Mersehead Recent Sightings 28th January – 3rd February
The soundtrack to Mersehead mornings at the moment is the high pitched “wink wink” of pink-footed geese in skein formation travelling high up in the clouds soon followed by the noisy descent of barnacle geese onto the Mersehead fields after a night spent out on the sandflats. The leucistic barnacle goose has been very visible this week as a flash of white out in the rather gloomy fields. Each morning a "whoosh" indicates that starlings have left their reedbed sanctuary and have flown overhead for another busy day of feeding.
Good numbers of waders were counted on the monthly reserve count this week which included 1160 oystercatcher, 287 curlew, 102 dunlin, 74 redshank and 12 ringed plover. The wetlands have been alive with the usual wildfowl and a green-winged teal has been reported to the Visitor Centre.
Roe deer is a daily sighting at Mersehead with this great photograph taken by the Mersehead Farm Manager this week - are you looking at me?
Roe deer (photo credit: E.Neilson)
The starling murmurmation continues to be the highlight at Mersehead with spectacular displays occurring every evening this week. On Saturday, a flash of red and white zoomed from the top of the tree outside the Sulwath Centre across to the hedgerow – a male bullfinch – still perched in the treetop was the female. The male bullfinch was seen again on Wednesday. Other sightings around the reserve this week include little egret on the beach and the raven “cawing” its way across the merse. A group of 14 stock dove have been seen in one of the top fields whilst a flash of sapphire gave away the presence of a kingfisher zooming past Meida Hide. In the woodland treecreeper has been spotted along with great-spotted woodpecker.
Barnacle geese (photo credit: R.Flavelle)
The evenings at Mersehead have been mostly still and clear with the barnacle geese silhouetted across the orange skies. The barn owl leaves its barn and heads out into the dusk to hunt.
Rowena Flavelle, Warden