June got underway with the third and final snipe survey of the summer. It was quite a wet day, so a lot of wildlife was hunkered down, but the usual meadow pipits and reed buntings were whizzing about the fen. Snipe numbers, as is always the case in the final visit, were low as adults and fledglings leave their breeding grounds for their feeding areas, where they will remain for the winter. The year’s breeding record for the reserve is then taken from the average number of snipe detected across the three visits.
The following week was our annual trip to Hodbarrow with the volunteers, to enjoy the wildlife on display and observe the impacts of the hard work undertaken the previous winter. We met at the car park and began by walking to the area of grassland to the east of the reserve. Here we observed common toad tadpoles in the ponds and enjoyed the variety of flowers on display, which included the sherbet lemon-coloured mouse-ear hawkweed, bee orchid, marsh helleborine, and creeping willow. Next, we made our way through the new ride, a 20-metre-wide path through scrub created last winter to improve connectivity for natterjack toads. From here we climbed up onto the ledge that overlooks the quarry pool, where a lonely little grebe dived for food. Somewhere in the scrub nearby a lesser whitethroat could be heard singing. We then stopped briefly to observe the small number of dark red helleborine that grows in the south-eastern corner of the reserve and went to listen out for the reed warbler that had been heard singing recently (to no avail on this occasion!) Finally, the main event. We walked along the sea wall to the hide to watch the (organised) chaos that is the tern islands during breeding season. Common, sandwich (pictured), little, and arctic terns, black-headed gulls, lapwing (pictured), oystercatcher, ringed plover, and eider - all with offspring - make up a large part of the islands’ hustle and bustle, which periodically comes to a head when a lesser black-backed gull, herring gull, or the occasional peregrine falcon flies over in the hope of snaffling an unwitting chick from the crowd. Across the lagoon, nesting spoonbills (chick pictured) could be seen in the trees, an exciting breeding record for the site and Cumbria alike. All-in-all, it was a great day filled with nature. It is always a joyous experience to be with a group of people with a shared appreciation for wildlife. At one stage, we even managed to recruit a member of the public into the group, who bumped into us and felt compelled to tag along and enjoy all that Hodbarrow has to offer!
(photos courtesy of Rachelle Regan)
Next week, it was the turn of St Bees Head to play host to the volunteers. We spent the morning on the North Head surveying the flowering plants on the clifftop. At first, it felt like slow progress as, after the first hour we turned around and had only progressed about 100 metres from the first gate. However, we eventually got to the point where we were seeing the same species and could make quicker progress along the path. Overall, we identified over 50 plant species, including bloody crane’s-bill, sheep’s-bit, kidney vetch, sea campion, sea holly, and thrift. The colours on the clifftops (pictured) are always a spectacle. Out at sea, puffins, gannets, and common scoters were observed, alongside the usual suspects of common guillemots (pictured), razorbills, and kittiwake. Along the cliff-top path, we came across linnets, stonechats, a rock pipit, and a pair of ravens bothering the nesting seabirds. A successful day!
(photos courtesy of Ken Toes)
Finally, the last week of June saw the next edition of the twice-yearly volunteer barbecue, where we celebrate all the hard work undertaken by the volunteers during work parties and whilst meeting and greeting visitors at weekends. We started by identifying the moths in the moth trap put out overnight, whilst a splinter group tended to the planters around the visitor centre. Then, we headed up the lonning to see what could be spotted on the fields. A common sandpiper, an unusual visitor to the reserve, was seen poking around in a scrape, alongside the beginnings of the winter’s lapwing flocks. At the hide, we were lucky enough to see the marsh harriers food passing with their fledglings. Then, back at base, the usual feast was laid out on the tables. We remarked at how well the food brought by everyone seemed to work together considering not one bit of coordination ever takes place beforehand. It’s a miracle we don’t end up with 17 quiches and some Haribo! Everyone left happy, full, and hopefully well aware of how grateful we, the staff, are of all that they do for nature, the reserve, and the people who visit it.
We are always on the look-out for new volunteers to join us at Campfield Marsh (and 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, click on the following link to find out more and apply: Practical Reserve Work (Campfield Marsh, Bowness On Solway) | RSPB Volunteering.