Daniel Whitelegg is completing a 5-week residential volunteering placement at Mersehead as part of his university course.
It’s been a fairly quiet (and wet) week on the reserve, with most wildlife hiding away to finish breeding. All the lapwing chicks are now grown up and the great tits in the visitor centre box have fledged. The visitor centre, rainbow lane and the meida hide are becoming the best places to see wildlife at the moment with large numbers of farmland birds coming to the feeders. Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings are feeding young around the meida hide and can be seen carrying food.
The Solway Ringing Group has been carrying out a few ringing sessions recently in the reedbeds and woodland. This type of research enables us to understand more about the lives of the birds through their movements and age. These migrants will be returning back to western Sub-Saharan Africa, to winter. Amazingly Sedge Warblers make a nonstop flight from the UK to North Africa, a distance of over 1,800 miles.
A few of our residents are now out in force and it’s a great opportunity to see House Martins and Swallows around the Sulwarth Centre, with a few nests still containing young, although you’ll most likely see the parents darting about catching flying insects.
As a volunteer for the RSPB, (doing a five week placement) I’ve been out surveying moths some nights with some amazing finds including these Poplar and Elephant Hawkmoths (large and small). The main aspect of the placement is to understand the fundamental workings of a reserve, so I’ve been involved in a lot of maintenance to keep the reserve working for wildlife and all the visitors. I hope to continue this exciting work over the coming weeks.
Photo credit: C.McMurray
Enjoy your local wildlife during the coming weeks and remember to keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual.
Daniel Whitelegg, Residential volunteer