The Mersehead Soundtrack

Mersehead Recent Sightings 19^th – 25^th November

On reserve this week we have had some really interesting sightings, which have included a Green-winged teal, a Snow bunting, 6 Little egret and a Merlin spotted along Rainbow Lane, keeping us glued to our binoculars and field scopes. There have also been multiple sightings by our visitors of a male Hen harrier on reserve.  It is exciting getting news of these sightings, but Mersehead also has an amazing variety of sounds to be heard on reserve as well.

Green-winged teal (photo credit: Gavin Chambers)

 The sound that is probably most typically associated with Mersehead in winter has to be the Barnacle geese. A particular favourite among our visitors, it is an amazing sight to see them flying over the reserve, and this weeks’ Barnacle goose count came to 4,980, an increase on the previous weeks count. The high-pitched ‘honk-honk’ announcing their arrival and chatter and hissing to each other as they forage in the fields means the reserve is rarely quiet when Barnacle geese are present, and the sound created when thousands of geese take flight, always capturing people’s attention, has often been compared to the sound of a small aircraft taking off.

At dawn on a clear day there is a cacophony of calls, wingbeats and splashes from the pools in front of the Bruaich Hide, a favoured spot for watching the wildfowl and waders that the reserve is well-known for. You can enjoy the dramatic landings of geese, whistling calls of Wigeon, a Curlew’s gurgling call, the ‘peewit’ of the highly vocal Lapwing and occasional chirp of a Snipe, to name a few. Raptors such as Buzzards and Hen harriers are also particularly active around the fields, pools and reed beds seen from the hide, and I am always listening for the piercing call of a Buzzard as it is scans from the sky or alarm calls of crows suggesting that a bird of prey is near.

Sunrise from the Bruaich Hide (Photo credit: L. McKenzie)

 The woodland areas leading to the coast and the Meida Hide are also a great place to stop and listen. Often you will hear the rustling in the undergrowth followed by the sharp and rattling ‘chirk-chirk’ of a wren, a tiny songbird with an impressively loud call and song. You may also hear the softer buzzing whistle of a Treecreeper, or the charring ‘kaws’ of Carrion crows as they roost in the tree tops. Roe deer are also found on reserve, and the gentle rustle of leaves as they step through the vegetation in the woodlands is often a good sound to listen for to help catch a glimpse of them.

Once on the coast, the weather and tides can often determine what there is to see and hear, with high tides and strong winds bringing waves crashing into the sand dunes, or on a still day, a peaceful quiet, with the occasional call of a crow or wader or voices of visitors. Just last weekend I was sat on driftwood on the beach, enjoying the view when I heard a short soft ‘peep’ and looking around, I saw a small flock of Ringed plover moving quickly until they took flight in alarm and their call escalated to a quick, piping ‘peep’. Golden plover also have a soft call, but more like a low soft whistle, which is repeated quickly when they are alarmed. However when in flight in a large flock, they create an incredible sound when they move and tilt, the flaps of hundreds of wings creating a ‘whoosh’ as they speed by to a new feeding spot on the mud flats.

This is only a small example of everything Mersehead has to offer and by starting to really listen I hope I will be able to improve my wildlife-watching experience on reserve and learn a lot more about the wildlife here!

Lynne McKenzie, Residential Trainee Warden