Although this is Rozanna’s job she is always thrilled to highlight to the rest of the River Park team some of the highlights from her visit when she gets back to the office in Leven.

Some of her Wildlife Encounters last week included seeing some fabulous butterflies including a speckled wood butterfly (pictured) dancing through patches of sunlight and a Peacock butterfly, striking with its colourful eye-markings.

Excitingly she also spotted Otter spraint, or pooh, left on prominent rocks by the river — a sure sign these elusive animals are out and about in the River Leven. Don’t disturb them if you are lucky enough to see them. We would love it if they stayed! But why not look out for the spraint signs yourself. See the photo below for identification purposes and it can smell slightly fishy!

Rozanna said other lovely sights included roe deer footprints pressed into soft soil. Fox tracks and glimpses suggesting night-time wanderings and rabbits, ever busy among the grass.

There were plenty of birds overhead and along the River. Rozanna spotted Buzzards soaring high, while crows made determined attempts to chase them off, plus  less-common Long-tailed tits and the distinctive call of a chiffchaff carried through the trees.

Plants in Bloom

It’s not just the animals that make the site special — the late summer flowers are putting on a vibrant show too at this time of year are:

Common knapweed, Meadowsweet and Yarrow

Field Scabious

Hawthorn

Blackberry (with fruits now ripening)

And Common Tansy

And even a few garden escape plants, such as Echinops.

Anecdotal Sightings

Visitors have also shared reports of other wonderful wildlife. A kingfisher was seen flying low over the river and pausing to rest on a branch and one lucky person reported seeing an otter moving quietly along the riverbank.

Looking Ahead

“To help people enjoy their visit, we’ll be putting up some temporary signs to highlight species of interest such as the kingfisher. These will avoid any sensitive areas — for example, bird nests remain protected, so we won’t be pointing out their locations.

“In the future, we’ll also be sharing more about some of the protected species found here, once conservation work is complete. For now, we’re keeping those details more discreet to help protect them,” explained Rozanna.

Spending just a short time here shows how rich in life the site is — from butterflies to birds, deer to riverside plants. We’re looking forward to sharing more updates as the seasons turn.