Birds of Prey

Mersehead Recent Sightings 11^th – 17^th November

Some cold and frosty mornings this week have given the reserve a very wintery feeling and the hedgerows are bursting with the winter migrants Redwing and Fieldfare. With the leaves having now fallen off, it has become easier to spot smaller birds such as Goldcrest lurking within the depths of the hedgerows. The goldcrest is one of the UK’s smallest birds only weighing a tiny 5-6grams. Also flitting along the main path have been 4 male Bullfinches – look out for a distinctive flash of white at the top of the tail as they whizz past.

Goldcrest. Photo Credit: John Bridges (rspb-images.com)

With the arrival of cooler weather, the feeding station at the Visitor Centre is proving very popular with birds forming an orderly queue in the nearby bush awaiting their turn to jostle for position on the bird table. Numbers of Tree Sparrow have been increasing with 6 spotted feeding together on the table. Yellowhammers have made a reappearance and the Brambling has been seen again consistently this week. A new addition in front of the holiday cottages this week is a driftwood bird table. The residents of Shelduck Cottage spotted 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker checking out the new feature.

Great spotted woodpeckers on the new driftwood bird feeder.  Photo Credit: Mrs Flynn

Each year we manage areas of wild bird cover for the benefit of farmland birds of conservation concern. Wild bird seed mixtures are particularly important in areas where traditional food sources, such as weedy stubbles, are no longer available in the agricultural environment. A biennial crop also has the added benefit of providing seed throughout the spring of the second year and helps birds to attain good breeding condition. The winter passerine survey this week recorded large flocks of Linnet, Greenfinch and Reed Bunting. A small flock of Twite have been present on the footpath through the merse.

The Starling murmuration continues to be very impressive, twirling over the reedbed each evening at dusk. Great views of the murmuration can be gained from the car park, Bruiach Hide and the main track running to the woodland, as well as Meida Hide. When walking through the woodland, keep a look out for Treecreeper and flocks of Long-tailed Tits. The Kingfisher continues to delight by being very active directly in front of Meida Hide.

Merlin. Photo Credit: Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)

A great week for birds of prey with a female Marsh Harrier hunting over the reeds and a male Hen Harrier spotted soaring over the dry grassland. The UK’s smallest bird of prey, the Merlin has been present on the reserve this week. Peregrine has been seen hunting over the wetlands. Every evening, 2 Barn Owls swoop out from the old cattle shed and head into the darkness to hunt. Appearing out of the gloom in the car headlights one night, a Tawny Owl was seen quietly perched on a road sign. The Kestrel, a master of stationary flight, has been hover-hunting extensively over the merse and is capable of locating its prey at remarkable distances; it can see and catch a beetle 50m from its perch. Kestrels need to eat 4-8 voles a day, depending on the time of the year and the amount of energy they use whilst hunting. They have a habit of catching several voles in succession and caching some for later. The stored food is usually eaten the same day just before dusk.

Wednesday 22^nd November is our next ‘Duck & Goose Walk’. Come along and join us to see how many different kinds of ducks & geese we can spot.  For more information call 01387 780579 or email mersehead@rspb.org.uk or visit our facebook page RSPB Dumfries and Galloway and click on events.

Rowena Flavelle, Mersehead Warden.