Well summer has arrived and we have also had our two new long term residential voulnteers arrive. I will let them tell you about there first couple of weeks here
So that’s my first week in. And what an interesting week it has been. I have just started a residential voluntary placement here at Mersehead and am looking forward to spending the summer on the glorious Solway Coast. I am fairly local but have seen and heard many personal firsts already in the past week from skylarks to natterjack toads. Still the odd barnacle goose about, although most have left Mersehead and started the journey back to their Svalbard breeding grounds. However, not to worry because as more geese leave by the day it seems more and more summer migrants are arriving. Blackcap, willow warbler, chiffchaff, whitethroat, swallows amongst others have been seen or more often heard. This is where my homework begins as I try to familiarise myself with a range of songs and calls. Plenty of variety in my first week including some survey work, habitat maintenance and time spent in the visitor centre. Even my time in the visitor centre has produced sightings such as the first lapwing chicks of the season and a passing stoat (who hopefully won’t find the chicks as easily!). Overall, I have had a very good week and am looking forward to many more.- Gordon Smith
My first week of residential volunteering began with a full day of public transport bringing me 250 miles to my destination of RSPB Mersehead. After a long day of travelling, it felt good to settle in to what will be my home for the next six months.Throughout my first week, I was thrown into reserve life with days spent in the visitor centre, out working around the reserve, and attending our Spring Area Team Meeting. It was a great week to start on the reserve with one of our surveys finding that some of the natterjack toads had managed to survive the tidal surges over the winter months. As well as there being three lapwing nests spotted, which have now resulted in several little bundles of fluff (a.k.a. lapwing chicks) running around. They have been kind enough to position themselves nicely within view from the visitor centre most days too! Even just watching the wildlife from my bedroom window has been exciting. So far, I have seen a field filled with remnants of the Barnacle geese population, some Roe deer popping into the garden area, and a Barn owl gliding over the hedgerow on Saturday evening.Although I have spent the past three and a half years taking part in conservation volunteering, my background is primarily aquatic ecology, so my specific bird ID skills, particularly identifying bird song, are somewhat lacking compared to some of the local enthusiasts I have had the pleasure of meeting this week. However, just from being out on the reserve conducting bird surveys and casually bird watching I have expanded my avian knowledge base and I’m sure by the time I leave here I will be a wildfowl expert!- Alex Dodds
So come down and say hello to them