Mersehead Recent Sightings 8th - 14th July
A new plant for July is Perennial Sow-thistle which can be seen growing in abundance on Rainbow Lane and along the merse path to the beach. Red Admiral, Meadow Brown and Ringlet are the most commonly seen butterflies along this section of the visitor trail. Sneezewort, used in the middle ages as a cure for toothache and cold symptoms, is growing in the wet grassland at Preston Merse.
Red Admiral (Photo credit: Andy Hay)
Newly fledged birds can be seen at all corners of the reserve. Our Ringed Plover nest on the beach has successfully hatched 3 chicks. The Barn Owls have been learning how to hunt over the merse at dusk. The barn owl was given its Latin name "Tyto alba" in1769 by G.A.Scopoli an Italian doctor and naturalist. Its Latin name literally means "white owl". House Martins can still be seen busily feeding their chicks in their nests, expertly built on the side of the office whilst over the reedbed around 350 Sand Martins have been hawking.
Sand Martins (Photo credit: R. Flavelle)
The moth trap was out on Wednesday night and caught 3 Garden Tiger, 2 Barred Straw, Antler Moth, Burnished Brass, Green Carpet and Large Yellow Underwing. The garden tiger is a very vivid moth, common throughout Great Britain and Ireland but with a relatively short flight season of only July and August. If disturbed this moth displays bright orange hindwings with black spots to deter predators.
Garden Tiger Moths (Photo credit: R.Flavelle)
Antler Moth (Photo credit: R. Flavelle)
Linnet and Goldfinch are starting to form flocks and have a taken a particular liking to the purple Spear Thistle heads. On the seaward side of the sand dunes Sea Sandwort is forming a thick green carpet. This tough colonist of the seashore can survive immersion in salt water at high tide. Listed as a regional rare species in Dumfries and Galloway, Sea Holly with its attractive metallic blue flowers is another coastal specialist with a waxy covering on the leaves and stalk which reduce the loss of water and protect the plant against the salty sea spray.
Rowena Flavelle, Mersehead Warden