RSPB Mersehead Blog 25th February - 4th March 2022
Tuesday marked the start of meteorological spring, and it has been uplifting to experience some calmer, sunnier days this week. We’ve still had a fair amount of the wet and miserable kind of weather, but when it comes to transitions it is important to adjust to change gradually.
Visitor centre on a sunny early spring day: Photo credit: P. Radford
I’m not sure that our woodland and hedgerow birds have received this message, having suddenly burst into song and frenetic activity. It’s a fantastic time to tune your ear back into bird song ID, as the trees are still bare, making it possible to observe the feathered friend from which the melodious tune is emanating. Amongst the species on full display in the woodland this week are Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blackbird, Robin, Treecreeper, Wren and my bird of the week (an unofficial award), the Song Thrush. A number of these aptly named musical maestros have been regular seen (and heard) perched high along the hedgerow, belting out their varied, sweet tune. A helpful indicator that a song thrush is filling the airwaves is their tendency to repeat themselves 3 or 4 times, just to make sure we haven’t missed what they have to say.
Song Thrush. Photo Credit: Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Signs of spring are not just restricted to the treetops, as back at ground level, one of the earliest wildflowers to bloom at Mersehead – Lesser Celandine – has also been keen to enjoy the early spring sunshine. A few flowers have started to appear on the verges leading onto the reserve, and soon glorious yellow bouquets will carpet both this area and parts of the woodland. Our flower beds are maintained by one of our most dedicated and long-standing volunteers, and the fruits of her labours can be seen from the Visitor Centre to the Sulwath Centre, with Crocuses and Daffodils amongst the species providing some early spring colour.
First flowering Lesser Celandine on approach to reserve. Photo Credit: P. Radford
The Sulwath Garden is currently being given some care and attention, with a previously overgrown area of brambles being painstakingly cleared to make room for a variety of trees and shrubs, which will add interest for visitors and pollinators alike. Some of the trees were acquired from the Cree Valley Community Woodlands Trust, who manage a nursery on the RSPB Barclye reserve (Wood of Cree). From here they grow trees from locally collected seeds to support planting projects across the region. Amongst the specimens now firmly rooted at Mersehead are three true Crab Apples. The crab apple is one of the wild and ancient ancestors of the cultivated apple (of which there are more than 6,000 varieties). Many of the crab apples that are now found in the wild have self-seeded from domestic apples which have either crossed with true crabs or reverted to a wild form. RSPB Barclye is a stronghold for the true native crab apple, so it is fantastic to be able to acquire a few for Mersehead.
All hands on deck. Tree planting and installation of pond dipping troughs in the Sulwath Garden. Photo Credit: P. Radford
A less noticeable transformation is taking place under the roof of the polytunnel where, much like the Rooks in the garden opposite, volunteers have been busy nest building. The only difference being that these nests will be the perfect homes for rearing tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuces! In addition to this, Geotech matting is being laid to ensure accessibility to all. Over the coming weeks, a rainwater harvesting system will be installed and facilities added for composting.
Building beds and laying matting in the polytunnel. Photo credit: P. Radford
Reserve counts were completed at Kirkconnell Merse and Mersehead this week, with both providing invaluable insight into the seasonal movements of our overwintering waders and wildfowl. Unlike the Svalbard barnacle geese, who disappear completely from the Solway at the end of April, as they head to their breeding grounds in Svalbard, the migratory behaviour of many of the ducks and waders is easy to overlook, as the impression can be that they never leave. However, a quick look at the figures shows that the number of Lapwing at Mersehead has dropped from a high of around 800 in January and February, to only 180 being seen during this week’s count. Over the coming weeks, we would expect this number to drop to somewhere between 40 and 60 birds, which reflects the average breeding population at Mersehead. Potentially, these birds could be completely different individuals to those who have wintered here! So, in the most extreme case, it isn’t just that 90% have left, but that all have gone, and been replaced by birds who left us at the end of the summer to spend the winter on the continent and in Ireland. Data from ringed birds suggests that many lapwing that winter in the UK arrive from Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, so we could presume that they are on their way back there to breed. Therefore, it’s farewell to our winter visitors, who have dazzled us with their flocking displays, and hello to our breeding superstars, whose aerial acrobatics and devoted and considerable efforts to raise young will be the soap opera or our summer.
Where have all the waders gone? Photo credit: P. Radford
At this time of transition, the remaining wintering birds (and possibly some early arriving females) can still be seen in flocks – especially on the wetlands. Out on the grassland fields, which are the favoured breeding habitats, a handful of males can be observed establishing and marking out their territories, with tumbling display flight and “Pee-witting” being the most obvious signals of intent. The quality of the display flight is also an important factor in finding a mate, as the females will want to pair up with a male who is going to have the agility and fitness to see off any potential predators. There are also signs that some males are already starting to take further measures to attract a partner, with tail raising and nest scraping being observed.
Lapwing in display flight. Photo credit: Ian Francis (rspb-images.com)
The wildfowl tend to hang around a little longer than the waders, as reflected in the numbers at Mersehead for this week, with Teal (463), Wigeon (188), Pintail (25), Shoveler (30) and Gadwall (10) still noisily going about their business on the Wetlands and out on the Southwick water. Despite there still being large flocks, it is noticeable that some individuals have paired up which gives us hope that some will stay to breed here.
The visitor sighting of the week must go to the gentleman who spotted a Water Rail from the Bruaich Hide. The sighting was made even better as our members of the visitor experience team were present to have it pointed out to them as well. Holly also had a very close encounter with a male Sparrowhawk, and Reed Bunting have also been showing from the reeds down towards the Bruaich Hide.
The start of spring also means the start of the summer edition of the Garden Moth Scheme. For the next 36 weeks, we will spend each Friday morning looking with anticipation under egg boxes, and pouring over the well thumbed pages of the moth book trying to distinguish a Square-spot rustic from a Small Square-spot. With night-time temperatures only falling to 4 degrees Celsius, we got off to a fairly good start, with 5 moths and 3 species. The pick of these was a very handsome Dotted border moth, of which only the males fly and are attracted to light whilst on the wing between February and April.
Dotted Border Moth. Photo credit: P. Radford
Paul Radford, Assistant Warden
Announcements
Closure of visitor centre from Tuesday 8 March
The interior of the visitor centre is getting a facelift, and will be closed to visitors from Tuesday until at least the end of the week. Alternative arrangements for toilets will be made, with details being posted outside the Visitor Centre.
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.
Holiday Cottages
Planning your 2022 holidays? Discover the breath-taking scenery, wildlife, cultural and history of Dumfries & Galloway whilst staying in one of the Mersehead cosy semi-detached holiday cottages – Barnacle and Shelduck – located in the heart of reserve.
Avian Flu
Positive cases have been confirmed in dead birds at Mersehead nature reserve. Biosecurity measures are in place on the reserve along with signage with further information for visitors to try to help prevent further spread of the disease. Although the risk of contracting the disease from a wild bird is very low, we recommend that people do not handle sick or dead wild birds, remain vigilant, and report dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks), gulls or birds of prey to the UK government Defra helpline (03459 33 44 77).
Covid Advice
Please follow our advice on Covid restrictions and updates on our website: https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/stories/coronavirus/reserve-reboot/