Mersehead Recent Sightings 5th - 11th November
It’s been another fantastic week here at Mersehead. Although the nights have been drawing in and the temperatures dropping, there has been plenty of activity on the reserve to remember that winter need not be a time to retreat indoors.
Shorter daylight hours mean that sunrises and sunsets can be enjoyed without having to lose sleep and the cooler air and lower sun makes for great light, especially in the evenings when the sun is behind you as you look out from the hides.
Since the weather has been mainly kind this week, and being able to catch the start and end of each day, we’ve had great views of the barnacle and pink-footed geese moving to and from their roosting sites in large flocks. Witnessing these movements really makes you appreciate the numbers that there are up and down the Solway coastline, particularly when you have thousands of them fly directly over you, creating a noisy canopy.
Barnacle geese in flight (Photo credit: S.Livingstone)
Another spectacle in numbers came on Thursday evening from Meida hide. Thousands of starlings congregated above the reed beds and put on a mesmerising display directly in front of the windows. Just before they plummeted in to the reed beds to settle for the night a sparrow hawk swooped in, but only briefly before heading out of sight.
Starlings over the reedbed (Photo credit: S.Livingstone)
Both barnacle geese and starlings tend to flock in large numbers and are incredibly beautiful to watch as they move through the sky in their groups. Both also make for beautiful birds when viewed as individuals too. On Thursday we counted the barnacle geese at Mersehead and West Preston-a total of 5,841-and the crisp light in the late afternoon caught the detail of their black and white markings brilliantly. Although counting geese can be quite taxing, getting to look at them through the telescope makes you realize that it is quite a wonderful job really. Starlings are seemingly much harder to count and unfortunately I can’t give you a number for Thursday night. They move extremely quickly and appear as a single dark entity against the blue sky. They are however also renowned for their detailed appearance when seen close up, surprisingly purple and green with white flecks, giving them a glittery look.
Winter is a great time of year to witness these flocks as those that stick around tend to both forage and roost together. The nature of the flock is incredible in itself with the collective movement being determined by all individuals responding to the movements of those closest to them, creating a fluid effect, be it as a tight sphere or a V-formation.
Other notable sightings this week have been 4 black-tailed godwit, 8 whimbrel, a hen harrier, and (drum roll) the return of the snow goose! It was spotted amongst a large group of barnacle geese on Thursday night so we can only hope it sticks around. Be aware though that the leucistic barnacle goose has also returned, just to confuse us.
Snow Goose (photo credit: R.Flavelle)
During the evenings when darkness has descended we have also caught glimpses of our resident barn owl. With full moon coming up, the nights are surprisingly bright so it’s worth getting out seeing if you can spot any of the nocturnal creatures that are much harder to sight during the summer months. Not only owls, but badgers, foxes, and the odd bat have all been seen recently on the reserve. If you want to join us next Saturday-19th November-we are having a Wild at Night event from 4:30-6pm to see what we can spot together.
Sarah Livingstone, Residential Trainee Warden