Join us today! Reserves You can help to support our vital Get out work protecting ’s wildlife. The reserves are open every day all year round and entry is free to all visitors. and about • Free entry to all our visitor centres • Subscription to Scottish Wildlife magazine @scottishwildlifetrust @ScotWildlife • A copy of the Exploring Reserves guide in Ayrshire! • Invitations to exclusive talks and events Events and activities Visit scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk for To find out what’s on at the reserves, more information or call 0131 312 7765. visit scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/events Local groups You might also like to visit… Passionate about the wildlife of Scotland? Join our Ayrshire Group - run by volunteers, we are active in local Falls of Clyde Visitor Centre conservation projects: planning, fundraising and organising Visit for waterfalls, walks and wildlife. Look out for dippers, kingfishers and otters. Join the events to inspire and engage people in Ayrshire. ranger for badger watching and other events. New Lanark ML11 9DB T 01555 665 262 Health and safety E [email protected] • Please keep to the footpaths for your own safety @TheFallsOfClyde @ TheFallsOfClyde and to protect sensitive plants and animals. Montrose Basin Visitor Centre • Dogs must be under close control (on a lead if Spectacular views over the wildlife reserve, necessary) to avoid disturbance of livestock, birds exhibitions with interactive displays and a host and other wildlife. Please remove dog mess. of children’s activities. • Be vigilant about ticks, which may be present Montrose DD10 9TA T 01674 676 336 on the undergrowth. E [email protected] @MontroseBasin @MontroseBasin Enjoy Scotland’s outdoors responsibly, Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre visit outdooraccess-scotland.com Interactive displays tell the story of Lowes and its wildlife - ospreys, red squirrels, beavers and much more. Observation hides over the loch. Dunkeld PH8 OHH T 01350 727 337 E [email protected] @LochoftheLowes @LochoftheLowes

For information on places to Ayrshire see near you, visit our website: The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland (no SC040247). It is also a Scottish registered charity (no SC005792). Cover image scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/visit European hedgehog © Martin Prochazkacz. Falls of Clyde © Ronald Weir. Kingfisher © Wildlife Reserves Darin Smith. Osprey © A D Johnson. We care for the environment and only use paper from managed forests. Mar 2020 Ayrshire Explore the wilder side of Ayrshire wildlife Discover special places for wildlife and for people, on your doorstep The Trust’s 15 Ayrshire reserves cover a whole Mammals range of different habitats, providing a home Woodlands Deer, foxes, bats and Rich and diverse, woodlands small mammals such for a wealth of wildlife throughout the seasons. support special and often as mice and voles spectacular wildlife, and more find safe haven in the 7 6 invertebrates than any other 73 3 woods and meadows A 7 habitat. Deadwood is an important A A part of a woodland, providing of our reserves. 7 7 8 M7 shelter and food for many species.

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3 © Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

41 15 Birds 7 10 Each reserve has a rich 13 12 and varied collection IRVINE 6 14 MAUCHLINE Wetlands of birds all year round, 11 Wet conditions promote from resident robins 1 luxuriant vegetation where and wrens to visiting many creatures can safely little egrets. set up home. Boggy ground 0 A7 and tangles of willows A719 CUMNOCK mean that disturbance Trees by people is minimal.

Trees are the © Mark Hamblin/2020VISION 9 A76 foundation of many 7 7 of our reserves, A with hundreds of species depending on Meadows2 2 4 0 them for survival. The Trust7 grazes or cuts meadowsA on reserves, to ​ A7 1 prevent grass from smothering ​ 3 the wildflowers,A7 or scrub from​ Wildflowers 7 6 8 taking over. There may be A A 7 Wildflowers provide horses, sheep or cattle present,4 ( food for mammals and A depending on the goal. M 7 7 ) 14 caterpillars, whilst birds 02 Burkmar © Richard A7 7 and small mammals A 5 9 0 rely on their seeds 7 and berries in winter. copyright and database right (2020) Contains OS data © Crown A A 7 Rivers and Ponds 1 Ayr Gorge Woodlands 6 Gailes Marsh 11 Oldhall Ponds 1 2 Water greatly increases a site’s 2 1 Pollinators 7 species diversity. It teems with A7 2 Auchalton Meadow 7 Garnock AFloods 12 Perceton Wood 11 A tiny life forms, which are a 5 Bees, butterflies and 7 A7 1 hoverflies benefit from 3 Corsehillmuir Wood 8 Grey Hill Grasslands 13 Shewalton Sandpits3 source of food for larger species. a profusion of flowers At the top of the chain are

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4 Dalmellington Moss 9 Knockshinnoch Lagoons 14 Shewalton Wood mammals and7 birds, who also and nesting sites 75 A A across our reserves. use it for drinking and bathing.

5 Feoch Meadows 10 Wood 15 Sourlie Wood © Ed Marshall

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7 © gillianswalks.com Matthews © Pete © Gabrielle Horup © Gill Smart Ayr Gorge Woodlands Auchalton Meadow Corsehillmuir Wood Dalmellington Moss The reserve features a steep ravine of sandstone This flower-rich reserve is on the site of 19th This natural woodland reserve sits in the This reserve is a raised bog on the floodplain cliffs covered mainly with oak, ash and some Century lime workings. Kilns, spoil mounds, famously pastoral landscape of . of the River Doon. Hummocks of heather and very old majestic beeches. It is one of the most tracks and a small quarry can still be seen. Its canopy of mature birch, ash, alder and willow deergrass are interspersed with waterlogged important ancient woodlands in Ayrshire for Orchids, including fragrant orchid and greater shelters a mossy and ferny ground flora and hollows full of Sphagnum mosses and cotton butterfly orchid, thrive in these impoverished invertebrates, plants, fungi and bats. This reserve woodland birds thrive here. grass, allowing beetles, spiders and dragonflies is on the popular River Ayr Way walking route. soils. During the summer, the wildflowers attract large numbers of pollinating insects, including Access: surfaced footpaths with only one to thrive. Specialised bog plants, such as bog Access: surfaced footpaths, including butterflies such as Scotch argus (pictured). steep section. rosemary (pictured), do well in these conditions. several steep sections and steps. Access: mostly level but no footpaths. Duration:30 minutes but close to Eglinton Access: no footpaths and ground Duration:Allow 1 to 3 hours. Livestock may be present. Country Park for a longer route. very boggy. Location:KA5 5TF, nearest town Failford. Duration:Allow 1 to 2 hours. Location:KA13 7LA, nearest town . Duration:Allow 1 hour. Location:KA19 7QF, nearest town Crosshill. Location:KA6 7PY, nearest town Dalmellington. © Gill Smart © Philip Precey © Richard Steel/2020VISION © Richard © Shirley Freeman Feoch Meadows Gailes Marsh Garnock Floods Grey Hill Grasslands A mosaic of dry and wet grassland, fen meadow This reserve features dry coastal grassland, Garnock Floods is a low-lying floodplain pasture The ultrabasic serpentinite rock foundation and mire characterise the reserve. There is marshland and a pond, all sheltered by mixed with shallow pools and marshy areas. The reserve is makes this reserve a botanical hotspot. Species- an orchid-rich area on the banks of the Feoch woodland. The species-rich grassland attracts many grazed by cattle to keep the ground suitable for the rich grassland, heath and mire support many Burn. Traditional livestock farming, without butterflies, bees, hoverflies and other pollinating wildfowl and waders that flock here during winter. rare plants, including the nationally scarce spring the addition of modern chemicals, ensures an insects. Mining bees (pictured) in particular find Kingfishers have been seen along the river and sandwort (pictured). The hilltop route provides abundance of wildflowers and insects. This site the conditions favourable for nesting. songbirds, such as grasshopper warbler (pictured), opportunities to take in the impressive views of heard in the surrounding scrub woodland. is particularly good for butterflies and moths. Arran, and the Clyde coast. Access: level ground but no footpaths. Access: viewing hide and short, unsurfaced Access: no footpaths and ground is very Horses may be present. Access: no footpaths on this steep hill. footpath. Cattle may be present. Livestock usually present. boggy in places. Livestock usually present. Duration:Allow 1 hour. Duration:Allow 1 hour to visit the hide and Duration:Allow 3 to 4 hours. Duration:Allow 1 to 3 hours. Location:KA11 5AE, nearest town Irvine. short riverbank trail. Location:KA26 0HT (for parking - access Location:KA26 0RE, nearest town Barrhill. Location:KA12 8SP, nearest town Irvine. is 1 mile from here), nearest town Girvan. © Bob Coyle © Scottish Wildlife Trust © Scottish Wildlife © Gill Smart © Gill Smart Knockshinnoch Lagoons Lawthorn Wood Oldhall Ponds Perceton Wood Open water, marshland and reedbeds make this This reserve is a small, mature deciduous A mosaic of woodland and tussocky grassland This long-established plantation originated as reserve important for birdlife in the Nith Valley, woodland. The tall canopy is mainly made up of surrounds the two ponds of this reserve. The part of the nearby Perceton House estate. The especially during their autumn migration. Plant ash trees, with some beech and sycamore. Elm open water and emergent vegetation are old trees provide crevices for birds and bats, and and insect enthusiasts can enjoy the partially trees were once prominent and their dead trunks attractive to breeding and wintering waterfowl the plentiful deadwood supports insects and vegetated coal-spoil heap in the main public provide nesting sites for bats and birds, including and other pond life, including dragonflies fungi. The carpet of ivy gives way to a natural area of the reserve. the great spotted woodpecker (pictured). and damselflies. ground flora interspersed with attractive garden Access: mostly level, surfaced paths and Access: level, unsurfaced footpath. Access: level, surfaced footpath. plants. There is a small pond. two viewing hides. Duration:15 minutes but close to Duration:30 minutes but close to Access: level, unsurfaced footpath. Duration:Allow 1 to 2 hours. Sourlie Wood and Shewalton Wood for a longer route. Duration:Allow 30 minutes. Location:KA18 4NF, nearest town for a longer route. Location:KA11 5DH, nearest town Irvine. Location:KA11 2AQ, nearest town Irvine. New Cumnock. Location:KA11 2AY, nearest town Irvine. © Harry Richards © Margaret Holland © Margaret © Scottish Wildlife Trust © Scottish Wildlife Shewalton Sandpits Shewalton Wood Sourlie Wood Interested in volunteering? Fashioned out of disused sand and gravel pits With its woodland, grassland and wetland Sourlie Wood is an attractive native woodland Much of the work to keep the reserves in the 1980s, the sandbanks, ponds, woodland areas, this reserve hosts many small mammals, that has developed on a derelict coal yard. rich in wildlife and accessible to people is and riverbank here are now a haven for amphibians and songbirds, which attract birds of There is a small area of grassland, a large pond undertaken by volunteers. invertebrates, plants and birds. The sheltered prey and other predators. A network of water- and a good supply of deadwood that benefits conditions mean that butterflies and dragonflies filled channels and two large ponds provide an invertebrates, which attract songbirds and bats. Get in touch if you would can be numerous on a sunny day. ideal habitat for frogs, dragonflies and damselflies. Access: level, surfaced footpath. like to be involved! Access: level, unsurfaced footpaths. Access: level, surfaced footpath. Duration:15 minutes but close to Lawthorn scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/volunteer Duration:Allow 1 hour. Duration:Allow 1 to 2 hours. Wood and Eglinton Country Park for a longer route. Location:KA11 5AB, nearest town Irvine. Location:KA11 5AT, nearest town Irvine. Location:KA11 2AY, nearest town Irvine.