Volunteers hailed for hard work building hut

Families will have a new view of Renfrewshire’s bird life thanks to the hard work of volunteers.

The group at the RSPB reserve, in Lochwinnoch, has built a new bird hide that was designed by students from the University of Strathclyde.

It is close to the main visitor centre and will be somewhere for people to watch birds like ducks and swans, as well as herons, grebes and sometimes otters.

Tabby Lamont, RSPB Scotland site manager at Lochwinnoch, said: “It’s great to have the new hide open for visitors, and I hope that loads of people will come to peek out at the wildlife over the coming months.

“It’s truly a testimony to our wonderful volunteers here at the reserve, many of whom have been involved with working on this project.

“But I’d like to thank Frank Turbet and Tom Maxwell in particular, who’ve put in many hours constructing the hide.”

The hide has been created with families in mind, with a different layout to traditional hides.

There are no doors or windows to open, which cuts down on potential disturbance to nearby wildlife.

It has wood- cut silhouettes and open viewing ports, which designers hope will make it fun and interesting as well as functional.

Volunteer Frank Turbet said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to work on building the new hide, due to its imaginative design and the high quality of supplied construction materials.

“RSPB Lochwinnoch staff were also so supportive and positive throughout the entire process, so it’s been a great experience all round.”

The larch wood for the hide came from the Wood of Cree in Dumfries and Galloway, another RSPB Scotland reserve, and the largest ancient oak woodland in southern Scotland.

RSPB Scotland Lochwinnoch is open at all times, and the visitor centre is open from 10am till 5pm every day, with regular events held throughout the year.

This autumn, visitors can look forward to a bat night on September 29, and a Fright Night on October 27.