Mere Catch Up

I've been a bit busy recently walking and volunteering elsewhere so I thought it was time I posted an update on sightings in Hornsea.

Wild fowl numbers on The Mere are gradually growing as Wigeon, Goldeneye, Pochard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck and Coot arrive to overwinter here.

Welcome short-term visitors fly though too and we've had several good sized squadrons of Whooper Swans dropping in for a quick feed before continuing their journey. They visit in late Autumn/Winter when they leave their breeding grounds in the far North. This photo of 8 Whoopers was taken of a group of 12 as they flew off south from The Mere last Saturday morning.

Whooper Swans

Also staying through winter are Barnacle Geese and our usual gaggle of 120+ such geese arrived a few weeks ago. They leave in early Spring for their breeding grounds in the arctic islands and around the Baltic.

They are usually to be seen in the crop fields around the Mere but occasionally they fly onto the Mere itself. One of these birds has an orange leg ring (SVZ) which records reveal was ringed on 7 August 2012 at Ny Aalesund, Svalbard, Norway by Maarten Loonen as a female gosling. This bird was last seen and reported on the Solway last winter on 28 October 2017, at the RSPB Mersehead reserve near Southerness.

Over-wintering Barnacle Geese

Barnacle Geese on the ground

At the west end of the Mere, Marsh Harriers are often seen through winter. The best place to see them is from the bird hide at Wassand, in Decoy Bay. They breed at the Mere through spring and summer when there are several birds to be seen at any one time.

Adult male Marsh Harrier

Also in the hide on Sunday morning was a bird that is often heard but seldom seen - a Water Rail. It showed well for about 30 seconds before going back into the reed bed.

An elusive Water Rail

We are still lucky enough to have Brown Hares in the fields around Hornsea, although they are becoming scarce as changing land use and farming methods, together with hare coursing, all take their toll on the population.

Brown Hare south of the Mere