The skies this week have been filled with screaming swifts, soaring eagles, fishing osprey, and darting dragonflies as Spring nears its end and we begin to welcome Summer.
Our events programme continued with our first Intermediate Birdwatching event and an optics demonstration weekend at the RSPB Arne shop.Next week RSPB Arne will be hosting our Full Moon walks, with a mixed session and a Women Only session, as well as our Birdwatching for Beginners guided walks.
The Wardens have been busy installing a new cattle grid at RSPB Arne to help keep the pigs from straying too far down the bridleway, as well as moving a windblown tree at RSPB Arne, and fence repairs across our reserves. Next week they'll be working on resurfacing the car park at RSPB Arne, as well as some path clearing across our reserves.
Photo above: Pigs exploring a new cattle grid at RSPB Arne
The wildlife continued to surprise this week with two Curlew Sandpiper spending the day at Shipstal Hide, and a female stag beetle at RSPB Arne. Nightjars continue to churr in the mornings and evenings, and Dartford Warblers, Hobby, Osprey, and White-tailed Eagles were all regularly seen on the reserve this week.
RSPB Radipole Lake had it's first Common Tern of the year, and continued to have lots of activity from the Reed, Sedge, and Cetti's Warblers in the reedbeds, and the Sand Martins, Swifts, and Swallows in the skies.
RSPB Lodmoor also welcomed Common Terns back, likely returning to use the nesting scrape islands and floats maintained for them, though they will have to share with the Mediterranean Gulls already here. Curlew still pass through the reserve, while cygnets and shelduck ducklings are already on the move at the reserve.
Photo above: Common Tern by Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)
Marsh Orchids have sprung up across our Dorset reserves along with a host of flowers for our pollinators, with holly blue butterflies, orange tips, and green hairstreaks appearing.Lizards have been showing well this week across Dorset, particularly sand lizards and slow worms at RSPB Arne.
Photo above: Sand Lizard at RSPB Arne by Léonard D'Aranjo
If you'd like to keep up to date with what's going on at our reserves, take a look at our events page and follow us on social media:
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Events at RSPB Arne and Garston Wood
Events at RSPB Radipole Lake
Events at RSPB Lodmoor