RSPB Mersehead Blog 27th April – 3rd May 2024
RSPB Mersehead has been transformed in recent weeks into a luscious, green landscape with plants rapidly growing and fresh leaves out on many species of tree.
Trees out in leaf near Media Hide, RSPB Mersehead. Photo credit: F. Sanders
If you haven’t been to the reserve for a while, you will certainly notice a difference in the amount of greenery. Grass is growing thick and fast at Mersehead so unsurprisingly mowing has become a priority for us over the past week or two!
Coastal trail at RSPB Mersehead. Photo credit: F. Sanders
Gorse out in bloom at RSPB Mersehead. Photo credit: F. Sanders
Flowers are beginning to bloom, attracting an array of insects including many butterfly species. Our first butterfly transects began this week and species seen on reserve include Painted Lady, Speckled Wood, Peacock, and Orange-tip. Orange-tip butterflies have been seen regularly at the Sulwath Garden so this is a good place to start looking if you're interested in spotting them. An interesting fact I learnt about Orang-tips is that the male has orange wing tips whereas the female actually has black wing tips, so you can easily distinguish them.
Left: Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria). Right: Male Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines). Photo credit: F. Sanders
Flowers photographed at Mersehead. Photo credit: F. Sanders
We have been carrying out wader surveys on site this week which has been a great opportunity to get out on reserve at sunrise. Oystercatchers are now known to be nesting at both Mersehead and Kirkconnell, and there are signs of similar nesting activity for Curlew, Shelduck, Shoveler, and Mallard. Last week we captured footage on our trail camera of a female Mallard with a large number of ducklings. See how many ducklings you can spot in the image shown below. The mother duck can be seen on the other side of the fence.
Female Mallard with 13 ducklings! Photo credit: F. Sanders
Excitingly, we have also observed an increase in both the number and the size of the Lapwing chicks that we have been monitoring at Mersehead. I took a photograph of one of the Lapwing chicks through my scope to demonstrate how well camouflaged they are, see if you can spot it.
Lapwing chick seen on 1st May 2024 at RSPB Mersehead. Photo credit: F. Sanders
Our most recent goose count showed that Barnacle Goose numbers on reserve have continued to drop over the past week, decreasing from 4,550 to 1,311. We still have two leucistic geese on site, one of which can be seen in the photograph below. Records show that around 10,000 Barnacle geese (which accounts for around a quarter of the entire population) have now left the UK and have been seen around Norway.
Other bird sightings this week include Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Marsh Harrier, and Whitethroat.
Barnacle geese flying over Mersehead, with one leucistic individual visible. Photo credit: F. Sanders
Natterjack surveys are still ongoing. During our night-time survey this week we found a juvenile Natterjack (a toad that survived last winter and is around 1 year old) which is a very promising sign. Another unusual sighting during our survey work was a view of two male Natterjack toads trying to attach themselves to a female to initiate amplexus (mating behaviour). Multiple Common Toad males can attempt to grab onto the female Common Toad, in an attempt to fertilise her eggs, and this can create a mating ball. Due to the eagerness of the males, and the high ratio of males to females, the female often becomes swamped in the middle of the mating ball and can sometimes drown. This activity is very unusual to see in the Natterjack Toad.
Juvenile Natterjack. Photo credit: F . Sanders
Two male and one female Natterjack. Photo credit: F. Sanders
Freya Sanders, Assistant Warden.
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.
Upcoming events: For more information on individual events and to book a place, please go to our website: https://events.rspb.org.uk/mersehead
Lapwings and Larks: Guided Walk; Booking Essential
4th May
*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.