Loch Leven National Nature Reserve

Our View

Loch Leven occupies over five square miles between the Ochil, Lomond and Cleish Hills, and is the largest natural shallow water lake in lowland Britain. Home to more breeding ducks than anywhere else in inland Europe, the shallow waters of Loch Leven NNR are a great place for dabbling and diving. Among others, you’ll see tufted duck and teal dabbling for food, or maybe marvel at the awe-inspiring sight of huge flocks of over-wintering wildfowl, including pochard and whooper swans. In summer, ospreys patrol the loch in search of fish, while on the marshy fringing shoreline, you might sniff the sweetly scented holy grass (so called because it was used as an ancient form of incense) among the wet grasslands, raised bog, willow and reed beds. St Serf’s is the largest of the seven islands in the loch, and top of the inland European duck nesting league. Tufted duck are the most common breeders, followed by gadwall and mallard. Then there are also the burrow-nesting shelduck and even rarer breeders such as teal and shoveler.