Hi everyone. Welcome to the first of my (from now on monthly) blog entries in which I will generally cover the exciting and varied work carried out by our fantastic volunteers each week to keep Campfield Marsh ticking over and ensuring it remains a fantastic place for people and wildlife. My name is Dan and I have been the Assistant Warden for Cumbrian Coast Reserves (comprising Campfield Marsh, St. Bees Head, and Hodbarrow) for two and half months now.
At the end of March, the volunteers went out to search for the elusive willow tit, the UK’s most threatened resident bird – and second fastest declining bird after turtle dove – that saw declines of 86% between 1995 and 2020. One of our volunteers managed to spot one that day, which is a fantastic result and important given the species’ decline. Having volunteers for such surveys is crucial because the more eyes and ears we have on the ground, the higher the chance of successful detection.
In April, volunteers helped us monitor water rail and snipe on the reserve. Whilst no water rails were heard or seen that evening, a marsh harrier was spotted coming into roost on site, which certainly piqued our interest. Since then, a pair of marsh harriers has regularly been seen coming and going from the same spot and, in recent weeks, performing food passes, a sign that we could well be seeing the first nesting marsh harriers at Campfield Marsh! The snipe survey returned a really healthy number of snipe, many of which could be heard chipping and drumming, which is always a brilliant spectacle during the early breeding season. A nest was also happened upon (pictured), which is extremely rare as snipe like to nest in dense vegetation and the eggs are very well camouflaged. In fact, this was only the second time one has been found on site since the turn of the century. Elsewhere in the month we became nature detectives to search for evidence of predators that may pose a threat to ground nesting birds, such as foxes, badgers, and mustelids, all of which were found. The volunteers also assisted in the important job of installing the electric fence on the salt marsh to protect ground nesting waders - including redshank and lapwing - from cattle used to graze the marsh into a desirable condition.
In May, we carried out the second of three snipe surveys, which saw smaller numbers than the April survey. This was to be expected, however, as non-breeding birds have left, and nesting birds are largely hunkered down on nests. Volunteers also helped us complete the first of two marsh fritillary surveys. This species of butterfly is threatened in the UK and across Europe due to habitat loss but has been found at the reserve in recent years. Surveys took place across several locations where the marsh fritillary’s main foodplant – Devil’s-bit-scabious – has been planted by volunteers over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, no marsh fritillaries were spotted on this occasion, but an osprey was seen circling the osprey platform on the reserve! This turned out to be one of at least four sightings of an osprey at the reserve in May-June. On two occasions, the osprey was seen to land on the platform, the first time this has been recorded on the reserve. Could next year see the first nesting ospreys at Campfield Marsh? The May work schedule was completed with the volunteers helping in painting the hide and fences to both protect the wood and improve it aesthetically, as well as remove weeds from the base of recently laid hedgerows to help stimulate their regrowth into important nesting habitat.
June has so far seen the final marsh fritillary and snipe surveys take place. Again, no marsh fritillaries were spotted, but it was a windy and overcast day so not the ideal day for butterfly spotting. The final snipe survey saw only a handful of snipe emerge from the dense rushes, but with the dry weather and it being late in the breeding season, this was again to be expected. We did, however, see plenty of orchids growing in the area and even spotted a (small?) pearl-bordered fritillary, which excited the team.
That concludes my overview of the work our tireless volunteers have been involved with since I started in my role. I will post the July work schedule as soon as it has been devised.
We are always on the look-out for new volunteers to join us at Campfield Marsh (and, when necessary, Hodbarrow). We meet on Thursday mornings. If you are interested in helping with the sort of tasks mentioned above, meeting new people, developing new skills, and enjoying the outdoors, please feel free to email me at dan.cropper@rspb.org.uk or my colleague Mhairi at mhairi.maclauchlan@rspb.org.uk.