RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 16th – 22nd June 2018
Heavy rain over the weekend encouraged the Natterjack Toads to return to Pool A where we found 6 new spawn strings this week. The Natterjack toad has a prolonged breeding season running from late March to early July depending on weather conditions. With over 2,000 toadlets emerged from the pool in the dune slack and tadpoles in the ditch, we currently have all of the Natterjack toad’s life stages present on the reserve.
Natterjack toad spawn string. Photo Credit: R.Flavelle
Our House Martin pair had no sooner finished building their nest before they were forcibly evicted by a pair of House Sparrows. While house martins are rarely affected by predation, house sparrows frequently damage or take over nests and attack adults, eggs and young. Since both species are colonial nesters, the proportion of nests occupied by house sparrows within a house martin colony can be high, sometimes reaching 60%. While both tawny owls and great spotted woodpeckers may break the nests open to get at the chicks within, only house sparrows regularly take over the nest for their own use. The house martin pair have started building a new nest further down the eaves.
House Martin. Photo Credit: R.Flavelle
The first Ringlet butterfly of the year has been seen this week. The small circles on the underwings, which give the butterfly its name, can vary in number and size or can be reduced to just small white spots. The dark colouring also allows this butterfly to quickly warm up and be one of the few butterflies that may be seen in flight on an overcast day. Emerging in June, numbers of Meadow Brown have noticeably increased over the past week. The Common Blue is the most widespread blue butterfly in the UK. The brightly coloured male is conspicuous as he patrols his territories. The female is less easy to spot as she flies lower and more slowly. Look out for a flash of blue as you wander down the sand dunes.
A good diversity of species were recorded in the moth trap this week with the first Garden Tiger of the year being recorded. Other species recorded: 14 Flame Shoulder, 3 Flame, 7 Large Yellow Underwing, 4 Bright-line Brown-eye, 4 Buff Ermine, 2 White Ermine, Marbled Minor agg, Heart & Dart, Dog’s Tooth, Shoulder-striped Wainscot and Brussels Lace.
Common Blue. Photo Credit: R.Flavelle
Ringlet. Photo Credit: Dave Long
With only around an estimated 700 pairs of breeding Shoveler in the UK and the majority of these being in southern and eastern England it has been fantastic to see 7 Shoveler ducklings from the Visitor Centre viewing window. Becoming a frequent sight at Mersehead as their range expands from the Galloway hills, Red Kite has been soaring over the reserve on several occasions this week. Spotted Flycatcher has been singing in the woodland and Golden Ringed Dragonflies have been zooming around.
Spotted Flycatcher. Photo Credit: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Every fortnight from 7 June to 20 December, come along to our Mersehead Discover Walk to discover some of the amazing wildlife. As the season's change, so too do the habitats and special creatures found here. These walks will give you a chance to see it all close-up and learn how we manage this important place for nature in our fields and on the wetlands. And for the kids, there's a wild challenge for them to take on too. 11am - 1pm, price: Adults £4 (RSPB members £3), Children half price. Car parking charges apply for non-members. To find out more head over to our website: https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/events-dates-and-inspiration/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-455314
Rowena Flavelle, Warden