RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 20th - 26th February 2021
With the tides and, as it happened, the weather on our side, the Mersehead team headed to Kirkconnell Merse to carry out the annual audit of over 4km of fencing that ensures the cattle who graze the saltmarsh ('merse' in Scotland) from April to October are safe and contained.
Kirkconnell Merse is a 300 ha wild expanse of saltmarsh, which lies on the west bank of the River Nith. As with Mersehead, Kirkconnell Merse is a key wintering site for a significant number of the entire world population of Svalbard Barnacle Geese who spend September to April on the Solway. It truly is an awe inspiring spectacle to witness huge flocks take to the sky in a noisy swirling of wings, against the backdrop of Criffel and Knockendoch hills.
Barnacle geese in flight at Kirkconnell. Photo credit: P. Radford
Kirkconnell Merse is an integral part of the Upper Solway Flats and Marshes SSSI and, along with nearby Caerlaverock, is one of the most extensive areas of saltmarsh in the Scottish Solway. The Solway is one of the least-industrialised and undisturbed estuaries in Europe, and one of the most important in Britain for wintering wildfowl and waders. Glencaple – on the east bank of the Nith – offers breath-taking views across to the intertidal mudflats and merse, and provides the ideal vantage point to monitor the array of waterfowl and gulls – including Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Goldeneye, Curlew, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Pink-footed Goose, Red-breasted Merganser and Barnacle Goose – who roost and feed here during the autumn and winter months.
The view across to Glencaple. Photo credit: P. Radford
The job of the cattle is to create the optimum mosaic of sward heights for ground nesting birds, with the merse habitat being a nationally important breeding site for curlew, redshank and oystercatcher. The UK is estimated to support 30% of the entire western European breeding population of Eurasian curlew, but this population is in trouble. The curlew is deemed to be of global conservation concern, with steep declines being particularly evident in the UK. Between 1995 and 2012, the breeding populations declined by 30 per cent in England, and a staggering 55 per cent in Scotland. This has prompted the RSPB to fund the Curlew Recovery Programme, which will both raise awareness of the plight of the curlew, and develop and implement best management practices in the hope of reversing this decline.
Curlew captured on camera trap. Photo credit: G. Chambers
Being in the upper intertidal zone, the merse at Kirkconnell is only inundated during particularly high tides, which are more prevalent in the winter. However, when this flooding does occur damage to the fence by extremely large pieces of driftwood (often whole trees) and erosion of banks can be significant. With vehicular access not being possible due to the vast network of creeks and gullies, audits and maintenance work makes for a long and tiring day. However, on this occasion, with the sun shining, and the treat of displaying Skylarks and Goldeneye skimming low along the estuary the exhaustion soon evaporated. We made it across all the creeks without losing any wellies or tools, replaced all the broken insulators and were able to remove all the accumulated driftwood by hand. Sure, there are some jobs we will have to return to complete, but nothing we can’t handle.
Inspecting the damage. Photo credit: P. Radford and R. Flavelle
Back at Mersehead, the star species this week has been Golden Plover. This medium-sized wader breeds on moorland areas, favouring short vegetation over which they can easily run. In Scotland, they are known to breed in the Southern uplands and Highlands, as well as the Western and Northern Isles. Winter months are spent on grazed pastures, lowland and mown fields, stubble and ploughed ground. They can also be found on the coast, preferring open ground above the foreshore where they can form large flocks, often with Lapwings. During this time, the bright gold back and black belly breeding plumage is replace by a more subtle greenish gold ensemble.
Up to now, relatively small flocks have been seen on the fields and mudflats at the West Preston end of the reserve, but in the last week around 600 birds have been moving in rapid, swirling flocks between the arable fields and wetlands much closer to the visitor trail.
Golden plover and lapwing on wetlands. Photo credit: F. Moir
A much smaller, and more unusual, family has been spotted this week trying to blend in with the Barnacle Geese. The three birds in the video are a sub-species of Canada Goose, and give the impression of being a family with a dominant male. With there being several variable sub-species, it is hard to be 100% certain with ID. However, they would appear to be Lesser Canada Geese (Branta canadensis parvipes). They are slightly bigger than Barnacle Geese, but – as the video clearly demonstrates – smaller than the standard Canada Geese. Thank you to Gavin Chambers, for the identification, description and video footage.
Lesser Canada Geese. Video credit: G. Chambers
Other notable sightings this week included two Kingfishers swooping low along the trackside ditches, and a Sparrowhawk, who popped down to say hello whilst the woodland feeders were being topped up. I’m sure it approved of the woodland birds being well looked after…
Sparrowhawk. Photo credit: D. Jackson
It won’t be long now until conditions are right for the Natterjack Toads to emerge from their hibernation sites in the dunes, and head for the breeding pools. This must have been on my mind as I was shocked and bewildered to glimpse what appeared to be a characteristic yellow dorsal stripe whilst walk about as far from the dunes as you can get on the site. However, as I recomposed myself it quickly became clear that the amphibian I had encountered at the back of the wetlands was in fact a common frog with a blade of grass stuck to its back!
Common frog in disguise. Photo credit: P. Radford
A lot of work goes into preparing habitats for the toads, and we have been in a race against the clock to fix a rusted sluice which is needed to back fill a key breeding ditch. The profile of the banks of the ditch mean that, with the vegetation cut low, raising the level creates the ideal shallow environment for natterjacks to mate and spawn. With a bit of help from the digger, the rusted runners were removed, and new shiny ones where installed. With all the boards now in, we now just sit back and wait for the rain.
New sluice runners installed. Photo credit: P. Radford
Please note that Mersehead is open to visitors but all indoor facilities are closed under Tier-4 rules, this includes the bird hides, Visitor Centre and toilets with our trails and car park remaining open at present. We will keep you updated on any changes.
Paul Radford, Assistant Warden
great photos, thanks