Changing Seasons

RSPB Mersehead Blog 11^th – 17^th March 2023

The weather has continued to feel not particularly spring-like, with cold temperatures and even some light dusting of snow earlier this week, turning into rainy, wet conditions later on the week. While all the rain means the access road has unfortunately flooded some days, its good weather for the toads as the rain helps to fill up the breeding pools for the natterjacks who will soon be emerging.

A light dusting of snow in the Sulwath Garden in the early morning. Photo: S. Doyle

One of the natterjack toad breeding pools at Mersehead

Despite the weather, reminders of spring are plentiful. Lapwing can be seen performing their acrobatic display flight above the fields. With one even spotted nest scraping, it won’t be long before they are nesting and chicks beginning to hatch. It’s also breeding time for amphibians so keep an eye out for the frogspawn that can be spotted in pools and ponds. With warmer weather approaching, our weekly moth trapping has started up again. Although none were recorded this week, probably due to the rain and wind, an Angle Shades moth was found sheltering in the porch of the Sulwath Centre one morning.

Other sightings this week included an Otter caught on a trail camera down near the reedbeds, and a Weasel spotted on two occasions near the track down to the woodland. The easiest way to tell apart a Weasel from a Stoat is its tail, which is much shorter and stubbier than a Stoats, and doesn’t end in a black tip.

Frog spawn. Photo: S. Doyle

Angle Shades moth. Photo: S. Doyle

On Monday we did a Wetland Bird Survey, with good numbers of Oystercatcher, Dunlin and Lapwing counted, and it was nice to see 15 Gadwall from the hides. The full survey results are summarised in the table below. Of course, the barnacle geese continue to be a familiar presence around the reserve, with just over 4000 counted this week. Two leucistic geese can also often be seen standing out among the crowd, sometimes even in the same field!

Two leucistic geese in a field at Mersehead. Photo: A. Sutton

Mersehead WeBS Count: Monday 13th March

On Tuesday we did a beach clean near the West Preston end of the reserve. It was a cold morning, but when the clouds lifted we were treated to lovely views of the snowy Lake District across the water. An interesting find on the beach was a badger skull, complete with a moving jaw and full set of teeth.

Volunteers taking part in a beach clean on Tuesday. Photo: S. Doyle

The changing seasons are a wonderful time of year, and as my time at Mershead comes to an end, I am so glad to have been here to see the reserve as it both transitions into winter and out of it. I arrived back in late September as the barnacle geese were also beginning to arrive, and got to see the wetlands filling up with water, the trees lose their leaves and the days slowly get shorter. Now in my last weeks it has been so nice to see the evenings get longer again, the daffodils appear, to hear the birds singing and the lapwing displaying. The past six months have been a fantastic and varied experience, with path building, scrub management, fence maintenance, bird surveys and much more. I have learnt so much and it has been a privilege to be able to live on the reserve with such lovely sights on my doorstep - I will especially miss the barnacle geese and their relentless honking which I have grown so familiar and fond of!

I hope you all have a wonderful spring and summer. Goodbye and thank you Mersehead!

Sorcha Doyle, Residential Volunteer

Mersehead holiday cottages

At Mersehead you will find the RSPB’s only self-catering holiday cottages- Barnacle and Shelduck. Available dates are currently going quickly, follow the links to book your next holiday.