RSPB Mersehead blog 23^rd October – 29^th October 2021

On Saturday, we were over at RSPB Kirkconnell Merse completing the monthly reserve count of the waterbirds on the saltmarsh and along the River Nith. Barnacle geese were present in good numbers with 2850 recorded along with a flock of around 400 Pink-footed geese.

Kirkconnell Merse with Criffel in the background

Wigeon numbers were high with 274 counted. Other…

RSPB Mersehead blog 16th October - 22th October 2021

The unsettled weather this week has enabled water levels to continue to rise with the most noticeable difference being the field outside of the visitor centre. This change has led to Barnacle Geese congregating which can be admired from the visitor centres viewing area.

Barnies flying over the pond dipping area. Photo credit: Amy Blachford

Also benefiting from the…

RSPB Mersehead blog 8^th October – 15^th October 2021

Some of the first Barnies arriving at Mersehead on Monday morning. Photo credit: Luke Jones

This week has finally seen the long-awaited arrival of thousands of our Svalbard Barnacle Geese. It’s lovely to have the Barnies back at Mersehead, and the sight and sound of thousands of geese flying overhead is amazing to witness, and well worth a trip to the reserve. The…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 2nd - 7th October

At the time of writing, we are still awaiting the long overdue, and eagerly anticipated mass return of the Svalbard Barnacle Geese to the Solway Firth.  Our appetite was whetted on Thursday, when 4 birds were spotted in one of the fields just past the woodland.  It is not possible to say if these are the early pace setters, or part of the local population of feral birds who are getting…

RSPB Mersehead blog 24^th September – 1^st October 2021

Geese have been spotted in flight over the reserve this week with the first skeins of Pink-footed Geese arriving from their breeding grounds. This population breeds primarily in central Iceland with smaller numbers also occurring along the east coast of Greenland. The geese winter almost exclusively in Britain with the wintering population having risen from an…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 18th-24th September 2021

We are waiting in anticipation for the almighty return of the Barnacle Geese. There have been some promising signs this week that we may not have to wait too much longer. Flocks of Pink-footed, Greylag and Canada Geese have been sighted across the reserve meaning the barnies should be following in close pursuit.

The fortnightly Kirkconnell reserve count recorded a considerable…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 11th-17th September 2021

From September to April, wader and wildfowl surveys are conducted every other week across both our Mersehead and Kirkconnnel reserves. Once a month this data is sent to the British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) Wetland Bird Survey database (WeBS) that is used to monitor the UK's internationally important non-breeding waterbird populations. As expected, the numbers recorded on…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 4th - 10th September 2021

September feels very much like a transitional month here at Mersehead, both in terms of the focus of the habitat work, and the wildlife on the reserve.  If I had to come up with an analogy, I would say that it feels like we are creating a new page in a child’s sticker book; taking a big tractor shaped brush, painting over the summer landscape and adding the autumn-winter base…

RSPB Mersehead blog 28^th August – 3^rd September 2021

September has arrived and signs of autumn are appearing. The nights are noticeably drawing in, the evenings are cooler, leaves are turning golden and birds are flocking together.

Warm and sunny days have continued and keeping one keen eye on the vegetation can reveal some brightly coloured and fascinating finds. The caterpillar of the Knot Grass moth is bright…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 21st - 27th August 2021

Nutrient stripping has been carried out in the species rich grassland, to the right of the path to the Bruaich Hide, with the intention to greatly reduce the abundance of Fat hen giving more scope for wild flowers to populate the area. This involved raking and removing cut vegetation which was completed by our trusty volunteer work party. The local wildlife came to keep us company…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 14^th - 20^th August, 2021

Having spent over a month as a residential volunteer at Mersehead, it is now my turn to share the highlights of the week on the reserve. I hope you enjoy!

This week, the Tuesday Work Party spent the day clearing litter from the foreshore and dunes, with an area heading east from the main visitor trail to the high dunes being covered.  As well as small fragments of plastic, faded…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 7th - 13th August 2021

Three of the team spent a fascinating and very enjoyable day last Saturday with the Kirkcudbrightshire Botany Group, led by David Hawker.  This local group aims to:

• Encourage more people to enjoy and record plants in the county and contribute as part of a national recording scheme
• Get to know VC73’s rare and scarce plants and record population data for monitoring
• Train…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 31^st July – 6^th August 2021

This week we have started our summer habitat work in the wetland compartments, preparing these areas for the autumn and the arrival of the wintering wildfowl and waders. The Belted Galloway herd was moved from the Visitor Centre field at the start of the week so that we could mow the invasive soft rush. The dry ground conditions meant that the tractor was able to reach…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 24th - 30th July 2021

The Mersehead team has grown with the recent arrival of Luke and Amy, who have joined us as residential volunteers.  We are very pleased to welcome them,  and they will be playing a vital role in assisting with both habitat management and visitor engagement over the coming 7 months.

We saved some ragwort for a new residential volunteers. Photo credit: P. Radford

Over the past week…

RSPB Mersehead Blog 10^th – 23^rd July 2021

Firstly, apologies for the lack of blog last week and hence the length of this one! With the high pressure and temperatures soaring to 30C we have been making hay at Mersehead. It can be quite tense hay making in Scotland as you need at least a week of high pressure and a good dry heat. Nerves start to jangle as you check the weather constantly and finally make the decision…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 2 July – 9 July 2021

With the summer survey season drawing to a close, estate and vegetation work become the priority.  This shift in focus did initially leave me concerned about when I would find the opportunity to gather sightings from around the reserve for the blog.  However, I shouldn’t have worried as despite the binoculars and camera not often being close at hand, much of what…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 26^th June – 2^nd July 2021

After weeks of surveys and careful monitoring, this week brought the delight of finding the first Natterjack toadlets! The first surveys, back at the end of April, were spent searching for spawn strings. The location of these strings marked; we have returned twice a week to monitor their progression. The first major change comes when the strings of eggs hatch…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 19^th – 25^th June 2021

The most exciting sighting of the week has to be the Belted Galloway herd which arrived at Mersehead on Tuesday. We aim to trial holistic regenerative grazing at Mersehead this summer both with the Galloway and the Aberdeen Angus herd. This technique involves grazing for a short duration at a high density followed by a longer than usual grass recovery phase. This…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 12th June – 18th June 2021

The final round of wader and wildfowl surveys was brought to a close on Saturday, walking across the saltmarsh in the morning sun. The yellow flower of Silverweed decorates the saltmarsh at the moment. Its saucer-shaped flowers appear alongside the creeping silver leaves. Despite no breeding waders having been found in this area, Oystercatcher from the fields…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 5^th June – 11^th June 2021

Discussing the weather is a favourite British pastime, but when it comes to working in conservation, it often dictates what we can do throughout the week.  Weather apps are constantly checked and compared, and even when all seems to be going to plan, a sudden change in conditions can catch us out and leave heads being scratched.

We aim to conduct butterfly…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 29^th May – 4^th June 2021

Sunhats and sun cream were suddenly required this week as temperatures soared to 23^oC. These high temperatures will accelerate the development of the Natterjack tadpoles as the temperature of the water in the pools increases. Our survey on Wednesday estimated around 4,500 natterjack tadpoles at varying stages of development including some starting to develop…

Having been a member of the team since last October, no one is better placed than Beth to describe what lays in store for our future long-term residential volunteers. 

My time as a residential volunteer

My time at RSPB Mersehead has given me varied and rewarding experience of life on a nature reserve. On placement as part of my Natural Sciences degree, I came to Mersehead with a keen interest in animal behaviour and conservation…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 22nd–28th May 2021

Greenness is expanding everywhere, helped by the welcome rain, and Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Siskins have been singing from the cover of verdant hedgerows. Not far into the woodland, a Spotted flycatcher, our latest summer migrant, was seen amongst the trees. And against a backdrop of green hills, a Roe Deer stood proud in the fields.

Roe Deer. Photo credit…

RSPB Mersehead Recent Sightings 15th–21st May 2021

Returning to Mersehead after a week away, it was surprising to see how much can noticeably change in such a short period of time.  This was highlighted on a short morning walk which started at the hedgerow along the main track.  The foliage of the Hawthorn and Blackthorn is becoming quite dense now, creating a wildlife corridor which blocks out the view of the adjacent…

With this having been the warmest week in May, temperatures reached the dizzying heights of 19^oC, it is no surprise that we have seen a flurry of Natterjack toad activity. Sunday night saw us out completing the third adult population survey. During this survey we count and measure the toads to gain an understanding of the population dynamics. Young toads are of course smaller, measuring around 40mm long, whereas older…