Mersehead Recent Sightings 7th November - 13th November 2020
It is the time of year when the sun rises and sets in time with the working day, which makes me feel particularly fortunate that I spend most of the daylight hours outdoors. Sometimes the weather can make this not feel ideal, and with yellow warnings for rain issued this week it seemed planning for reed cutting, livestock fencing repairs and a volunteer beach clean may have been a mistake. However, the meteorological gods were on our side, with the worst of the rain bypassing Mersehead (or falling in the evenings) and the stronger winds not arriving until the beach clean was drawing to a close. After a misty start, Saturday turned out to be a glorious day, and was also when visitors reported spotting a Marsh Harrier hunting over the reedbeds. It was nice to talk to one of these visitors on Monday, who had never heard of the reserve, and was now back for their second visit having been blown away during their first on Saturday, when they were also introduced to the marvels of the Mersehead Starling murmuration.
Saturday sunrise at Mersehead. Photo credit: D. Jackson
Fortunately, we met as this gentleman was leaving the Meida Hide, and so his experience was not ruined by an assistant warden ploughing through the reeds adjacent to the hide ramp with a noisy brushcutter. Prior to this, I had the pleasure of hearing the unmistakeable squeal of two Water Rail whilst clearing reed out on the Wetland. These reedbed specialists are often also heard around the wetland-woodland fringe alongside the Meida Hide ramp, where the mosaic of habitat – including clumps of reed, shallow standing water and scattered scrub – provides suitable opportunities to feed on invertebrates, berries and shoots. Water Rail are notoriously hard to spot, but by opening up rides through the reed, it is hoped that with patience and a little bit of luck visitors may be rewarded by a rare glimpse of this elusive bird, especially now that the small resident population has been joined by their migrating cousins for winter.
Water Rail. Photo credit: Graham Goodall (rspb-images.com)
Whilst looking for Water Rail amongst the reed, you may spot the rare and wonderful Reed Robin, who is definitely not shy of the camera.
Reed Robin. Photo credit: D. Jackson
Away from the reeds, there are plenty more species to enjoy. With water levels rising across the reserve, wildfowl, geese and waders (in particular Lapwing, Redshank and Curlew), can be viewed and enjoyed in various pools as you walk both the Wetland and Coastal trails. The hedgerows continue to be brimming with thrushes, finches and tits, and as many as 3 Goldcrest have been spotted in the hawthorns on the track past the woodland – which has been opened up for view the murmuration. Five Snipe were also spotted on Friday, as they exploded from the wet, rushy edges of the fields adjacent to the track.
At this time of year, many of the duck species will be starting their courtship displays as they pick their mate for the year, so it is well worth taking some time to watch as the males compete to woo the females, who will ultimately choose who wins their affection. A short video was shared on the RSPB Dumfries and Galloway Facebook page this week, showing some male Teal at Mersehead strutting their stuff.
The impact of plastic pollution on marine life and birds is well documented, and the stretch of the Solway Firth at Mersehead is a mass grave for a horrendous amount of waste that is thrown up onto the beach by the tide. Many visitors help by removing small amounts on their walk, but to really make a dent in the pile you need a lot of hands, and a way of transporting and disposing of the rubbish. For this we called upon our Tuesday team of work party volunteers, a tractor and trailer, and the grateful support of the Dumfries and Galloway Waste Collection team.
Beach clean with volunteers. Photo credit: D. Jackson
Tractor loaded with beach rubbish. Photo Credit: P. Radford
On this occasion, we spent 4 hours focussing on a 1km stretch directly east of the woodland, and between 12 of us filled around 50 sacks. Many large items were also removed including rope and fishing line, a lobster pot, big plastic containers, buoys and even a ramp from a soft play area. Single use plastic bottles were abundant, with many of these getting blown and subsequently buried in piles amongst the sand dunes. At one point, 42 were removed from a 2m2 area!
Rubbish removed from beach. Photo credit: P. Radford
Plastic graveyard. Photo credit: R. Flavelle
We can only speculate as to how long some of these items have either been out at sea or buried on the beach, and where they have come from. Clearly, the majority of the litter we encountered had been disposed of elsewhere (with much being household waste), rather than being dumped directly on the beach. For example, a washing up liquid bottle isn’t something most would take to the beach, and the design of one bottle found suggests it could have been over 20 years old. Examining use by dates, and the visible wearing of some wrappers gives an impression of how long much of this plastic has been out at sea, and how many microscopic pieces would have been left behind.
Old, but how old? Photo credit: R. Flavelle
As well as many things that we didn’t want to find, there were some more pleasant discoveries, including a Mermaid’s Purse – the egg case of a shark or ray – and some Puffball Mushrooms. A few of our volunteers soon learned how they get their name when they inadvertently disturbed them, releasing clouds of dust-like spores in the process.
Puffball Mushrooms. Photo credit: D. Jackson
The beach wasn’t the only area cleared by volunteers this week, as on Thursday Calum, Linzi, Janet and Grahame spent the morning clearing the beds and brambles surrounding an area which is going to be transformed into a wildlife discovery zone – more on that to come in the future.
Clearing the Kite Garden. Photo credit: D. Jackson
With all the cattle now having left the reserve, the winter months are the ideal time to dismantle and repair livestock fencing. It was whilst carrying out one such task on Wednesday that a Drinker Moth caterpillar was discovered resting on a grass stem. This distinctive caterpillar grows to around 25mm in length, before finding a sheltered place amongst reed stems and grasses to spend the winter months. They are frequently seen basking in the sun, on paths and low lying vegetation, after emerging in the spring. They will reach 70mm before pupating and finally emerging as moths in July and August, when they visit the Mersehead moth trap and are recorded as part of the Garden Moth Scheme (GMS).
Drinker Moth caterpillar. Photo credit: P. Radford
The GMS is a citizen science project, which is open to anyone in the UK and Ireland who is interested in regularly recording moths in their garden. Last week saw the summer scheme draw to a close, meaning that the moth trap was put out in the Sulwath Garden for the last time after 36 consecutive weeks – stretching back to the start of March. For someone who has never been involved in moth trapping before, this has been an extremely rewarding and fascinating insight into the world of moths – most of which only come out after dark.
The Garden Moth Scheme is ideal for beginners, as it focuses on macro moths, which narrows down the number of species to just under 900. This can still feel quite daunting, but it tends to be a slow start to the season. Throughout March and April, only 9 different species – and maximum of 16 moths on one night – were recorded in the Sulwath Garden trap, with the Hebrew Character Moth visiting on 10 of the first 11 weeks. As number of moths and species grow, it gradually becomes easier to navigate the well-thumbed field guide, as you recognise similar groups of moths by their general shape and size.
Hebrew Character Moth. Photo credit: R. Flavelle
Distribution and flight season also make it easier to narrow down the options, although you might not want to let these factors rule out what could be an interesting or rare find. Back in June, a Fenland Pearl (Anania perlucidalis) moth paid a visit to Mersehead. This species of moth has never been recorded in Scotland before, and in fact hadn’t been found much further north than Manchester! Although it is a species of micro moth, and therefore not recorded for the GMS, it is large enough to be mistaken for a macro moth, which fortunately led to a photo being taken and shared with a moth expert. In this case, and on many occasions, when the book doesn’t provide an obvious answer – or you just want a second opinion – there is always a more experienced moth’er who will be more than happy to provide an answer from a photograph. There are also lots of very useful online resources, run by local and national groups. For us here at Mersehead, Dumfries and Galloway Moths is a regular first port of call, as it helpfully provides lists of the moths that have previously been recorded in the region, and what is on the wing at a specific point in time.
Fenland Pearl. Photo credit: P. Radford
As spring turns to summer, the number of moths trapped increases, and it can become quite frantic as you try to identify large numbers of moths, with many different species, who have enough energy in the warm morning sun to fly off as soon as the cover is lifted from the trap. Our peak count was 146 individuals, representing 39 different species, in the first week of August. 32 of these moths were Large Yellow Underwing, which was identified and recorded 70 times during the season. The next closest rivals were the Common Footman (60) and the Cinnabar Moth (52). In total, throughout the season, we identified and recorded 975 moths and 135 different species.
Your chance to vote for the 2020 Mersehead Top of the Moths
Regular readers will be familiar with many of the moths recorded at Mersehead, either in the Sulwath Garden or at the warden’s garden, as they were often shared as part of a Moth of the Week feature. I know we are not meant to have favourites, but if you would like to take part in a simple survey, we can crown the 2020 Mersehead Top of the Moths. Simply follow the link, and select from one of these six finalists. All responses are completely anonymous.
Vote for Top of the Moths
Vote for Top of the Moths: Photo credit: R. Flavelle and P. Radford
Did you know Mersehead plays host to the RSPB’s only holiday cottages? Book your Mersehead holiday at BARNACLE or SHELDUCK by clicking the links.
Paul Radford, Assistant Warden