This time of year is a great time to give your garden birds a helping hand.They are so busy with nesting and raising young chicks. Mealworms are a really helpful addition to the food you put out in the garden, as it gives chicks and parents alike a high source of protein in their diet. We have 20% off our range of mealworms in store at the moment. Why not pop in and give your birds a little treat?

Join the team! There are two posts currently up on our website to work on the Garnock Connections project. Only a few days left to apply Project Officer http://ww2.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/job-vacancies/details/453195-garnock-connections-project-officer- Finance Officer http://ww2.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/job-vacancies/details/453200-garnock-connections-finance-officer-

We've just had a spoonbill fly over the Aird Meadow! This is only the second record since the reserve opened in 1973. They always say expect the unexpected because these things called birds can show up anywhere! Thanks to Harry Molloy for acting so quickly to get this shot.

Thanks to Joe Knapman for this picture of the young sparrowhawk who has been hanging out in front of the visitor centre the last 4 days - talk about a death stare!

People often ask, "does Zul ever pop by ?" The answer is yes; he even comes in and fixes our blocked taps. Unfortunately it didn't work this time! So if you're in today, we apologise for the lack of hot water.

It appears Spring is truly here with swallows, willow warblers and chiffchaffs already seen this morning!

Check out this female sparrow hawk that just made an appearance out front of the visitor centre! Well done Gayle for getting this picture

We are excited about our Binocular and Scope event this weekend. Remember to come along and try out our binoculars and receive expert advice from our staff who will be on hand. The event is on Saturday and Sunday and runs from 11 am-4 pm. We hope to see you there!

With weather like we have these last two days, a lot of our birds are hidden away taking shelter. To remind ourselves of how stunning they can be, let's enjoy these photos of goldfinch, a reed bunting and a treecreeper Mike McInerney took last week here at the reserve. Thanks Mike!

We've currently got a redshank on the edges of the pond, clearly visible from the visitor centre!

As many of you know, the irrepressible Zul Bhatia - our former site manager - retired last year after being with the RSPB since 1977. Having made an impression on so many people, countless visitors and volunteers chipped in for an appropriate present to celebrate this mile stone. Below is Zul's email saying thank you, which he has asked us to share on his behalf: "Thank you everyone for contributing to your very generous retirement gift to me of a voucher for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts. Jenny & I just returned from a three-night stay at the Macdonald Swan Hotel in Grasmere in the Lake District. It was a part of the world we didn't really know and we really enjoyed exploring it. We saw some spectacular scenery, experienced a variety of weather and had a thoroughly good time. We also had a scary moment or two when we found ourselves on the Wrynose Pass - a single-track road with 'passing places' and one of the steepest roads in England, with gradients up to 1 in 3. I was driving, but Jenny had very steep drops on her side of the road. She was terrified. I was going to drive over the next pass too (Hardknot Pass), but we met a local at Cockley Beck and she said that pass was even worse than the one we had negotiated, so we chickened out and took the low road! We even managed a visit to the nearby RSPB Reserve of Leighton Moss, where the idea of my working for the RSPB was first sown during my several spells of volunteering there in 1976. Over the course of the four days, we saw some great birds including Avocets, Marsh Harriers, Great White Egret and a great selection of waders on the coast. Thank you all. It wasn't a photographic holiday, but I did snap away when I could! Here's one of a nuthatch - a very widespread species down there. Zul

Don't forget that this Sunday is our reserve Open Day! This is a great chance to try out everything that Lochwinnoch has to offer if you've not been to the reserve before. All of the activities and trails are free for the day so make the most of it!