Mersehead

The Mersehead Warden lives on the reserve and is going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife they see at Mersehead at this challenging time during their daily walk and whilst completing essential work on the reserve in line with government guidance.

Mersehead Recent Sightings 30^th May – 5^th June 2020

After entering a semi-dormant state during all the dry weather, the Natterjack toads briefly woke…

The Mersehead Warden lives on the reserve and is going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife they see at Mersehead at this challenging time during their daily walk and whilst completing essential work on the reserve in line with government guidance.

Mersehead Recent Sightings 23^rd – 29^th May 2020

Essential work on the reserve this week has focused on inspecting and repairing livestock fencing, cleaning…

The Mersehead Warden lives on the reserve and is going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife they see at Mersehead at this challenging time during their daily walk and whilst completing essential work on the reserve in line with government guidance.

Mersehead Recent Sightings 16^th – 22^nd May 2020

With a force 8 “fresh gale” currently battering the reserve it is hardly the bright sunny day depicted…

The Mersehead Warden lives on the reserve and is going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife they see at Mersehead at this challenging time during their daily walk and whilst completing essential work on the reserve in line with government guidance.

Mersehead Recent Sightings 9^th – 15^th May 2020

With warm and sunny weather holding throughout the weekend I headed down to the sand dunes last Saturday…

The Mersehead Warden lives on the reserve and is going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife they see at Mersehead at this challenging time during their daily walk and whilst completing essential work on the reserve in line with government guidance.

Mersehead Recent Sightings 2^nd – 8^th May 2020

As Sunday was a bright and sunny day I decided to hunt amongst the Cuckooflower for Orange-tip butter…

The Mersehead Warden lives on the reserve and is going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife they see at Mersehead at this challenging time during their daily walk and whilst completing essential work on the reserve in line with government guidance.

Mersehead Recent Sightings 25^th April – 1^st May 2020

The Barnacle geese were very restless on Sunday, with large numbers jumping into the air, swirling…

At Mersehead, the Warden lives on the reserve and is going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife they see at Mersehead during their daily walk.

Mersehead Moments: Moth of the Week

At this time of year, the most numerous species of moth recorded at Mersehead after the Hebrew Character has been the Common Quaker. Very variable in colour, a single generation flies throughout March and April. The Powdered…

At Mersehead the Warden lives on the reserve who is going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife they see at Mersehead during their daily walk.

Mersehead Moments

The Orange-tip is found throughout the British Isles and as one of the first butterflies to emerge from a pupa after the long winter, the Orange-tip is a true herald of spring.

The male has the characteristic orange tips to the wings, whilst the…

At Mersehead the Warden lives on the reserve and is going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife they see at Mersehead during their daily walk.

Mersehead Moments

New spring migrants have arrived at Mersehead over the weekend. The first to be heard was the Whitethroat as it skulked in its favoured patch of gorse near the beach at the end of the woodland. It eventually showed itself as it flew across to a…

At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.

Mersehead Moments: Moth of the Week

The resting position of the Early Thorn with wings held back close together distinguish this moth from the eight other thorns found in Britain. With two flight seasons…

At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.

Mersehead Moments

Inspired by the RSPB Breakfast Birdwatch, I headed out to the Sulwath Garden on Saturday morning armed with a notepad, pen, binoculars and a plastic bag (the benches were a little wet). 

At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.

Mersehead Moments

The first hirundines have been seen over Mersehead over the last few days with both swallow and sand martin arriving.

Photo credit: R.Flavelle

Having returned from its wintering grounds…

At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.

Mersehead Moments: Moth of the Week

This week’s Moth of the Week is the Red Chestnut.  This common moth is a member of the Noctuidae family which, with over 400 species recorded in Britain, is our largest…

At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.

Mersehead Moments:

Spring is unfurling across the reserve with warm weather, blue skies and the first butterflies on the wing.

Small Tortoiseshell. Photo credit: R.Flavelle

We may all be restricted to repeating…

Conservation story: RSPB Scotland's work on the Galloway Glens Greenland White-fronted Goose Project

Thankfully, our wintering geese needn’t take heed of COVID19 restrictions, as nature continues as usual.  Thousands are now flying over our homes on migration to summer breeding grounds.

RSPB Scotland is heading-up an exciting local project to help conserve one of our rarest geese that visit here - Greenland white…

At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.

Mersehead Moments

Lapwing is the most common breeding wader at RSPB Mersehead, but the area of the reserve that is managed to encourage this species also tends to be the favoured breeding location for a small…

At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.

Mersehead Moments: Moth of the Week

Some of the most colourful, beautiful and bizarrely named creatures come out at night while we are all fast asleep. With around 2,500 species of moth recorded in the UK…

At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.

Mersehead Moments

In the last week or so, the bumblebees have started to emerge in the Sulwath Garden, and have been adding their buzzing tones to the bird song and calls that were already filling the air…

At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.

Mersehead Moments

The very distinctive low chatting of whooper swans could be heard from my garden over the weekend and alerted me to the presence of 21 of these elegant swans out on the wetlands. These birds…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 21^st – 27^th March 2020

At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.

Following the latest clear instructions from the Government for us all to remain at home apart from a limited number of allowed activities, we 

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 14th – 20th March 2020

What a week! I’m sure everyone has had a bit of a wham on their lives with what’s been going on in media and indeed, how it can potentially affect us all in the coming weeks. I’m no different and know that the next few weeks if not months, will be challenging.

RSPB Scotland are following government guidelines and decisions have been made to…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 6^th – 13^th March 2020

The weather has been as diverse at the wildlife at RSPB Mersehead this week.  Strong southwesterly winds and spells of heavy rain, combined with the moon being full and at its closest to the earth during its orbit (known as a supermoon), have seen high tides on the Solway of over 9m.  These completely flooded the salt marsh and Rainbow Lane, and made areas of…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 29th February – 6th March 2020

Spring has well and truly sprung, with bird song and the breeding season now underway. In the last couple of weeks, male chaffinches have burst into song along most of the hedgerows and skylarks are ascending with song (usually in the sunshine). Song thrushes can be heard by their varying repetitive calls and blackbirds singing melodious phrases.

 And…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 22^nd – 28^th February 2020

After so much wet and windy weather recently, the several days of bright sunshine and blue skies that we’ve enjoyed this past week have been welcomed by staff, volunteers and visitors alike.

As for the wildlife, with the days getting longer we are moving into a critical time of year for our wintering population of Svalbard Barnacle Geese. These birds…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 15^th – 21^st February 2020

A wet and windy week with several yellow warnings for wind and rain as storm after storm batters the UK. In the brief spells of calm sunny weather, we have seen Lapwing warming up their vocal cords with short bursts of display flight. Winter flocks begin to break up in February with birds returning to their breeding grounds. Keep a lookout for the male lapwings…