RSPB Mersehead Blog - 29th July - 4th August
My volunteering period is coming to a close, and I’m reviewing the previous 6 months, remembering all the many and varied corners of the reserve where I’ve encountered marvellous wildlife and carried out tasks I never thought I’d be involved in. Being asked to grease a plough recently was definitely a new one for me…certainly one for the C.V….
Always grease your plough before winter… Photo credit CJEFarrell
It’s hard to know where my favourite place is on this very special reserve. The reed bed that the warblers flock back to in Spring? The field on the way down to the woodland where ‘parcels’ of Linnets take advantage of the seed, Lapwing mothers lead their chicks to find wetter ground, the Common Storksbill flowers and the Barnacle Geese feed on their return? I feel as though I appreciate the advantages of each part of this vast reserve now. A field is never just a field!
Large flocks of linnets are visible now Photo credit RSPB (rspb-images.com)
Or could my favourite place be the beach, where I’ve watched bats hunting millions of insects by torchlight? (I had the torch…not the bats…) Uncountable, brilliant memories, I couldn’t possibly choose.
Along with the breeding lapwings (which seem like a distant memory) and the Natterjack Toads and their tadpoles that fought against the drying land, I’ve spent many hours watching the reserve’s mammals: the Roe Deer and Hares being a constant feature, but the Badgers (in my eyes) being the stars of the show. Many a brock crosses the paths behind the Sulwath Centre each evening…I caught this one unawares as it set out on its nightly foray. I’d just heard it having its post emergence scratch, deep within the scrub. I bet it’s looking forward to getting some more peanut butter on those whiskers when the ‘Badger Banquets’ take place in October.
Brock appears after a good scratch! Photo credit CJE Farrell
I’m always amazed by the amount of questions that each foray into the wild raises. The woods down to the Meida Hide are a common haunt for a badger clan that has certainly used the same area for as long as I’ve been coming here. This year, the usual sett ‘exit’ was covered in leaves right through March and April… I wondered why it wasn’t being used. As it turned out…the maternity sett was right there but they didn’t start using that ‘exit’ until May. The whole area’s now well ‘pawed’ and has been the playground of the youngsters for the last couple of months, great to see. Hopefully the upcoming Nocturnal Wildlife Walks in August will come up trumps.
I do a lot of sitting and watching in the Summer evenings, and around the farm buildings is a brilliant place to see creatures sneaking. Recently, there was a hare that lolloped right up to me, too intent on its nibbling to spot the sneaky human.
Twitchy whiskers Photo credit CJEFarrell
Watching the Barn Owls learning to fly around the farm buildings always brings surprises. I watched a Soprano Pipistrelle bat chase an owl the other night! That bat had obviously not read the script…bats are meant to be afraid of owls…very afraid. In fact, a European study has discovered that the two main species of owl that hunt bats most often are the barn and tawny owl!! Did the bat know they were youngsters or was it just crazy? Bat snacks are full of protein, fats and other nutrients, perfect to fuel a night’s hunting or to add to the diet of one of the youngsters.
Barn owl ready to hunt Photo credit CJE Farrell
I’ve done some research and I estimate that the owl chicks are around 10 weeks old. They’re starting to ‘play hunt’, I saw one dive bombing a hare the other day, but I could tell it had no intention of following through! At the moment, they’re still roosting together but pretty soon they’ll be off finding alternative roosting sights and becoming fully independent owls.
Well we’re in August, and the House Martins are finishing off rearing another brood. As I snook up underneath the nest last night, marvelling at the chatter, and smiling with wonder at the beauty of nature, my face altered instantly as a birdy bottom poked out from within and a large dropping plopped to the ground narrowly missing my nose. If you’re in the Sulwath Garden in the next few days you may be able to see them fledging, but remember: DON’T GET TOO CLOSE!
House martin chicks waiting for the take-away Photo credit CJE Farrell
If you look closely at the left-hand bird, you can see the body of a bee or wasp in its beak! I never knew that house martins would include these insects in the daily Smorgasbord.
YUM! Photo credit CJEFarrell
And some of the Swallows are squeezing in another brood before the autumn, this little lot were tucked deep within the garage that houses the wire and electric fence posts…the current building work had allowed access to the space through a new rear opening and these ones seem very happy to be there!
Swallows snuggly tucked up Photo Credit CJEFarrell
One of our loyal volunteers was out and about with the ‘ped mower’ on Tuesday. This is another method of reducing the amount of Ragwort on the reserve.
Valuable work taking place again Photo credit Paul Radford
George has been busy with all the children’s activities again recently. The monthly Forest School group was well attended again with loads of fun to be had. The troughs the children were enjoying dipping in were left to naturally develop over the last couple of years and they are now brimming with wildlife. Have a go yourself if you’re in the garden, you never know what you’ll find!
Dipping for watery wonders Photo credit : George Hemstock
George was also out and about leading a family event on Wednesday and much fun was had down by the stream catching the mini-beasts.
Exciting times Photo credit George Hemstock
What lurks beneath
And now I’m signing off. What a privilege to spend so much time at Mersehead again, it’s been such an amazingly special experience and I’ll treasure the memories. I’ll be back!
Claire Farrell, Residential Volunteer
Notices
Winter residential volunteering advert is LIVE
How does the idea of spending 6 months fully immersed in life an work on a nature reserve sound? Looking to pursue a career in nature conservation, or simply wanting to give up your time and skills to help a great cause - whilst improving your duck and wader identification? Then a residential placement at Mersehead could be for you. We are offering two types of placement, with one incorporating a significant amount of practical conservation and survey work, whilst the other is for those looking to specialise in visitor and community engagement. However, both placements would offer the opportunity to gain experience in all aspects of nature conservation work. Find the adverts by visiting the RSPB volunteering page, selecting "Long Term" and putting a date of 1st September 2023.
Mersehead events and volunteering
RSPB Mersehead is running a full and varied Events Program. We are looking for Volunteers who can help with all our Visitor Engagement Activities, from welcoming people on arrival, to leading events and activities. In a nutshell, we are looking for volunteers who can provide a great visitor experience here on the reserve. If you love nature and working with people as much as we do, then we’d like you to join our team! Please get in touch with us here.
Big Beach Art Competition
1st July – 5th September
Nocturnal Wildlife Walk
6th August
Summer Family Fun Day
17th August
19th August
25th August
Forest School
26th August
30th September
Badger Banquet
15th October
19th October
24th October
Svalbard to the Solway Story Trail
19th – 29th October
Goose Roost on Sandflats
21st October
28th October
25th November
16th December
For more information on individual events and to book a place please go to our website: https://events.rspb.org.uk/mersehead
Holiday Cottages
In the winter, RSPB Mersehead is home to internationally important numbers of wildfowl including the Svalbard Barnacle Geese. Book your Mersehead holiday this winter through the cottage links – Barnacle and Shelduck – located in the heart of reserve.