Town Hall Clock spotted in the Woodland

RSPB Mersehead Blog 23rd -29th March 2024

Over the past week the amount of colour on the reserve has noticeably increased as wildflowers start to appear. A herald of spring is the Lesser Celandine, one of the earliest wildflowers to bloom. The bright yellow star-like flowers often blanket the ground beneath hedges and in damper places such as streambanks and meadows, closing their petals when the sun disappears.

Lesser Celandine

The Wood Anemone belongs to the buttercup family, usually found in broadleaved woodland, look out for a small patch growing alongside the roadside on the approach to the reserve.

Wood Anemone

Dog’s Mercury is a common and often overlooked plant due to its lack of bright flowers. It flourishes in woodland but can also be found in shady areas and in hedgerows. An ancient woodland indicator, this species is also poisonous. A member of the buttercup family, Marsh Marigold, is thought to be an ancient plant found growing in the UK before the last ice age. Delicate white petals with lilac veins reveal the presence of Wood Sorrel on the footpath to Meida Hide. This low creeping herb has trefoil-shaped leaves with both the leaves and petals closing as darkness falls.

March Marigold (left) & Dog's Mercury (Right)

Also found in the woodland is the tiny Moschatel. With green flowers just 5mm across this wildflower is also know by the name town-hall clock due to the arrangement of the 5 petals in a cube – 4 around the side with 1 on top.

Moschatel.

During the winter it can be tricky to tell the difference between Hawthorn and Blackthorn. In the spring however, there is a clear difference as blackthorn flowers before the leaves emerge whilst hawthorn is the opposite with the leaves appearing before the flowers.

Hawthorn (left) & Blackthorn (right)

Our Volunteer Group have been focusing on marine debris completing their second beach clean of the month. With the reserve stretching along 3.2km of shoreline we are dedicated to keeping the beach as clean as possible. Along the sand dunes we found Wild Pansy in flower. Wild Pansy has petals which are longer than the sepals. The opposite is the case for the other pansy found at Mersehead – Field Pansy has petals shorter than the sepals.

Wild Pansy

Mersehead is home to three species of amphibian the Common Frog, Common Toad and Natterjack Toad. The Common Frog is the first to emerge from their winter slumber. They are generally a shade of olive-green or brown, with a dark patch known as a mask behind the eyes but colouration can be extremely variable: yellow, pink, red, orange and black individuals are often reported.

Common Frog

Second to emerge is the Common Toad with their brilliant bronze eyes. The UK’s rarest amphibian and one we are proud to say calls Mersehead home, the Natterjack Toad, is the last to emerge from hibernation. The bright yellow dorsal strip easily identifies this species, their emerald eyes a stark contrast to the bronze of the common toad.

Natterjack Toad (left) & Common Toad (right)

The natterjack toad prefers warmer night air temperatures with peak breeding activity therefore recorded throughout April and May. With night-time temperatures climbing a little higher over the last week, we took a circuit around the pools to see who was about. We found representatives from all three amphibians with a total of six natterjack toads recorded.

The natterjack toad is a European Protected Species therefore a licence is required to go looking for the toads. Join our Natterjack Night Guided Walks on Friday 19th & Friday 26^th April when you will be able to accompany an experienced member of the Mersehead team to visit the breeding pools and hopefully see these rare amphibians as dusk descends over the reserve. As the Easter holidays descend upon us we have a number of events running on the reserve including guided walks and an Easter trail throughout the school holidays.

Rowena Chambers, Warden

At Mersehead you will find the RSPB’s only self-catering holiday cottages - Barnacle and Shelduck. Available summer dates are currently going quickly, follow the links to book your next holiday.

Upcoming events: For more information on individual events and to book a place, please go to our website: https://events.rspb.org.uk/mersehead

*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.