Right Place, Wrong Time

RSPB Mersehead Blog 14th - 20th May 2022

It cannot be understated what a privilege it is to wake up every day on a nature reserve, and immediately have your senses activated by the sounds of the dawn chorus.  There are so many species that could be listed as members of this elite orchestra, but those that stood out on Tuesday as I made my way to the Merse for an early morning survey included Common Whitethroat, Chaffinch, Sedge Warbler, Blackbird and Chiffchaff.

Chaffinch on Rainbow Lane. Photo credit: P. Radford

Whilst I was on the early shift, other members of the team had been out the previous night until gone one in the morning soaking up the Natterjack Toad chorus, and recording and measuring 58 toads in total.  The golden ticket of natterjack toad searching is to find a pair in amplexus; when the male is busy releasing his sperm at the same time as the female lays her spawn.  He doesn’t leave anything to chance, and will kick his back legs to direct the sperm towards the intended target.

Natterjack toads in amplexus, female spawning. Photo credit: G. Chambers

We have spoken at length about the differences between Common Toad and natterjack toad in terms of appearance, but they also have quite strong and differing opinions about the acceptable etiquette when it comes to ‘getting down to business.’  Multiple common toad males will often attempt to mate with a single female, resulting in a ‘mating ball’.  In extreme cases this can lead to the death of the female.  As you would expect, natterjack toads are far more chivalrous, with a single male and female pairing up.  However, if the photo below is anything to go by, there are a few of our Mersehead natterjacks who need to be taught some manners!

Excuse me!  Photo credit: G. Chambers

In fact, some of the male toads may well have skipped biology all together.  As nocturnal amphibians they should know that they are not going to get much luck calling to females during the day, but I suppose you can’t blame a toad for trying.

Natterjack toads calling during the day. Video credit: P. Radford

Another typically nocturnal species has also been bending the rules to dazzle visitors this week, with soaring low passes of the Information Centre and Car Park.  This particular Barn Owl just doesn’t care that it’s the middle of the day, and that it is being stared at by its adoring fans.  It could be that there are young mouths to feed and, if so, the risk is obviously worth taking.

Barn Owl perched on nest box. Photo credit: P. Radford

Moths are generally also associated with the darker hours, and despite the very high winds we still had a reasonable haul of around 50 individuals and 9 species in the garden trap, including the first Ermines of the year (both Buff and White), an impressive Poplar Hawk-moth (with its sticky feet) and a very smart furry Nut-tree Tussock.  The moths have also been represented during the day, in the form of their caterpillars, with the larval form of the Drinker moth and Garden Tiger moth found munching their way through grasses and sedges out near the dune grassland.  Expect to see these species in a moth trap near you (if near you happens to be their preferred habitat), post-pupation stage in July. 

Poplar Hawk-moth and Nut-tree Tussock. Photo credit: P. Radford

Drinker moth and Garden Tiger moth caterpillars. Photo credit: P. Radford

Those regular visitors who are not lucky enough to be on the reserve for the dawn and toad choruses, will notice that the reserve can feel eerily quiet at this time of year.  However, do not worry, the sizeable hole in the audio medley created by the departure of the Barnacle Geese will – by this time next week – be partly filled by a herd of Aberdeen Angus cows.  Over the coming weeks, they will be joined by Belted Galloway and Luing but for now the Aberdeen’s will have all the grass to themselves (well, all the grass in the field adjacent to the beach at least).  This will mean that the fence line just behind the dunes will be electrified to keep the cows from making it onto the beach. 

The question is, what vital piece of habitat management do we undertake to benefit both the cows and the geese?  That’s right, pulling Ragwort.  It is poisonous to the cattle, and removing it enables us to safely make hay, which is an ideal way of creating the nutrient-rich short grass sward that the geese will be graving when they return in September.  The problem with ragwort is that there is a lot of it!  However, with enough people you can quicky clear a large area, so if you would like to help Come and join us for our first practical public work party events on Saturday 21st & Sunday 29th May.  More details are on the poster below.

Details of Ragwort pulling events at Mersehead.

On Monday we received help from a group of young people who were representing the Better Lives Partnership.  This Scottish charitable organisation supports young people with autism spectrum disorder and their families, and group came to Mersehead as part of their environment course.  They braved the heavy rain to help pull some ragwort, before spending some time in the Meida Hide, where they learnt about the different species on the reserve and how we manage for them.   Here is a post from their Facebook page about their day:

Helping with Ragwort pulling. Article credit: Better Lives Partnership

We have been experiencing some fairly high summer tides this week, which could have been linked to the Super Flower Blood Moon that was at its peak on Sunday.  This meant the moon was at its closest to Earth in its orbit, whilst also gradually moving into a direct line with the Sun and the Earth (and so in the Earth’s shadow).  With the tide line coming so close to the dunes, anything that got washed up would be easily visible – at least until the next tide washed it away again.  On Monday, a sizeable wreck of aptly named Moon Jellyfish were found stranded on the beach.  This unfortunate occurrence is thought to be linked to the fact that the body of the jellyfish floats above the water, and consequently their movement is dictated by currents and wind.  We have been experiencing strong south-westerly winds all week, which may be one explanation for their unfortunate demise.  One was even found washed onto the salt marsh.

Moon Jellyfish. Photo credit: R. Flavelle and P. Radford

It is great to see more plants flowering every day, and the colours of the week have surely been purple, pink and blue.  The field to the south of the main track has been awash with Common Stork’s-bill, Red Campion and Bluebells are carpeting the woodland floor and Thrift can be found all cross the merse.  However, for the Common Carder Bee, the hands-down winner has to be the garden perennial – Crane's-bill Geranium – which is abundant in the beds around the Information Centre, Car Park and Sulwath Garden.  These plants have been awash with queens of this late flying, ginger bumblebee, whose long tongue is perfectly adapted for reaching down into the flower to collect nectar.

Thrift. Photo credit: P. Radford

Common Carder bee on Crane's-bill Geranium. Photo credit: P. Radford

The young Badgers at Mersehead are now old enough to venture above ground from dusk, and seem to be too pre-occupied with play, exploration, and snuffling for worms to noticed someone standing 10 metres away with a camera.  They have been putting on some terrific displays, chasing and pushing each other off logs in the woodland.  I was able to film a badger digging for worms out on Preston Merse earlier in the week.  See if you can spot the moment it finally realised I was standing there watching.

Badger snuffling for worms. Video credit: P. Radford

Paul Radford, Assistant Warden

Announcements

Upcoming events:

*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.

*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.