RSPB Mersehead Blog 7th - 13th August 2021
Three of the team spent a fascinating and very enjoyable day last Saturday with the Kirkcudbrightshire Botany Group, led by David Hawker. This local group aims to:
Most importantly, their fortnightly meetings – at various locations across the county – are an opportunity to enjoy a day out with like-minded individuals (be they beginners or experts in plant ID), and maybe discover a new species for the region. These aims were definitely achieved on this occasion, as we scoured the merse and adjacent sand dunes at Mersehead for almost six hours.
Botanising on the merse with the Kirkcudbrightshire Botany Group. Photo credit: P. Radford
The weather was typical of the week, with unpredictable and often heavy showers interspersed with periods of sunshine and cloud. In fact, a heavy downpour just as we set out to the merse led to questions being asked about whether we should continue. However, we were rewarded for our perseverance with the rest of the day staying dry, with some sunny spells for good measure.
Throughout the day, Latin and English names of plants were scribbled down, and by the time we headed back I had over 70 plants recorded – the official recorder would have had significantly more. These included sedges (with edged stems – most of the time), rushes (round stems), grasses and flowers. There were plants that are regionally or nationally scarce, including Grass-leaved Orache (Atriplex littoralis), Lesser Hawkbit (Leontodon saxatilis), Sea-holly (Eryngium maritimum), Lax-flowered Sea-lavender (Limonium humile) and Hare’s-foot Clover (Trifolium arvense). Plants that you can eat – we all had a taste of vitamin C rich Common Scurvygrass (Cochlearia officinalis agg) and Sea Rocket (Cakile maritima) – and some you definitely shouldn’t, like the poisonous Hemlock Water-dropwort (Oenanthe crocata). Plants whose name or location tell a story; for example, Common Restharrow (Ononis repens) which has tough, thick roots that could halt (or ‘arrest’) a horse-drawn harrow, and damp ground loving False-fox Sedge (Carex Otrubae), whose presence along the merse-side track towards the beach gives away the fact that this area often floods (as regular visitors to Mersehead will be very familiar with). There are even Mersehead specialities, including Isle-of-Man Cabbage (Coincya monensis ssp monensis), a diminutive member of the cabbage family that, in recent years, has only been recorded at a handful of locations on the west coast of the United Kingdom.
Two plants to treat with respect. Prickly Saltwort and Sea Holly. Photo credit: P. Radford and R. Flavelle
Whilst we were finding rare plants, others were making other unexpected discoveries. A rustic-coloured Grayling butterfly would not usually be associated with the sandy dune habitat at Mersehead – preferring rocky shores, and Gannets (a new addition to the Mersehead list) – along with 100 Mallard – were seen from one of the view-points along the coast road that look down on one of the two reserve high-tide roosts.
Grayling butterfly on Sea Rocket. Photo credit: R. Flavelle
The presence of large flocks of ducks could be a sign that some of our native wildfowl are leaving their breeding sites and heading to their favoured feeding areas. Further evidence of this has been a noisy skein of around 100 Greylag Geese who were heard (and then seen) flying low over the reserve in the direction of Criffel. The Greylag Goose is Britain’s only native breeding goose, with a population being re-established in Southwest Scotland through significant releases of birds in the 1930s and 1960s.
Butterfly sightings have still been plentiful, despite the windy and often wet conditions. Painted Lady, Green-veined White, Small Copper and Wall Brown have all been seen along Rainbow lane and along the dunes. Also, a walk through the woodland to the beach disturbed no fewer than 5 Red Admirals, 2 Speckled Wood and a Large White.
Red Admiral butterfly. Photo credit: P. Radford
As well as the plants we are keen to find and record on the reserve, there are always going to be some that we have to try to stop spreading or remove from certain locations. Ragwort is no problem when it is a safe distance from grazing livestock, but it needed to be pulled from the field behind the VC to allow topping prior to the Belted Galloways being reintroduced. Fortunately, our volunteers have had plenty of practice, and were able to clear the field in no time at all.
Spot the difference. Photo credit: P. Radford
Whilst topping Broad-leaved dock in one of the grassland fields, I was kept company by a surprisingly large number of Rooks, Jackdaws and Starlings. Whilst I cannot be sure what they were feeding on, at this time of year these birds can be drawn to the emergence of newly hatched Leatherjackets, the name given to the larvae of the European Cranefly (Daddy Long Legs). Adult Cranefly hatch in late July and early August, and within a day have laid their eggs in the ground. The leatherjackets hatch around 2 weeks later and start to feed on grass roots all the way through to the following spring – if the rooks don’t get them first!
Rookfest. Photo credit: P. Radford
The heavy showers dissipated in the second half of the week, but the strong wind remained with gusts of 35-40mph persisting throughout Thursday and Friday. This didn’t put off the moths as much as expected, with around 80 finding their way into the Mersehead trap. Amongst them was the first Sallow of the year. This unmistakeable noctuidae has an orange-yellow hooked forewing with brown or reddish-brown markings. Along with a number of other moths (including Sallow Kitten, which we recorded in June), the caterpillar feeds on the catkins of Goat Willow, and so can be found in a number of habitats (including gardens) where these occur.
Sallow. Photo Credit: P. Radford
We were also able the add the ‘Least’ to our list of yellow underwing moths – which, in Scotland, is only commonly found in the Southwest and Southeast. A rarer find was a female Shuttle-shaped Dart, which has been abundant throughout most of southern Britain for some time, but has only recently become widespread further north to Northumberland and Cumbria. It is still only sporadically found in Scotland, with previous records in Dumfries and Galloway and on the east coast, but is considered a potential colonist.
Least Yellow Underwing and Shuttle-shaped Dart. Photo credit: P. Radford
With the Mersehead holiday cottages fully booked for 2021 don’t miss out on the opportunity to stay at Mersehead during the winter months of 2022 when the reserve is home to thousands of Barnacle geese and wintering wildfowl. Check out availability for Shelduck and Barnacle through the hyperlinks.
Paul Radford, Assistant Warden