RSPB Mersehead Blog 21st - 27th August 2021
Nutrient stripping has been carried out in the species rich grassland, to the right of the path to the Bruaich Hide, with the intention to greatly reduce the abundance of Fat hen giving more scope for wild flowers to populate the area. This involved raking and removing cut vegetation which was completed by our trusty volunteer work party. The local wildlife came to keep us company with several Common Toads and a Common Lizard. Common Lizards are present across a variety of different habitats including heathland, moorland, woodland and grassland. The species has an unusual characteristic among reptiles which is that they give birth to live young instead of laying eggs.
Volunteers hard at work. Photo credit: Paul Radford
Common Lizard. Photo credit: Heather Murray
Our monthly bumblebee survey took place this week with Common Carder (10), Red-tailed (9), Garden (3) and Buff/ White-tailed (3) all being recorded. Bumblebees are social insects and divide labour using a caste system consisting of queens, males and female workers. Queens first produce the female workers bees, they then lay a second brood of eggs that all hatch to be males. This fascinating system is determined by haplodiploidy. Here unfertilised eggs only contain the genetic information from females so therefore develop into haploid males. To contrast fertilised eggs, contain the genetic information from both males and females to develop into diploid females. Males have half the number of chromosomes compared to females hence them being called haploid.
Male Red-tailed bumblebee. Photo credit: Amy Blachford
Worker Red-tailed bumblebee. Photo credit: Paul Radford
The warm weather this week brought with it 7 different species of butterfly with 58 individuals being recorded during our weekly survey: Green-veined White (38), Small Copper (7), Common Blue (4), Small Tortoiseshell (4), Wall Brown (3), Large White (1) and Painted Lady (1). Along with this, 19 species of moth were recorded in our separate weekly moth survey which included a Frosted Orange, Common Marbled Carpet and Canary-shouldered Thorn. A rarer sighting for this time of year was a Poplar Hawkmoth. Their 1st generations flight season falls between May to July, only sometimes does a partial 2nd generation occur between August and September.
Frosted Orange. Photo credit: Amy Blachford
Poplar Hawkmoth. Photo credit: Amy Blachford
A number of passing migrants are also being seen across the reserve including Northern Wheatears out on the merse and at least 10 Whinchats sighted in the oat field. Further to this one Lesser Whitethroat has also been recorded on the reserve this week.
Whinchats in the oats. Photo credit: Calum Murray
Amy Blachford, Trainee Warden