RSPB Mersehead Blog 4th - 10th September 2021

September feels very much like a transitional month here at Mersehead, both in terms of the focus of the habitat work, and the wildlife on the reserve.  If I had to come up with an analogy, I would say that it feels like we are creating a new page in a child’s sticker book; taking a big tractor shaped brush, painting over the summer landscape and adding the autumn-winter base layer in preparation for stickers to be added where they belong on the page.

Some of the old stickers don’t need to be removed completely.  The last Swallows of summer can still be seen hawking over the fields, but their favourite telegraph pole perches are now sagging under the weight of hundreds of chattering Starlings.  It will still be some time before they are wowing the crowds with their mesmerising displays over the reedbeds, but they are busy advertising the show in advance.

Other birds will only be a part of the landscape here for a short while; a white rump swooping from post to post on the merse path gives away the presence of Wheatear.  Whilst they breed in Scotland, the Solway coast tends to be a migration stop-off as they catch their breath before continuing to wintering grounds in Africa.

Wheatear on merse fence line. Photo credit: P. Radford

With the straw from the spring oats crop now having been baled and removed, all that remains is a short stubble, which will provide a winter refugee for our resident farmland birds.  This habitat is also appreciated by one of the most sought-after stickers in the Mersehead collection, which will also soon be covering the lush, green grassland fields which have been superbly prepared for them over the summer by the Luings, Aberdeen Angus and Belted Galloways. 

Straw bales, where last week there were oats. Photo credit: P. Radford

Long before global travel and satellite tracking unlocked the mysteries of migration, philosophers and scientists could only theorise as to where birds disappeared at different times of the year.  One popular explanation was a belief in transmogrification; the idea that one species could magically change into another.  Knowing that one iconic black and white grass specialist will soon be replaced with another, that hasn’t been seen here since April, could be lead some to suggest that Aristotle may have had a point.

Beltie to Barnie? Photo credit: P. Radford

The most regular sighting from the Mersehead hides this week has been two large blue tractors.  It is hard to associate mowing vegetation with creating a home for wildfowl, but before we let water back on from the Beck Burn, which runs along the north end of the reserve,  we need to create a mosaic of sward (soon to be below the surface) that will support both dabbling and diving ducks alike.  The reserve is currently the driest it has been for over 40 years, which on one hand has presented the opportunity to work on areas that would usually remain be too wet, but also means it might take a little longer than usual for the wetland oasis to reappear.

The water colours come next. Photo credit: P. Radford

Whilst undertaking this work, the aromatic scent of Water Mint could be enjoyed; flowering between July and October, this plant thrives in damp, watery habitats and provides essential late season foraging for bees and butterflies.  Such opportunities are becoming scarcer along the main track, where white is the predominant colour, with flower heads turning to seed and awaiting the next strong wind to disperse.  However, the hedge above is turning to various shades of red, as branches begin to sag under the weight of Hawthorn berries, sloes and brambles.  It won’t be long before our winter visitors from Scandinavia – Fieldfare and Redwing – return to enjoy this banquet.  That is if the pair of Blackcaps spotted this week, by regular visitor Brian Taylor, don’t eat them all first!

Water mint on the wetlands. Photo credit: P. Radford

Female Blackcap. Photo credit: Brian Taylor.

In addition to painting with tractors, our in-house sculptor has been busy transforming and extending the wetland complex at Mersehead.  It is hard to miss the large digger that has been used to excavate a shallow channel diagonally across the large field, on the left along the track to the woodland.  This compartment has been identified through a topographic survey as a low-lying area that could be enhanced and connected to the main wetland hub.  The new channel and associated scrapes should increase the amount of suitable habitat available to breeding and passage waders, and will also help to draw birds closer to the main track and Bruaich Hide path, further adding to the wildlife spectacle that Mersehead can offer.  A project with a similar approach and desired outcomes has recently been undertaken at RSPB Loch Lomond, and they have made a superb video which you can view here.

Extending the wetland habitat at Mersehead. Photo credit: P. Radford

The weather this week has continued the transitional theme, taking rather an abrupt turn in the middle of the week.  By Wednesday it could have been mid-summer, with bright sunshine and temperatures peaking at around 26 degrees Celsius. Since then, although temperatures both during the day and overnight have remained in the mid to high teens, heavy cloud and a few showers have made it feel much more autumnal. The warm overnight temperatures have maintained moth activity, although only 15 different species (and 54 moths in total) were recorded in the Mersehead trap this week.  However, a garden trap yielded much larger haul, including the exciting discovery of a Convolvulus Hawk-moth.  This migrant has a wingspan of over 10cm, which may help it reach these shores from as far afield as Africa. Although annually recorded in the UK, it is still a rare migrant, especially in the north and west.  Their exceptionally long proboscis enables them to feed on the nectar of tubular flowers that other moths cannot reach.

Convolvulus Hawk-moth. Photo credit: G. Chambers

I hope many of you are able to visit Mersehead over the coming months, and see how many stickers you can collect.

Paul Radford, Assistant Warden