At Mersehead, we have two staff cottages with both the Warden and Assistant Warden living on the reserve. We are going to try and keep you updated on the wonderful wildlife we see at Mersehead during our daily walks.
Mersehead Moments
The very distinctive low chatting of whooper swans could be heard from my garden over the weekend and alerted me to the presence of 21 of these elegant swans out on the wetlands. These birds will be migrating back to their breeding grounds in Iceland and will have spent the weekend re-fuelling. Whooper Swans undertake what is probably the longest sea crossing of any swan species migrating anywhere between 800 -1,400 km from the UK & Ireland to Iceland.
Photo credit: R.Flavelle
The first complete census of the whooper swan wintering population in the UK & Ireland took place in 1986 when 16,742 individuals were recorded. Since 1995, The International Swan Census has taken place every 5 years with the wintering population increasing to 34,004 by 2015. The Mersehead team took part in the 2020 census in January with results to be published soon.
Photo credit: Ben Andrew(rspb-images.com)
The main aim of the International Swan Census is to estimate the size and distribution of the Icelandic population in the UK & Ireland, as well as identifying important wintering sites. Age assessments are also made during the surveys providing a coordinated estimation of breeding success. In addition, counters are asked to record the type of habitat used by the swans during the census so that any changes in habitat use can be assessed over time.
Along with the whoopers, there were 8 little egret. A record number for Mersehead! Our previous maximum count was 7 on 14th April 2016, we usually only see around 3.
Photo credit: Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
Once a very rare visitor from the Mediterranean, little egrets are now a common sight around the coasts of England and Wales as they expand their range. It first bred in the UK in 1996 in Dorset. These birds are becoming increasingly more common on the Solway with up to 80 recorded at Wigtown Bay recently.
Rowena Flavelle, Warden