RSPB Mersehead Blog 12th – 18th March 2022
As we head into the middle of march – and the equinox this Sunday – spring truly seems to be getting into full swing here on the reserve. Although we aren’t completely free from wet or cold weather (then again, Scotland never is), the average daily temperature is slowly rising and as of this week our hours of daylight have officially crossed the 12 hour mark. These changes have kicked our residents into overdrive, with more early-blooming flowers opening daily and some of our more ambitious tree species already bursting into leaf.
Wild cherry blossom. Photo credit: H. Gaze
Blackthorn buds. Photo credit: H. Gaze
Emerging to take advantage of the early spring blooms this week have been queen buff-tailed bumblebees. These large ladies have spent the winter hidden away in underground ‘hibernacula’, and are some of the first bumblebees out of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species to risk the unpredictable spring weather. The queens will spend their first week or so after waking up feeding on pollen and nectar and searching for somewhere safe to establish a nest – they often reuse old rodent burrows.
Buff-tailed queen bee feeding on flowers in the Sulwath Garden. Photo credit: H. Gaze
The sounds of yellowhammer and chiffchaff can be heard most days, and some of our house-sparrows have been seen collecting nesting material. Now that we’re getting into the nesting season it’s important to remember that wild birds and their nests are protected by law in the UK, and it’s illegal to disturb them during the breeding season – so if you’ve got any hedge-trimming that needs doing, make sure to check for nests first!
Chiffchaff in the bushes. Photo credit R. Coleman (rspb-images.com)
Many of our winter visitors are still with us, though, with good numbers of geese and wintering ducks such as pintail still observed on the reserve and in the surrounding area. A WeBS count was carried out on Kirkconnell Merse earlier in the week noted, among others, 290 pink-footed geese, 895 barnacle geese, 387 wigeon, 77 teal, and slightly lower numbers of waders with 53 curlew, 55 redshank, 6 oystercatchers and 4 little egret.
Male pintail on the wetlands. Photo credit: B. Weatherley. Special thanks to this 12yo visitor for submitting such a great shot for our blog!
The count was carried out with assistance from the two newest members of the Mersehead team – Claire and Sam, our new residential volunteers. They’ll be doing invaluable work over the summer helping with the myriad tasks necessary to keeping a reserve like this ticking over, and we’re absolutely delighted to have them on the team.
Claire & Sam doing the WeBS count at Kirkconnell Merse. Photo credit: P. Radford
Finally, as regulars to the reserve will know, the visitor centre was recently closed for redecorating and has undergone quite a transformation. The old magnolia walls have been freshened up with a wetland theme (one of the paints was even called ‘goose-down’!) and we’ll be looking at re-evaluating and revamping our old wall displays soon. Keep popping in over the next few months to keep up with the changes!
The visitor centre before Covid. Photo credit: C. Murray
The visitor centre after painting. Photo credit: H. Gaze.
Holly Gaze, Visitor Experience Assistant
Announcements
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.
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.
Avian Flu
Positive cases have been confirmed in dead birds at Mersehead nature reserve. Biosecurity measures are in place on the reserve along with signage with further information for visitors to try to help prevent further spread of the disease. Although the risk of contracting the disease from a wild bird is very low, we recommend that people do not handle sick or dead wild birds, remain vigilant, and report dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks), gulls or birds of prey to the UK government Defra helpline (03459 33 44 77).
Covid Advice
Please follow our advice on Covid restrictions and updates on our website: https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/stories/coronavirus/reserve-reboot/