Drawn to Dusk

Mersehead Recent Sightings 5^th December - 11^th December 2020

All too often we tend to rely on our eyesight to explore the world we live in. It’s sad to think that people only believe what they see but in truth, much more is out there. We just need to discover it.

Listen!

Even at this ‘quieter’ time of year, there is plenty to find here on the reserve and especially at that ‘quieter’ time of the day, around dusk. In actual fact as nature begins to settle, there is an explosion of sound. We rely more on this sense as it gets darker (maybe because our visual senses struggle in the dimming light?). Perhaps that’s why people tend to fear the dark? Too much dependence on what we see and an amplified world as we suddenly concentrate with our ears?

After sunset, a great time to be using your ears and other senses. Photo Credit: Calum Murray

It’s a brilliant time to be tuning in to the sounds as sun sets. For the last few weeks, starlings have been making some elaborate, shifting shapes in the sky above our reedbed. Visitors are arriving in late afternoon to see them as they put on a spectacular murmuration. But if you get close enough, it is the communications between these birds and the whirr of their wings as they all swoosh past in unison that can be just as exhilarating to experience.

Shape-shifting murmuration of starlings over the reedbed. Photo credit: Dave Jackson

As you walk along the track and trails, remember to stop, look and listen to the world around you. Wintering thrushes may be disputing as they find a perch to roost in hedgerows. If standing outdoors to watch the murmuration (as we currently advise to avoid social-gathering), then it provides a great stage from which to use the senses. There are plenty of winter thrushes around at present, including a few redwings, blackbirds and robins. Many of these may be unfamiliar with people, having migrated to this area from parts of Europe or further north, which are less populated. They may appear more accepting of their own kind too, with robins closer together for a change (not feuding over territorial space just yet).

Redwing in hawthorn. Photo credit: Calum Murray

On still, clear nights, the sound of distant barnacle geese blethering or bickering in their flocks and the raucous racket of rooks in the woodland rookery fills the sky with a strangely settling, even if not tranquil ambience. Though there are odd periods of alarm. Look for lapwings, or ducks lifting, in response to nearby disturbances. Several hundred of each can be seen there at present, in addition to upwards of 30,000 starlings that gather. Dusk is always a time to be weary with predators such as peregrines or sparrowhawks hawking over the wetlands. A female marsh harrier was spotted again, in pursuit of the odd water bird or starling caught off guard in the fading light.

Female marsh harrier spotted feeding on its prey in wetland. Photo credit: Calum Murray

Whistles of “wheeeooo-eeeeeeeoo” from teals fill the air as these birds settle for a night on the wetland, occasioned by eerie “currr-leweeeee” calls from curlews or iconic “peeee-wit!” calls of lapwings still foraging in damp fields.

Curlews probing in grassy damp fields. Photos credit: Calum Murray

Small numbers of stonechats have been spotted on fence posts on approach to the shore (especially on the merse). If passing through the woodland strip, keep your ears and eyes open for robins and wrens, often with an alarming “tic-tic-tic” from the understorey.

On the merse and other parts of the reserve, little egrets can often be seen, especially in the dimming light with their obvious white plumage. Now confirmed as a breeding bird in Scotland, these egrets may eventually start to nest here. Less striking but regular visitors in winter, two greenshanks were spotted on muds by the river mouth of Southwick Water, probing or gleaning small fish and invertebrates.

Greenshanks in shallow water. Photo credit: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

As in previous weeks, hedgerows along our trails are great places to search for many of the finches and other songbirds. Goldfinches, chaffinches and greenfinches, as well as a few lesser redpolls have been busy feasting on nearby seeds. Puddles along the track are also well used, with a few of these birds getting a good wash in the morning. A pair of bullfinches were spotted between the farm and woodland and their presence made known by delicate peu-peu-peu” calls and their striking white rumps as they flit from perch to perch.

Couple of chaffinches and a lesser redpoll bathing in puddle along track. Photo Credit: Calum Murray

Even at this damp, cold time of year, work continues. Our volunteer team were out on another beach clean last Tuesday, this time collecting lots of smaller plastics from the stretch of shoreline along the Coastal Trail. As part of the clean, we got involved in doing some citizen science this week and collected single-use plastic bottles separately to determine how many are on our part of the coastline. Worryingly, 7,588,274 tonnes of plastics have been dumped into the ocean so far this year. Alternative packaging and drinks containers to those made from single-use plastics can significantly help to reduce this.

You will have to read the blog next week to see how many bottles we managed to find.

Rubbish collected on this week’s beach clean by our volunteers, and the team at work. Photo credits: Calum Murray and Dave Jackson.

While working on fences by one of our fields, Beth (our resident trainee warden) noticed a small package drop onto her. The package was a tiny sac of woven silk and would normally have been expected to contain spider eggs. On closer inspection, it turned out to enclose an adult spider within. We are unable to identify the species but it is known that several spiders will over winter by hibernating in crevices or under debris (in nooks and crannies), using their silk webbing as a shelter. Clearly an adult (see picture below), you can just make out its hairy pedipalps (finger-like appendages used to gather food/prey). The engineering is quite impressive (having been constructed from within). Some of these species will also survive cold weather by producing anti-freeze in their bodies. This chemical (a polyhydroxy alcohol) prevents ice crystals forming within them (which would rupture and kill the creature). This one was accidentally dislodged but hopefully others will survive and emerge in the following spring, once prey become more prevalent.

The spider that shut down (and closed up) for winter. Photo credit: Beth Taylor

Wader work (mentioned last week) continues beyond the farm and is almost complete. This week, an 18 metre culvert was layed, to allow cattle to cross the ditch boundary. Two of the fields are being merged into one. When cattle are returned to these fields next summer, the larger field will enable more extensive grazing for cattle let onto the farm as part of our grazing management (for wintering geese and breeding lapwing). The rest of the ditch will be profiled to benefit breeding waders at the reserve. Work has already attracted a grey wagtail which would be looking for grubs in the muddy soil and small flies (like gnats) emerging from the water. The remaining topsoil won’t be wasted. To find out what happens to it, keep posted over the next few weeks, as we move into spring.

Ditch digging. Cleaning the ditch and installing a culvert. Photo credit: Rowena Flavelle

As we move towards the festive break, please note that the reserve will remain open throughout but our visitor centre and toilets will be closed (from 24 December to 4 January). Until then, there will be limited presence of staff outside the visitor centre to welcome you on reserve and answer any questions you may have. We will also be on hand to offer membership, especially at weekends. Perhaps you may know of someone to give a gift membership to? We will be in the new hut next to the centre and look forward to meeting you all. In meantime, Stay safe and well and do enjoy your wildlife moments, whatever time of day it may be.

Calum Murray, Assistant Warden