Ice Ice Baby

RSPB Mersehead Sightings 16th – 20th January 2023

It has been a cold week here at Mersehead and our wetland birds have been struggling to find any wet land with most of the reserve being frozen over. Despite the freezing conditions, our volunteers have been out in the first beach clean of the year.

Beach cleaning. Photo credit J. Lister

In exciting news, a White-Tailed Eagle has been spotted on the reserve! The juvenile was seen flying over the beach by several visitors, including local professional photographer, Derrick Dunbar, who managed to capture some pictures of the bird, and has kindly shared them with us. The white-tailed eagle is the largest bird of prey found in the UK, with its wingspan allowing us to distinguish it from the smaller golden eagle. The species went extinct in the 20^th century, and are still very rare after reintroduction, making this sighting a real treat for us here on the reserve.

Juvenile white-tailed eagle. Photo credit D. Dunbar

Another notable visitor at the reserve is a female Ring-Necked Duck, who after first being sighted before New Year's, mysteriously disappeared, only to appear again this week in front of Meida hide. These ducks are American natives, breeding in Canada, Alaska, and the Arctic, so I’m sure with all the cold weather we’ve been having this rare vagrant is feeling quite at home on our reserve.  

Kirkconnell reserve count: Friday 20th January 2023

To learn more about these and other birds, check out the RSPB wildlife guide: Birds A- Z | Bird Guides - The RSPB

Big Garden Birdwatch is fun, free and for everyone. And you don’t need a garden to take part! Counting birds from your balcony, or your local park will play a vital role in helping us understand how UK birds are doing. Sign up for your free guide and let's look out for birds together on 27-29 January.

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