Firstly, welcome to the first blog post of the new year! 2014 promises to be an exciting year for RSPB Belfast Harbour Reserve. The expansion and improvement works that will see the reserve transform into Belfast's Window on Wildlife (WoW) are going to take place very soon. As a result the reserve will be closing its doors on the 31st January until the beginning of September, but I promise the wait will be worth it! The new features will include 2 brand new viewing hides, a new community meeting room, and, as I'm sure many of you will be glad to hear, the old outside portaloos will be no more and instead new toilet facilities will be installed inside the new building.
The two konik ponies have also got the new year off to a flying start, as they began their diet plan just before Christmas and are already looking slightly thinner than they were! To do this we have restricted the area which they can feed in, and hopefully this will allow them to drop down to a healthier weight before the summer months. However, they do seem to be in training as escape artists, as they have managed to escape from their pen quite a few times, but we have yet to see how they are doing it! Konik ponies are not known for their jumping abilities, but these two may be proving that wrong.
So as we only have a few weeks before the reserve closes temporarily, now is the time to come and visit. There is plenty of birdlife on the lagoon at the moment, so come and discover what you can spot before lots of species head back north for the breeding season!
Hope to see you soon.
The Team at RSPB Belfast Harbour Reserve