Four Seasons in One Day is Never 'Boreing'

RSPB Mersehead Blog 1^st June– 07^th June 2024

It has been another busy week this week on the reserve, with our staff and volunteers having to battle against some rather wet and windy moments in between some glorious sunshine.  Much of the focus of our reserve staff over the past months has been on our breeding survey work and while this is still continuing, you may have noticed the last couple of blogs have focussed the return of livestock to the reserve.   This is largely because we are all excited and waiting with baited breath for the return of our belted bovines.

Welcoming Back the Belted Galloways

With our Belted Galloways scheduled for a mid-week return, the early part of our week focussed on ensuring that our fences and boundaries were secure after the winter season.  Fences were walked and checked and minor repair work carried out by Reserve staff and our regular Tuesday volunteer group. 

On Wednesday afternoon we welcomed 39 Belties, including several Calves, back onto the reserve for the summer.  They are a truly stunning, inquisitive local breed and are easily visible from our Visitor Centre viewing windows.

Belted Galloways after their arrival at Mersehead. Photo Credit RSPB Mersehead.

Fawning Around

One of the joys of this time of year is seeing all the hard work the parents put into raising their young begin to pay off.  We were very fortunate this week when surveying our Natterjack toad tadpoles (read all about them in last week’s blog) to stumble upon a couple of Roe Deer fawns in the long grass. 

Roe Deer Fawns at Mersehead this week. Photo Credit R. Chambers

While cuteness levels may be off the charts, we must not disturb or try to touch the fawns as the mother may then abandon them.  We stayed a matter of seconds and moved away very quickly upon discovery.  Once a safe distance away we observed the mother returning to her babies.

Nearing the End of the Breeding Bird Survey Season

Our reserve staff ventured out to Kirkconnell Merse on a couple of occasions this week, firstly to complete our final breeding bird survey work on the reserve and secondly – you guessed it, to complete some fencing work for our livestock. 

We were treated to some glorious sunshine and then suitably soaked about 5 minutes later! During our survey we all commented on how quiet it was becoming compared to earlier in the breeding season.  It is unsurprising as most young will now have either fledged or the nest will have unfortunately been unsuccessful for the year.

During the fencing work we were treated to a real show on the Nith with a tidal bore arriving in between the showers.  It is something like this that make all the soakings worth it.

Video of tidal bore on the River Nith. Video Credit R. Chambers

Tidal bores occur when the incoming tide is forced into a narrow passageway and reverses the direction of flow of the water coming out of a river or estuary.  We are really fortunate to be able to observe such a phenomenon locally as it is estimated that there are only around one hundred globally and around twenty or so in the UK.   

While RSPB Kirkconnell is a non-visitor accessible site, the tidal bore on the river Nith can be observed from Glencaple which is opposite the site.  If viewing from Glencaple the bore occurs approximately one and a half hours before the high tide time of Heston Island. 

Nick Bone, Trainee Warden

Upcoming events: For more information on individual events and to book a place, please go to our website: https://events.rspb.org.uk/mersehead

At Mersehead you will find the RSPB’s only self-catering holiday cottages - Barnacle and Shelduck. Available summer dates are currently going quickly, follow the links to book your next holiday. Available dates for 2024 are listed below:

*Flooding - Please note that Mersehead nature reserve is prone to flooding during periods of high rainfall and/or strong winds and tidal surges. To avoid disappointment at these times, please contact the reserve in advance of your visit by email in the first instance at mersehead@rspb.org.uk or check the RSPB Dumfries and Galloway Facebook Page for daily updates.