Hi RSPB Mersehead community,

We're getting very excited about the Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend on the reserve! In this cold weather the birds are devouring the bird food outside the visitor centre, and what a good excuse to spend an hour (or two) watching them and their antics. Regulars on the bird feeders are coal tits, blue tits, greenfinches, tree sparrows and the occasional goldfinch and yellowhammer.

The latest Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) from last week recorded the following:
2016 barnacle geese, 2 pink-footed geese, 62 shelduck, 73 wigeon, 414 teal, 9 mallard, 16 pintail, 14 shoveler, 1 grey heron, 1430 oystercatcher, 45 ringed plover, 46 lapwing and 75 curlew.

The reserve is a bit quieter at the moment as the pools have frozen over but the barnacle geese were back in the fields today. We'll keep you updated about weather conditions on the reserve.

Bye for now,

Liz