02/09/2026
🪰 WWT Caerlaverock Update 🪰
The final week of August has now passed at WWT Caerlaverock, but signs of summer are still around.
With more rain comes more waders. The green sandpiper, snipe, water rails, and little egrets have all been spotted around the reserve. Photographs provided by WWT Member Nick Jeavons - thank you!
Butterflies and dragonflies are still flying around, particularly in the Wildlife Gardens and the puddles in the Back Pond. Wonderfully, a lovely black darter has been photographed by long-time WWT Member and new volunteer recruit, Lee Carruthers, marking the end of WWT's Dragonfly Festival at Caerlaverock. Thank you, Lee! The black darter is declining in certain parts of the country, preferring cooler, acidic sites.
And our really big news this week - a new species record for D&G found at the reserve!
The Scarce Red-legged Robberfly (Dioctria cothurnata) has been found on our reserve by local wildlife expert Malcolm. The find was confirmed by the national Robberfly expert, making it the first verified record of the species in Dumfries & Galloway!
This nationally scarce biting fly is part of the Asilidae family, also known as “assassin flies”. Their average size is only 10-15mm, but this doesn’t stop them from being formidable predators. They lie in wait to ambush unknowing insects including ants, moths and even dragonflies. They attack their prey by stabbing it with a short proboscis and injecting the victim with neurotoxic saliva, paralysing it. The proboscis then acts as a tube for the Robberfly to suck out the liquefied material.
It's thanks to the incredible work done by WWT (and Malcolm's incredible eyesight) that this find was possible, as this species loves a wetland habitat. Our rich diversity has encouraged this kind of creature and many others to be found here when they weren't here before. An incredible find from Malcolm, thank you so much for discovering it and sharing it with us!
We are looking forward to autumn time now, and hope to see you soon!
