The Smew on the Loch
A little rare visitor to the UK
As I slowly find my feet again after months of an anxiety flare-up, I’ve taken small journeys on my local patch to see what wildlife I can see. Wildlife holds a special place in my heart and I know how much it heals my puzzled mind.
A few weeks ago, I saw that a rare winter visitor to the UK was spotted on a loch less than 10 minutes away. A Smew. A male Smew who are known for their very sweet panda-like markings. They come over in very small numbers from Scandinavia and Russia in the winter. The RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) estimate that only 125 birds winter over in the UK. And the Central Belt of Scotland where I live is not one of the usual places these birds will come to. They are listed in red on the conservation status, meaning they are critically endangered.
But it turns out a single male Smew has made his winter home on Broadwood Loch in Cumbernauld. He has been here since early December, with so many bird watchers coming to see him and enjoying watching him diving and floating along the icy loch. He is currently still on the loch (4th February 2024) and may still be here by April before heading on his long journey home. He’s just thought, ‘this place is neat, I’ll stay here’.
With a need to get back outdoors but being very nervous about going out, I felt that going to see a cute rare duck on my local patch would be rewarding. And a reward it was.
The day I headed out was frosty, one of the best things about winter. The trees, shrubs and reeds were covered in white icy coats, and much of the loch itself was frozen. Soft cracked pieces of ice floated idly by and the birds on the loch were in their groups dotted about wherever water was found and ice was not. Moorhen and Coot tentatively came out of the water, their large colourful feet sliding across the ice. Mute Swan were hunkered together, looking for sources of food. Many small garden birds were flittering about, with one of my favourites, the Bullfinch, flitting across in front of me to look through the grasses and reeds for food.
I started my walk around the loch, knowing it took at least half an hour to complete the whole trail. My body needed exercise, cooped up for too long in the house, so my camera was in my hand and away I went. The west side of the loch was frozen solid and no wildlife was on the water. But I could see over to the east side that a very large group of birds were together, diving under the water’s surface and slowly moving together as a pack. So rather than race to get around to see the birds, I took my time, enjoying the views and the birdsong. And watching my feet as the ground was very icy!
As soon as I reached the east side of the loch and was close to the group of birds, now came the real challenge. Finding the Smew amongst all of the Mallard, Goldeneye, Wigeon, Tufted Duck and Mute Swan. It turns out I didn’t have to look too long. My other half says ‘Is that the little guy?’ And yes, it was that little guy. A gorgeous male Smew, with white feathers and a roguish black bandit mask diving and softly swimming along the loch in the golden winter light. I thought to myself, ‘Does this little guy know just how special he is?’
I then met an elderly couple who lived locally and were on their daily circuit of the loch. They started talking to me after jokingly commenting on the size of my camera (the lens is pretty big, not going to lie!) and they were asking if I was here for the ‘wee lost bird on the loch’ which I just loved. ‘Yes’, I said. They told me so many photographers were here to see him, what was so special about him. ‘He’s rare!’ After sharing how small the number of visitors we get to the UK and that one was here on this loch in the Central Belt, they were overjoyed and told me ‘The little fella has been here for weeks!’
I arrived home with a smile on my face. I was successful in seeing the adorable and rare Smew and also had good exercise taking on the long walk. Something as simple and easy to achieve such as getting outside, having a walk, and looking for birds, can be the wild healing tonic that can give your energy levels a boost and encourage you to keep going.
Has there been any rare visitors in your neck of the woods this year? Share and let me know who you have seen (I love to hear your stories!)
Take care,
Rebecca
You capture your love of birds so beautifully in this post, and your pictures are very special. I've seen a lot of frogs in my garden this summer (I live in Stellenbosch, South Africa, where we are having very hot days), as well as dragonflies, wasps, robins and rain spiders. Wilderness is everywhere, if you keep looking.
So exciting and such a cute bird! I live near a National Wildlife Refuge, in New England. We typically have snowy owls here in the winter but have not had any. The bird paparazzi can get quite intense here when we have snowy owls.