The wildlife has certainly been enjoying the heat this week at our RSPB Dorset Reserves!
This week our intermediate birdwatching walk will be taking visitors around the reserve to hone their birdwatching skills and look out for our rarer species. Due to popular demand we are also running another Night Wildlife Walk on August 2nd - with tickets live now book them before they sell out again here: Night Wildlife Walk (rspb.org.uk)
Next week we'll be running another of our popular Reptile Survey Walks and Night Wildlife Walks, both are sold out and our next ones are selling very fast so don't miss out. We'll also be running our Birdwatching for Beginners guided walks, with our expert guides ready to help you get the most out of your time spent in nature. Families can also engage with nature on our Preschooler's Nature Club next Friday, this month exploring the world of marvellous minibeasts, discovering many colourful species in our flower gardens.
Don't forget you can travel to RSPB Arne by Shuttle Bus every Wednesday and Sunday this Summer, timetable: DCT Service 2RN, 2024 Summer Timetable.xlsx (ectcharity.co.uk)
Photo above: Sand Lizard at RSPB Arne by Léonard D'Aranjo
Our Warden team this week will be fixing potholes in the RSPB Arne carpark, continuing their Rhododendron control across our sites, and will be maintaining trails at RSPB Radipole Lake.
At RSPB Radipole Lake and RSPB Lodmoor we've enjoyed watching the stunning Scarlet Tiger Moths, as well as watching more Lapwing, Black tailed Godwits, and Sandpipers arrive on migration. We've also been seeing Roseate Terns visiting briefly but often, along with regular sightings of Marsh Harriers which spend all year on the reserve, but increase in numbers for winter.
RSPB Arne has also had it's share of amazing wildlife sightings this week with lots of views of Goshawks, White-tailed Eagles, and several more Osprey and Spotted Redshank have arrived on migration. We've seen Smooth snakes on the paths, a very rare sight, as well as Crossbill, Tree Pipit, Hobbies, and a juvenile Cuckoo being fed by a meadow pipit. The scarcely seen Black Darter Dragonflies have also been showing very well.
Photo above: Scarlet Tiger Moth at RSPB Lodmoor 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