Since 1st January 2020 the RSPB staff and volunteers have been checking every RSPB members, membership card at RSPB reserve Saltholme. Also if any RSPB member forgets there membership card for getting free admission at Saltholme, that RSPB member will have to pay the £3.00 admission fee, but will be given a receipt and when any RSPB member next visits Saltholme and show there RSPB membership card along with that receipt from there previous visit that RSPB will be refunded the £3.00 admission fee. I’m wondering if that is now a UK national policy with admission to any RSPB reserve with an admission charge. Can any RSPB member who has visited any other RSPB reserve since the 1st January 2020 in the UK confirm if this is this the policy now at all RSPB reserve's with an admission charge or just at RSPB reserve Saltholme since the 1st January 2020, As practically 100% of the time my RSPB membership card has never been checked at any RSPB reserve with an admission charge including Saltholme before the start of 2020. Only on one occasion has my RSPB membership card been checked in all the times I’ve visited any RSPB reserve with an admission charge since I joined the RSPB reserve in the very early 1970’s!
It will be very interesting to see if this is now RSPB policy in 2020. I’ve been twice to Saltholme this January and there are notices about this now happening at Saltholme. When I was departing from Saltholme on the Saturday just gone to catch the bus back to Newcastle UponTyne a large coach had just arrived and with a guess probably about 45 people plus arriving on that coach and admission was organised very well from the staff and volunteers at Saltholme and everyone was admitted in about 2 minutes and no big delay in anyone gaining entrance to Saltholme at reception and as far as I could see just before departing every person if an RSPB member had to show there RSPB membership card or they had to pay the £3.00 admission charge of which I’d never seen happen at Saltholme before, including never happening on coach trips to Saltholme with my local RSPB Group from Newcastle. It will be interesting if this has happened at other RSPB reserves as well with an admission charge. Hopefully other RSPB members from other areas who see my post can confirm if this is happening at other RSPB reserves with an admission charge as well as at Saltholme. Hopefully it is a new RSPB national policy as the RSPB do lag behind in this aspect comparing both the National Trust and the smaller Wildfowl and Wetlands Trusts who have always checked every members, membership cards including mine from those 2 other organisations.