You Can Lead a Lapwing to Water

Mersehead Blog 23rd - 29th April 2022

The survey season at Mersehead is now in full flow, having been delayed due to the high winds, which finally eased on Monday.  Regular visitors may think some of the staff and volunteers have gone into hibernation, but on many days we are either up with the larks determining breeding numbers of waders, or out after dark measuring natterjack toads.

It's worth an early start to survey at Kirkconnell on a day like this. Photo credit: P. Radford

This work is vital in providing evidence for the level of success of the land management tasks and approaches that we are busy implementing for three quarters of the year, and for informing changes or justification for trying something different in the future.  The bottom line is that we manage the land for wildlife, so it the wildlife isn’t thriving we need to know and then start doing something different, if it is within our control to do so.

One species that we will soon stop monitoring (possibly even by the time the next blog is written), is the Barnacle Goose.  Typically, around a third of the population regularly feed on Mersehead grass, which vindicates the hard work that goes into preparing and improving the grassland fields through rotational reseeding and grazing.  The real success measure is how many return the following year, having made it back to Svalbard and successfully bred.  It is therefore disheartening to know that something completely out of our control – Avian Influenza – has had such a devastating impact on this figure.  All we can hope is that we have helped give those who are left the best possible chance of making the journey back to their summer home.  The number found on, or near, the reserve has dropped from 6-7,000 to closer to 2,000 in the last few weeks, suggesting a large number have already started their epic journey.

Save your energy! Photo credit: P. Radford

We often talk about the cattle and sheep as being part of our conservation team, but the geese have also played their part in preparing the ideal breeding habitat for the Lapwing, who are busy nesting and raising young out on the reserve.  When choosing a nest site, Lapwing – a ground nesting bird – look for a short grass sward, in an open habitat which offers good views and therefore an early warning of any approaching predator.  The barnies’ love of grass contributes to ensuring this requirement is met when the lapwing get going in April.   However, they don’t appear to be particularly grateful, as they chase and harass any goose that wanders into their territory.

Our aim is to provide the ideal conditions for as many lapwing to successfully breed at Mersehead as possible, and consequently play our part in increasing the UK breeding population.  In fact, we are trying to do this for other ground nesting waders and wildfowl who favour in the habitats found at Mersehead and Kirkconnell Merse, if they are in good condition.  It was great to experience territorial displays from Curlew, Redshank and Oystercatcher whilst surveying at Kirkconnell Merse this week.  The eerie call of the curlew as it glides round above was extra special on a equally eerie, foggy morning.  

Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata, lone adult, RSPB Geltsdale Nature Reserve, Cumbria, April.  Photo credit: Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

This week, we completed our first round of breeding wader and wildfowl surveys.  A specific methodology is followed, which uses ecological and statistical knowledge of behaviour and recording of different species to determine the number of breeding pairs on a given site.  By following a repeatable and consistent approach the figures we produce (once at least three rounds of survey have been completed throughout the summer), can be compared both year on year for the site, and with other sites across the UK.  When the RSPB purchased Mersehead in 1993, there were just 2 pairs of lapwing breeding here; our first count at the start of the week suggests this figure is could now be over 30.

Male lapwing. Photo credit: P. Radford

This year’s breeding numbers is really an indication of last year’s success, and to gain an understanding of what we have achieved this year, we need to track how these breeding pairs are faring.  One of the key factors that has helped lapwing to thrive is the installation of an electrical “anti-predator” fence which, when well maintained and regularly monitored, will prevent loss of eggs and young to badgers and foxes.  Avian predators – such as corvids and kestrels – and smaller mustelids (e.g. stoats) are still a known risk, but as the number of breeding pairs in an area increases, the lapwing are better equipped to ‘gang up’ on, and drive away these threats.

A lot of time and effort is currently being put into locating and monitoring nests, and the early signs are very good, especially for the majority of birds, who have established their nests within the fenced area.  Of the 30 nests identified, 16 have already had at least one chick hatch (on average a lapwing will lay around 4 eggs).  Calculating the number of nests that successfully produce young, and the number of young that survive the 35 days it takes them to be big enough to ‘fledge’, is vital in helping us understand whether what we are currently doing is working, and what we might need to try and do differently in the future.

The puffed up posture gives away the fact that this lapwing is brooding chicks. Photo credit: P. Radford

Of course, some are out of our control, and the dry and windy weather that has dominated the early Spring has dried up a lot of the wet and muddy features within the fence that lapwings rely on for providing the insect biomass that chicks feed on (which they do so themselves from day one).  However, lapwings are determined and resourceful birds, and if these muddy scrapes aren’t available where they have nested, they will lead their chicks as much as 2km in search of suitable feeding habitat.  Careful monitoring has enabled us to identify that this is exactly what is happening at Mersehead, with families of lapwings suddenly appearing at the wet pool that can be viewed from the Information Centre.   Therefore, if you’d like to watch “nature’s cookies” feeding and scuttling around without any risk of disturbance (or of getting wet or sun burnt), be sure to call into the Information Centre the next time you visit.

View of lapwing chicks from the Information Centre. Photo credit: P. Radford

Unfortunately, Natterjack Toad spawn strings and tadpoles aren’t quite so adept at finding their way to deeper water, should the shallow pools they occupy start to dry out.  A moderate amount of human intervention can be deployed to gently move them to areas they stand more of a chance, but this isn’t always possible.  However, they are a species that can survive such setbacks;  within the population there will be a mix of early and late spawning females, so some may not emerge from the dunes and head to the pools until late May by which time rain may have refilled some of the pools.   The recent cold and windy spell would also have put off some from spawning who may have otherwise done so by now, and as a female only tends to spawn once this delay could be crucial.

These guys stand a chance in deeper water. Photo credit: R. Flavelle

Sunny, warm weather is good for some, and is what our summer visitors from the continent and the Tropics have travelled thousands of miles to enjoy.  There are only a few of the regular visitors we are still waiting to welcome back, and those that are represented are expected to swell in number.  The telegraph wire holiday lets will be fully booked later in the summer, but at the moment a tuneful Song Thrush, and a handful of Goldfinch and Chaffinch are only having to share their favourite perch with a couple of Barn Swallows. More can be seen hawking over the Wetlands and Reedbed, where Sedge Warbler have returned to delight with their quirky, contemporary song.  You don’t have to strain an ear from the Meida Hide to appreciate this, as the Bruaich Hide S(Hedge) Warbler has returned for another year.

Song Thrush singing from its exclusive perch. Photo credit: P. Radford

The Grasshopper Warbler ensemble that can be heard amongst the scrub, at the beach end of the woodland path, has now been joined by the unmistakeable scratchy refrain of Common Whitethroat.  Watch out for it exploding from the top of the canopy across the reserve, before quickly descending to its perch.

Cardamine pratensis was given one of its many common names from the fact that Cuckoo start to sing around the same time as the flower comes into bloom.  Hence the saying “What came first, the cuckoo or the cuckoo flower” (OK, I may have made that up).  A distant Cuckoo was heard from the reserve this week, and during the weekly survey a kaleidoscope of Green-veined White butterflies (I didn’t make that up) were seen enjoying the nectar of the flower.  Cuckoo flowers are also commonly associated with Orange-tip butterflies, with the females laying their eggs on the underside of the flower.  The caterpillars will then emerge in time to feast on the seed pods.  A number of males have been spotted, but the females have been elusive.  They lack the characteristic orange tips on the wings, which can make them easy to mistake for other white species if the underside of the wing cannot be examined.

Green-veined White Butterfly on Cuckoo Flower. Photo credit: R. Flavelle

Thursday night saw temperatures drop to -1 degrees Celsius, resulting in a mild frost and a small haul of moths.  However, 16 hardy soles did make it to the moth trap, with species represented including three Quakers; Small, Common and Powdered.  I wonder if you can guess which is the small, and which is the common in the photo below?

A group of all year round visitors, who come out rain are shine, are our dedicated group of Tuesday volunteers.  This week they were busy making an early start on the task of removing ragwort from a field that will be cut for hay later in the summer.  In addition to the hide cleaning and gardening that is carried out weekly (but doesn’t go unnoticed by staff and visitors), a bridge was moved to span the ditch adjacent to the Meida Hide.  This will enable access to the reedbed for staff and members of the North Solway Ringing Group, when they start their survey work in May.

A bridge over...Photo credit: P. Radford

Paul Radford, Assistant Warden

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