RSPB Mersehead Blog 4^th – 10^th May 2024

Saying goodbye to the barnacle geese

After staying with us over winter the Barnacle Geese have now left this part of the Solway Firth for their 2000-mile migration back to their breeding grounds in Svalbard.  The spring migration generally starts in April or early May, when the geese leave the Solway Firth and head to Helgeland on the western coast of mainland Norway.  They then…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 27^th April – 3^rd May 2024

RSPB Mersehead has been transformed in recent weeks into a luscious, green landscape with plants rapidly growing and fresh leaves out on many species of tree.

Trees out in leaf near Media Hide, RSPB Mersehead. Photo credit: F. Sanders

If you haven’t been to the reserve for a while, you will certainly notice a difference in the amount of greenery. Grass is growing thick…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 20^th- 26^th April 2024

Barnacle Goose numbers have dropped rapidly over the past week from 7,450 to 4,550. The geese are starting to depart from the area as they begin their 2,000-mile migration back to their breeding grounds on Svalbard. In 2023, the last geese left the reserve on 27^th April so we may only have a matter of days left to enjoy their company. Pink-footed goose migration has also been…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 13^th – 19^th April 2024

Throughout the breeding season our reserve team are out and about at all hours of the day and night diligently surveying a variety of species employing a variety of different methods and techniques.  To give you a flavour of the wide variety of survey work we undertake here at Mersehead, in the last week alone we have continued to survey our brilliant Barnacle Geese (Branta…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 6^th – 12^th April 2024

It’s been a very wet start to April with heavy rain and wind combined with high tides.  But this has led to some spectacular sights at the Mersehead and Kirkconnell reserves.

View along Rainbow Lane, Mersehead. Photo credit: R Chambers

Usually, Rainbow Lane is part of our Coastal Trail but here is the view along the track on Sunday.  The water was higher than the team…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 30^th March – 5^th April

Beach clean

Following our third beach clean, the shorelines at RSPB Mersehead are now looking squeaky clean! A huge thank you to our hardworking Tuesday Work Party Volunteers who helped out with this. I was amazed by the amount of rubbish we collected over two of our beach cleans. 

Rubbish collected from RSPB Mersehead during 2 beach cleans. Photo credit: F. Sanders

Although…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 23rd -29th March 2024

Over the past week the amount of colour on the reserve has noticeably increased as wildflowers start to appear. A herald of spring is the Lesser Celandine, one of the earliest wildflowers to bloom. The bright yellow star-like flowers often blanket the ground beneath hedges and in damper places such as streambanks and meadows, closing their petals when the sun disappears.

Lesser…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 16^th – 22^nd March 2024

With last week being a bit of a wash out, this week it feels like spring has truly arrived at Mersehead!

The newly painted picnic benches are now outside the visitor centre, the holiday cottage gardens have had the first mow of the year and the reserve team are making good progress with repairs and maintenance in readiness for the breeding season.

Returning for spring

We…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 9^th – 15^th March 2024

Last week the weather promised us spring, but alas it was a false promise, as this week saw a return to some wet, windy, truly wild days at Mersehead.  The weather, coupled with some very high tides along the Solway meant that much of our reserve team’s work this week was focussed on repairs and maintenance in preparation for the breeding season.

Barnacle Geese

As we…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 2^nd – 8^th March 2024

The Lapwings have been busy with their tumbling display flights over Mersehead this week. Lapwings have a complex series of breeding season displays both in the air and on the ground; the aerial displays advertise, define and maintain territories whilst conveying important information to the female in selecting a mate.  Morning, late afternoon and into the evening are the best…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 24^th February - 1^st March

The months are flying by, I cannot quite believe it’s March already! At Mersehead, the start of March marks the beginning of our moth trapping season, which I am very excited to be involved with this year. From March until November, we take part in the Garden Moth Scheme (GMS) which involves setting up a moth trap each week to gather data about garden moths. It's a…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 17^th February – 23^rd February

Following on from last week’s blog, we are continuing to feel a change in the air with regular sounds of bird song, as well as the morning and evenings gradually getting lighter. Plenty of sightings and signs we are getting that wee bit closer to Spring!

View of the beach at dusk. Photo credit: A. Mulraney

Buds beginning to open on Cherry Blossom tree at…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 10^th February – 16^th February

“Again rejoicing Nature sees
Her robe assumes its vernal hues.
Her leafy locks wave in the breeze
All freshly steep’d in morning dews.” 

— Robert Burns

The romantic bard certainly had a profound way of expressing his observations and love of nature. I have my own tale of love and nature appreciation to share about Mersehead, as I reflect on the…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 3^rd February – 9^th February 2024

What a topsy-turvy weather week we have had on Mersehead!! Some amazingly calm and beautiful days sprung hints of an early spring, with certain species searching for, and in some cases find their singing voice (more on that later).  But alas…by the end of the week we are returned to the dark, dreich depths of winter winds, snow and sleet with shelter sought by all…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 27^th January – 2^nd February 2024

The weather has been a mixed bag this week at Mersehead with rain, wind and blue skies, however, it did stay dry over the weekend for the Big Garden Birdwatch! We had plenty of birds that came to feed on our feeders outside the visitor centre, including Yellowhammer, Tree Sparrow and even a few Pheasants!

View of the Sulwath garden. Photo credit: A. Mulrane…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 20^th – 26^th January 2023

Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. Every year, hundreds of thousands of nature lovers like you take part, helping to build a picture of how garden birds are faring.

How Do I Take Part?

• Sign up to the survey on the RSPB website here:
• Spend 1-hour watching the birds in your patch, this can be a garden, balcony, or in your local park…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 13^th January – 19^th January 2024

We may still be in the midst of winter, but our warden team and volunteers are already busy with a flurry of tasks to prepare the reserve’s habitats for the 2024 breeding season and emergence of spring wildlife.

Giving Natterjack Toads a fighting chance

This week, with the help of a Species on the Edge volunteer group, we cleared a large swathe of willow…

RSPB Mersehead Blog – 12^th January – 19^th January 2024

What a wonderful start to 2024 we have had at Mersehead!  Our year began with an impressive 65 species long bird list (see last week’s blog), and this week we were fortunate enough to have a very special visitor, Waxwing.  Drier, milder weather in the last week has meant reserve staff, volunteers and visitors alike have been able to enjoy the spectacle…

RSPB Mersehead Blog - New Years Day 2024 Bird List

Below are all the species seen, in chronological order, at RSPB Mersehead on the 1st January 2024 between 10am and 3pm.

Barnacle Goose
Crow
Starling
Rook
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Wren
Shoveler
Wigeon
Mute Swan
Robin
Woodpigeon
Bullfinch
Song Thrush
Lapwing
Pintail
Little Egret
Pied Wagtail
Mistle Thrush
Collared Dove
Curlew
22. Linnet

Flock of Linnet along the sand dunes.

Blackbird
Jackdaw
Ma…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 16th – 22^nd December 2023

The December Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) has been completed this week. Seven species of wader were recorded at the high tide point with 971 Oystercatcher, 21 Grey Plover, 221 Curlew, 3340 Dunlin, 41 Ringed Plover, 3140 Knot, 1 Sanderling and 1 Black-tailed Godwit recorded. Lapwing and Redshank have been feeding in the field directly behind the car park. Wildfowl have been…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 10^th December – 16^th December 2023

It can be easy to assume that an RSPB reserve like Mersehead is all about the huge variety of wildlife that can be seen on or flying over the reserve.  Whilst the reserve does indeed provide a matrix of different habitats that support a variety of species, it is important that we highlight the significant contribution our volunteers play and the links and bonds…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 2^nd December – 9^th December 2023

Perhaps one of the most awe-inspiring times on the reserve is that last hour before sunset where everything gets bathed in a reddish hue and golden light. It’s easy to get distracted by the sunsets at this time, especially when we’re on a mission to complete our bird counts. But, every now and then we just have to stop ourselves and gaze around to appreciate the…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 25^th November – 1^st December 2023

With temperatures dropping to -5^oC on the coast it has been no surprise that layers of ice have spread across the wetlands. From Bruiach Hide, the distinctive call of Wigeon can be heard drifting across the frozen water. From the deeper pools within the reedbed, great swirling clouds of wildfowl appear in mixed flocks including Shoveler, Pintail, Teal and Mallard. The…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 18^th – 24^th November 2023

Heavy rainfall over the weekend meant water levels were high at the start of the week across the reserve.  While changing water levels across the reserve can bring challenges for our reserve team i.e., flooding issues, they ensure that the reserve provides a range of dynamic and differing habitats for our species, resident and migrant.  

A good example of this would be the…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 11^th – 17^th November 2023

For our keen birders out there, you’ll be interested to know that our staff heard the loud, piercing call of the Cetti’s Warbler on Thursday at our Meida Hide whilst conducting our reserve wetland bird survey. The Cetti’s Warbler (pronounced chetty) is a shy wee bird that you’re most likely to hear before seeing. Typically, this species’ range has been Northern…