Mersehead Recent Sightings 4th - 10th March
This week started in glorious fashion with clear blue skies and a slight raise in temperature. Spring may finally be underway! To mark the occasion, we were greeted on Monday afternoon with the sound of Common Frogs croaking away in the distance. Following the sound we arrived at a small pool where a large congregation had gathered! At this time of year common frogs and toads will have emerged from hibernation as the weather starts to warm (above 5C at night) and will head immediately to water where they will breed. Be sure to check shallow pools and ditches as you head around the reserve, when out and about or if you have a wildlife pond. This is a great time of year to observe some interesting behaviour as well as look out for spawn. It won’t be long until we start to hear the rasping croak of the Natterjack Toad here on the reserve.
Common Toad Bufo Bufo (Photo credit: L. Blakely)
As the breeding season if imminent we need to make sure that our wetland habitats are in great condition for waders and wildfowl. Last week we took out a sluice board from our drop board sluice in order to drop the water level slightly so you may notice if you visit the reserve regularly that the water is lower in front of Bruaich Hide.
On a blustery but beautifully sunny day this week we counted 4484 Barnacle Geese across Mersehead and West Preston. The birds looked stunning with their grey, white and black plumage seemingly lit up against the fields in the winter sun.
View from one of our hides (Photo credit: L Blakely)
Elsewhere on the reserve there has been the usual variety of waders and wildfowl seen in good numbers. Of note was a group of 250 Golden Plovers flying in tight formation. The whooshing sound as they swept past and the way they appeared to glitter in the sky as the sun hit them was a fantastic sight, made even better as suddenly they scattered in all directions as a Peregrine Falcon shot through the middle with an individual in sight. The bird did manage to get away and the Peregrine ended up soaring off in search of new opportunities.
With good numbers of Lapwing displaying now there was no tolerance for a passing Raven. As it flew over one of their key breeding areas a group of at least 40 birds relentlessly mobbed it until it was a suitable distance away. Around the reserve the number of Skylarks starting to sing and display rises every day.
Whilst in the visitor centre it is worth looking out for a pair of Oystercatcher. There is a good chance that they will breed in this field as they have been seen displaying multiple times this week. Redshank and Curlew have been around in good numbers, with 16 and 30 seen in just one field. There have also been sightings of a Heron around the reserve and a couple of Siskin on the feeders.
Wildlife news aside, we’ve been getting on with more practical work in the form of removing a stretch of old fencing from one of our fields in order to replace it so that cattle can safely graze the area. By doing this we will be improving the habitat for a variety of species, from waders to orchids. The contractors are still hard at work removing scrub on the new section of merse that we have acquired. This will bring the habitat back into favourable condition and will benefit declining species such as Redshank.
Removing old fencing (photo credit: L.Blakely)
Lana Blakely, Assistant Warden