, kingfishers dig their burrows into vertical, sandy riverbanks – a habitat that can be hard to come by. Our new artificial bank mimics these conditions, providing a safe, stable, and enticing nesting site close to the river, where we know kingfishers have been spotted.

By installing this structure, we hope to give these iconic birds a helping hand, encouraging breeding and improving their chances of success. The bank has been carefully positioned in a quiet location with minimal disturbance, and we’ll be monitoring it over the coming months to see if any new residents move in.

If you’re visiting the reserve, we kindly ask that you do not approach the nest site. Kingfishers are extremely sensitive to disturbance, and even well-meaning human activity can cause them to abandon their nest. Please enjoy from afar and help give them the peace and space they need to thrive.

This project was made possible thanks to the generous support of South of Scotland Enterprise, and we’re incredibly grateful for their funding, which helps us continue our work to restore and protect nature across the reserve.

This is just one of the many ways we’re enhancing habitats and supporting biodiversity here at the reserve. And if you’re lucky, you might just spot a flash of blue darting along the river!