Mersehead Recent Sightings 31st - 4th May
The week started in glorious fashion on Monday which allowed us to get out and complete our weekly butterfly survey. The usual suspects were about for this time of year with 12 Green-Veined Whites, 2 Orange-Tips, and 7 Small Tortoiseshells recorded.
On Sunday and again on Wednesday a female Marsh Harrier has been spotted over the reedbed with the bird on Sunday being chased off by a Red Kite. Female Marsh and Hen Harriers can look superficially similar but there are some key differences to watch out for that can help with separation. The Hen Harrier has a white rump which is lacking in the Marsh Harrier. The Marsh Harrier is also a bigger, heavier set bird. Whilst both birds have long tails, the Hen Harrier’s is heavily barred, lending it the nickname ‘ringtail’.
Female Marsh Harrier. Photo credit: Chris Gomersall.
The Otter has been seen again out on the wetlands from Meida Hide. It was viewed for about 20 minutes and was actively feeding throughout. Otters are opportunists but a large proportion of their diet is made up of fish. In spring amphibians can form a large part of their diet and they can also take advantage of any crustaceans, small mammals and birds that they find. The best time to look for otters are at dawn and dusk.
Otter. Photo credit: Ben Andrews
The Barn Owl was seen early on Thursday morning flying from the wetland back to the Farm buildings to roost for the day. Out on the beach and on the saltmarsh section of Rainbow Lane, Wheatear are still being sighted regularly. The Swallows can be seen singing from the roof of the Barns and on wires. The warbling sounds of the song is interspersed with many mechanical-sounding ‘whirrs’ and can alert you to their presence before you’ve had a chance to spot them. The visitor centre is a great place to watch them as they gracefully hunt and drink on the wing. There’s always a chance that something more unusual will turn up to the feeders and this week it came in the form of a Blackcap; these birds were first seen on the reserve a few weeks ago but are mostly spotted in the woodlands so it was nice to get great views from the Visitor Centre. Ravens have been spotted a couple of times this week as well as a Hooded Crow/Hooded Crow hybrid. Without photographic evidence we are unable to confirm which type this was as hybrids can be highly variable and can give the impression of being a Hooded Crow at first sighting. Whichever type this was, this isn’t a bird we see regularly at Mersehead so it was a treat to see.
We were out on Thursday morning carrying out our second reedbed survey. What a difference a few weeks makes; where on the first survey we only picked up Reed Buntings, on this survey we had Reed Buntings again but they were now joined by the erratic sounding Sedge Warbler and the rhythmic sounding Reed Warbler. The Reed Warbler will arrive last and was heard for the first time this year late last week. This unassuming brown bird will have flown all the way from Africa. Mersehead is a great place to hear and see the Reed Warbler in Scotland, being one of the most north-westerly populations in the UK. Out on our survey we were lucky enough to spot a Water Rail; although it can be easier to spot these birds in the winter, it is always worth scanning the edge of the reedbed as they will come out and feed along this area on occasion.
Reed Warbler. Photo credit: Jon Bridges
It’s coming to the time of year when the Barnacle Geese will start their long migration back to Svalbard to breed. From late April we carry out weekly coordinated counts together with WWT Caerlaverock and others until all the geese have left. This shows us their movements as they get ready to leave and how many are about and where. There are still geese present at Mersehead currently but numbers are noticeably lower. This week we recorded a total of 1805 birds. If you haven’t had a chance to see the geese yet this winter, now really is the time to come and see these incredible birds.
We are now up to 62 Natterjack spawn strings across the reserve. As temperatures start to rise again we hope to find more spawn strings next week. Most of these have now hatched into tadpoles and a count on Wednesday saw us with a total of over 10,000; 4500 of which were in one pool alone. If temperatures remain warm then it can take as little as 6-8 weeks for the tadpoles to metamorphose into tiny toadlets. We are carrying out our second night time survey next week (pending weather) so will update you on those results in next week’s blog.
We are still taking bookings for our Natterjack Night walk on Saturday 12th May, so if you would like to join us and hear, see and learn all about this rare UK species, please don’t hesitate to book your place. To book you can call our visitor centre on 01387 780579 or email us at mersehead@rspb.org.uk
Lana Blakely, Assistant Warden