Mersehead recent sightings 7th – 13th January
This week has been a busy week at Mersehead with lots of different tasks to complete, interesting species spotted on reserve and even more interesting weather. Reserve species highlights have include a short-eared owl, a male hen harrier and 4 whooper swans. Although the week started off with mild, if windy weather, by the end of the week with dropping temperatures, we have experienced a bit of a mix of heavy rain, sleet and snow. However by Friday morning we enjoyed clear skies and some wonderful views across the reserve and towards a snow topped Criffel hill.
Snow capped Criffel hill. Photo credit L McKenzie
During this amazing mix of weather we also managed to complete the reserve Barnacle goose count, with 2,499 recorded. While completing this count we also managed to see lots of waders and wildfowl in different parts of the reserve taking advantage of new muddy pools that have appeared after the recent high rainfall. This included hundreds of pintail in one field, redshank in the pool in front of the Visitor Centre and lots of barnacle geese bathing themselves.
Natterjack toad. Photo credit Andy Hay.
Even in this mix of weather everyone has been hard at work, with the weekly volunteer work party assisting us in removing the now redundant artificial natterjack toad ponds. With a lot of digging, pulling, a few laughs and a cup of tea, two of the four pools were cleared of debris and the plastic liners removed. In conjunction with this, other habitat work for natterjack toads happening on reserve have included willow scrub removal around breeding pools and creation of new scrapes to provide suitable habitat in new areas, facilitating the movement of natterjacks toads on reserve. The winter months are the perfect time to complete these works as it prepares the habitat for when the natterjack toads emerge to start breeding in April and does not disturb them during the breeding season. Natterjack toads are one of the rarest amphibians in the UK, with a decline of 84% in their range across the UK during the early to mid 20th Century, and the population at Mersehead reserve is the most north-westerly population in the UK. Therefore the work done at Mersehead reserve will have important implications for natterjack toad populations in the south-west Scotland and the across the UK.
Lynne Mckenzie, Trainee Warden