RSPB Mersehead Blog 29^th October- 4^th November 2022

It has been a wetter than average October in the area this year, with over 150mm or rain falling during the month.  More wet weather this week (with Wednesday being particularly grim thanks to heavy rain and 50mph winds), has made for some challenging working conditions but has left the Mersehead Wetlands looking fabulous.  This in turn has lead to an explosion in waterfowl…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 22nd - 28th October 2022

Our Tuesday Volunteer group have been kept busy nutrient stripping the wildflower meadows this week. Once a year, the meadows are cut after the flowers have set seed. The vegetation then needs to be removed so that the nutrients do not return to the soil as wildflowers thrive in nutrient poor soils.

Autumn is the time to look for Waxcaps. Known as “waxcap grassland fungi” this…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 15^th – 21^st October 2022

The constant chatter of geese is lovely to hear as more and more Barnacle Geese arrive to Mersehead. This week’s count recorded around 8000 geese on the reserve, up from 3000 last week. It was also nice to spot a leucistic barnacle goose among them! These unusual geese have nearly all white feathers due to a genetic condition called leucism, which leads to a partial loss…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 8^th – 14^th October 2022

Starling murmurations are one of natures wonder's, and one we're lucky enough to see at Mersehead reserve, with chances to catch this glorious spectacle from our Meida hide. This week was particularly special when we had a Marsh Harrier decide to drop in and add to the show. Some Starlings decided to duck and dive, whilst others decided to mob back. Head over to…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 1^st – 7^th October 2022

This week marked the first official count of the returning Barnacle Geese, as well as the first wetland bird survey for our new resident volunteers. It has rained an awful lot in the past few weeks, and although it has made for wet and muddy working conditions, it has transformed the reserve. Where there were once dry fields full of cows there are now full ditches and muddy…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 24^th – 30^th September 2022

Back in August, the woodland path to the beach was closed, and visitors were asked to detour along an adjacent field.  Since then, a lot of work has been going on out of sight to install a new gravel path along the 476m path.  With financial support from the Robin Rigg Community Fund, it is hoped that the new path will enable those with limited mobility to enjoy more of…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 17^th – 23^rd September 2022

Litter remains a real problem for our wild places - whether it's the local park, roadside verges, or the hedgerows that line our streets and roads. These places are nature's home. Imagine if someone threw coffee cups, takeaway wrappers and tin cans in your bedroom!

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) over 300 million tons of…

RSPB Mersehead 27 August - 2 September 2022

Last weekend, we said an emotional farewell to Claire and Sam, two volunteers who have just finished their six month residential placement with us.  They both gave an immeasurable amount of time, effort and passion to help keep the reserve running day to day, and also enhance Mersehead for both wildlife and visitors.  It can't be reiterated enough that, with such a small staff…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 20^th – 26^th August 2022

We are excited to be taking part in the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean again this year. The Great British Beach Clean is a week-long citizen science event, where hundreds of beach cleans take place up and down the country and data is collected.

Last year an average 100m stretch of Scottish beach contained:

• 346 items
• 10 plastic cotton bud…

This week marks my final contribution to the Mersehead blog as I am unfortunately come to the end of my time here. This has been my penultimate week at the reserve, and though I will be sad to leave next week I have enjoyed my time on the Solway Coast and wouldn’t change a thing about it. Anyway back to focusing on this week. It has been a very different week here at Mersehead; we have had a trip away, a big volunteer…

“My favourite thing is me coming to visit you, and then you ask, 'How about a small smackerel of honey?'”

 - A.A. Milne

At a time when we are seeking applicants who would like to spend six months living on site as residential volunteers, focusing on practical conservation work, this week has been ideal to showcase the variety of tasks the warden team get involved in at Mersehead.  If what you read either…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 30 July - 5 August 2022

Life continues to be busy for everyone at Mersehead and this volunteer certainly jumped at the chance of a visit to Kirkconnell Merse, tagging along with a group bursting with botanical knowledge is a perfect way for me to spend a few hours, I just hope that I've retained some of the info!

Thursday saw Kirkcudbright Botany Society members, a couple of R.S.P.B. wardens, an…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 23^rd – 29^th July 2022

Many visitors to Mersehead walk the main coastal trail in a loop around the reserve. The Southwick Water cuts its way west through the merse (saltmarsh) and winds out across the sandflats into the estuary towards Sandyhills. This is a beautiful quiet corner of the reserve and worth the extra walk. As you head out along the merse footpath, you will see the Aberdeen Angus h…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 16th - 22nd July 2022

When summing up the past week at Mersehead, I often find it difficult to find a theme for the week, and instead usually just write about whatever we’ve been up to that week with no link what so ever. However this week that’s not the case, as in the immortal words of Martha Reeves “It feels like a heatwave!” In this case though that’s because Mersehead (much like the rest of the…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 9^th – 15^th July 2022

The Sun was out in all its glory last weekend, and it was great to spend Saturday welcoming and chatting with visitors, which acted as a reminder of the wide variety of individuals that Mersehead caters for.  Families with children collected their Big Wild Summer event packs and explorer rucksacks, and returned many hours later having had a fabulous time completing the 8 unique…

R.S.P.B. Mersehead Blog    2nd  - 8th July 2022

Well July’s in full bloom and changes are a-foot here at Mersehead,  living and working right in the middle of a nature reserve certainly means you notice all the natural happenings. It also helps that I have the time to explore in the evenings-yesterday found me nestled down in the meadow at dusk waiting for a barn owl fly past! And it did indeed fly past….far too fast…

Merse Diversity

RSPB Mersehead blog 25^th June – 1^st July 2022

Flat, alluvial, frequently marshy land bordering upon a river, a river estuary or the sea, specifically applied to the land (partly reclaimed) bordering the Solway Firth – definition of “merse” Scottish National Dictionary.

The above definition gives a good indication as to where Mersehead obtained its name. This week has seen us spending…

This week has been a long one over here at Mersehead and I mean that in the best possible way. On Tuesday we had the longest day of the year, so this week we have had a few extra hours of daylight at the end each day giving me the chance to enjoy the reserve after work.

 Aside from enjoying the longer evenings we have been doing plenty of work on the reserve this week. A chunk of the week has been taken up by strimming…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 11^th -17^th June 2022

Following a period of unseasonably windy weather, things finally settled down this week at Mersehead.  We have been treated to prolonged periods of warmth and bright sunshine, which has made it possible to finally get out and complete some of the survey work that requires such pleasant conditions.

One such survey involved an idyllic sunrise walk across Kirkconnell Merse, to assess…

R.S.P.B. Mersehead Blog  3rd - 10th June 2022

Well, what an amazing week again, I'm buzzing. Bees! I've never seen so many, and now that the Birdsfoot Trefoil, Red Clover and Yellow Rattle are all in bloom, our little buzzing friends are everywhere. Yellow rattle is really useful in a wildflower meadow because it is a hemi-parasite, taking nutrients away from grasses and stopping them thriving. Clover is a favourite…

RSPB Mersehead blog 28^th May – 3^rd June 2022

 With a heart-shaped face, buff wings and a pure ghostly white belly, the Barn Owl is a distinctive and much-loved countryside bird. Our resident Mersehead barn owl is currently hunting extensively throughout the early evening into the dusk as it is raising chicks. A favoured hunting spot is the upper saltmarsh where it has been seen quartering the ground daily this week…

After a month away from Mersehead on holiday, this week was my first one back on the reserve. Though it’s been a shock getting used to the early starts again, the amazing views and magical dawn chorus make it very worthwhile. But something that has shocked me even more is just how much has changed in such a short amount of time. However, something that hasn’t changed sadly is the weather;  you’d be forgiven…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 14th - 20th May 2022

It cannot be understated what a privilege it is to wake up every day on a nature reserve, and immediately have your senses activated by the sounds of the dawn chorus.  There are so many species that could be listed as members of this elite orchestra, but those that stood out on Tuesday as I made my way to the Merse for an early morning survey included Common Whitethroat, Chaffi…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 7th  -13th May 2022

Well it’s certainly been a busy week at Mersehead! What a change from the classroom life of a full time primary teacher, I’m exhausted in a different way every day  but I'm enjoying every minute of the volunteer role! The jobs change with the seasons and we are carrying out plenty of survey work (if it moves or grows-survey it!) and vegetation control. The reserve itself…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 30^th April – 6^th May 2022

Mersehead has been particularly dry this spring with only 15mm of rain falling over 40 days (20^th March-29th April). This sustained period of dry and also windy weather led to the Natterjack toads entering a state of semi-dormancy with little activity recorded.

On Saturday evening, the rain clouds gathered and a total of 14mm was recorded in the rain gauge. This led…