RSPB Mersehead Blog 5th – 11th October 2024
Snow geese? [tick] Fields brimming with Barnacle Geese? [tick] Whooper Swans? [tick] New boardwalk at Meida Hide? [tick]
It’s been an exciting week at RSPB Mersehead with the number and variety of wintering birds joining us continues to grow, and the installation of a new boardwalk up to the Meida Hide is completed.
New arrivals
This week on the reserve we were thrilled to have sightings of Snow Geese and Whooper Swans. They have been seen on the reserve today (Friday), so worth coming along for a look from Meida Hide.
The Snow Goose is all white with black wing feathers which you can see tucked in towards their rear when not in flight. It’s medium sized, quite thin-necked with a stout bill. The origin of the birds we saw this week is unknown as they could be feral or escaped birds rather than vagrants from North America, but wherever they are from, they are still great looking birds.
The Whooper Swan is a large white swan with a long neck which is usually holds erect, and a black bill with a larger triangular patch of yellow on it. Its call is a ‘whoop whoop’ which can sound like a bugle or horn. They were certainly pretty loud when they flew overhead when I was walking on the beach last night!
New boardwalk at Meida Hide
Thank you for your patience this week as we temporarily closed the Meida Hide to replace the old boardwalk up to the hide. Following the replacement of 150 boards, 750 screws and a scary number of staples the new boardwalk was completed on Thursday. See below for some below and after shots!
A huge thank you to our team of volunteers who gave up two days this week to remove the old and instal the new boardwalk. We would not be able to do this work without them.
An invite to dinner
This Saturday (12 October), we will be holding the first of our autumn Badger Banquets. Last night I was delighted to see that the badgers were busy preparing for their dinner guests
The banquets are a great way to learn more about badgers in the comfort of the Sulwath Centre. There are still some spaces on the banquets available so please go to our events page to join us https://events.rspb.org.uk/mersehead
An evening at Mersehead with Barnacle Geese in the foreground. Photo Credit: C Glass
If you would like to see and learn more about our visiting Barnacle Geese as we walk around our beautiful reserve, please join us at one of our Goose Roost on the Sandflats walks https://events.rspb.org.uk/mersehead
Carol-Ann Glass, Trainee Warden
Upcoming events: For more information on individual events and to book a place, please go to our website: https://events.rspb.org.uk/mersehead
Halloween and Weird Geese: Self-guided family event, collect your activity pack from the Visitor Centre
12th – 27th October
Badger Banquet; Booking Essential
12th October
17th October
22nd October
2nd November
Goose Roost on Sandflats; Booking Essential
20th October
25th October
Autumn Discovery Walk; Booking Essential
24th October
Forest School: For more information & to book a place on Forest School please email: mersehead@rspb.org.uk
27th October
24th November
At Mersehead you will find the RSPB’s only self-catering holiday cottages - Barnacle and Shelduck. Available dates are currently going quickly, so please follow the links to book your next holiday.
*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.