RSPB Mersehead Blog 6th November - 12th November
Highlights from the Mersehead WeBS survey included 1,070 Dunlin, 1,040 Teal, 785 Oystercatcher, 516 Lapwing, 307 Grey Plover and 181 Curlew. A Red-breasted Merganser was also seen swimming in the waves along the coast at high tide, and a Water rail was heard calling from the reedbed. Interestingly, during the walk back from the high tide roost we came across a beached pumpkin! If you take a walk along the Coastal Trail, keep an eye out for interesting things that wash up on beach after high tides and high winds.
Beached pumpkin on the shore. Photo credit: Luke Jones.
During the survey a male Merlin was spotted as it flushed a group of around 50 Golden plovers up from a field at West Preston on the eastern end of the reserve, before posing for a photo on a distant tree. It is the smallest of British falcons, and the male is identifiable by its blue-grey colouration and its smaller size compared to the larger brown female that also has a barred tail.
Male Merlin. Photo credit: Gavin Chambers
6,305 Barnacle Geese were counted on the reserve during Wednesday's Coordinated Goose Count. Good numbers of Wigeon and Pintail are still present on the reserve, and can be seen from both hides. This week has afforded good views of some pintail that have been spending time feeding in the pool behind the visitor centre, which you can see from the viewing area inside.
Our weekly volunteers have continued with vegetation management on the trails this week, removing Japanese Rose from along the Bruaich Hide path. The team has also been working hard on gorse removal from Rainbow Lane, opening the track up for easier access.
Gorse removal along Rainbow Lane. Photo credit: Paul Radford
On Wednesday, some of the team spent the day at RSPB Wood of Cree helping with clearing and recording nest box usage. Some of the approximately 250 nest boxes at the reserve were cleared and the species and nesting status of the boxes were recorded. Most of the boxes were occupied by tits, which build their nests mostly out of mosses and some animals hairs. A number of redstart and pied flycatcher nests were also recorded. These two species are summer visitors to Britain and mainly nest in oak woodlands like at Wood of Cree. Two nuthatch nests were seen, which build interesting looking nests out of pieces of dead wood and mud that they gather. Nuthatch often nest in natural holes in dead trees or those created by woodpeckers, and will cover the entrance with mud to create a smaller hole to protect themselves from predation. The condition of the nests showed that the earlier nesting tits appear to be more susceptible to pine marten predation compared to the redstart and pied flycatcher nests, which arrive from Sub-Saharan Africa later in the spring. One way of reducing this predation is to use nest boxes such as the one in the photo below that have longer entrances, which stop Pine Marten from being able to reach down into the nest with their 'arms'.
RSPB Wood of Cree from the Otter Platform. Photo credit: Luke Jones.
Nuthatch nest box with the front removed. Photo credit: Luke Jones
During this work we found an oak leaf with the galls of the Common Spangle Gall Wasp. A gall is a growth caused by the developing larvae of the specific wasp that lay their eggs in oak leaves. The larvae feed on the host tree’s tissue, but causing little harm to the tree. The galls fall to the ground, where they can be seen around the bases of oak trees during autumn. The larvae continue to develop through the winter, emerging from the galls as adults in April. Another type of gall that we saw at Wood of Cree was that of the Oak Apple Gall Wasp, which produce small apple like growth on the twigs of oak trees.
Common Spangled Gall Wasp galls on an oak leaf. Photo credit: Luke Jones
The GMS moth survey has now come to an end, with a grand total of 2,423 moths of 152 different species being recorded from March to November. Highlights included the regionally rare Poplar Lutestring, an ovipositing (egg laying) Drinker and the beautiful Merveille du Jour. However, we will continue weekly moth surveys as part of the GMS’ Winter Garden Moth Scheme, with one Yellow-line Quaker being recorded today during our first winter moth survey. A smaller number of moths is to be expected during colder months, but 80 species are listed in the scheme, of which we hope to see many over the coming months.
A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly was found in the reserve office this week, which would have come inside to overwinter in a warm and sheltered location. Read this RSPB blog using the link below for more information on overwintering butterflies and what to do if you find any.
https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/b/wildlife/posts/winter-butterflies
Small Tortoiseshell butterfly in the reserve offices. Photo credit: Luke Jones
On Wednesday, a female Marsh Harrier was seen flying over the reserve from the Meida Hide. Golden plovers have been seen regularly this week across the fields and wetlands, along with a handful of Black-tailed Godwits that are still present on the reserve, giving good views from the trails and hides. A Greater-spotter Woodpecker was also seen this week on the reserve, perched on top of a dead tree stump in the woodland.
Trainee Warden, Luke Jones.