Mersehead Recent Sightings 5th – 11th August
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 wild bird cover strip next to Rainbow Lane is currently supporting a flock of over 650 linnet. Good numbers of goldfinch and reed bunting are present too.
Wild Bird Cover Plot (Photo credit: R.Flavelle)
Earlier this summer we opened grassy paths through the species rich grassland so that our visitors could enjoy this wonderful habitat and have amazing close up views of butterflies and bees. The “ Butterfly Meadow” can be found through the gate to the right of the car park. A good variety of butterflies were recorded on this week’s survey; 40 green-veined white, 1 small copper, 4 red admiral, 2 painted lady, 18 small tortoiseshell, 4 wall and 1 meadow brown. Two speckled wood have also been reported at the Visitor Centre. The moth trap has been out again this week with 17 species recorded. A new species for this year was the canary-shouldered thorn.
Wall Butterfly (Photo credit: R.Flavelle)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Photo credit: R.Flavelle)
Peacock Butterfly (Photo credit: R.Flavelle)
There have been some glorious warm evenings this week which have seen the swallows and house martins hawking over the wetland grassland. The majority of the swallows have reared their young and can be seen lined up along the telegraph wires readying for their departure. British swallows spend their winter in South Africa travelling at speeds of up to 200 miles a day across western France, across the Pyrenees and down eastern Spain into Morocco and then across the Sahara. Swallows put on little weight before migrating and are vulnerable to starvation on this long journey. Some of the house martins are still busy feeding their young in the nests along the eaves of the office. House martins are colonial nesters and chicks can be still found in the nest into September.
Telegraph Wires (Photo credit: R.Flavelle)
Spotted flycatcher has been seen frequently this week in the woodland and one individual was discovered trapped in the hide at the start of the week. This highlights the importance of closing the hide windows when you leave as small birds zoom in through the opening and then cannot find their way back out. The badger sett has been very active lately with some fantastic camera trap footage posted on the RSPB Dumfries and Galloway facebook page showing two cubs playing in the middle of the day. On Tuesday evening one of our volunteers was lucky enough to see an adult badger pulling bedding into its sett. The barn owl is out hunting over the merse most evenings.
After cutting the hay four weeks ago and having persistent rain ever since, a few days of warm and dry weather this week finally saw the field rowed up and baled. The day’s work was overseen by a flock of 153 lapwing which spent the entire day loafing around the field. It was great to see a large percentage of the birds were fledged young from this year. With the hay baled the field is now ready for the returning Svalbard barnacle geese in the Autumn.
Rowena Flavelle, Mersehead Warden