I have been on the Dee Estuary for two months now and since my last blog spring has definitely sprung! There are avocet chicks everywhere and I have been continuing to do brood counts now the eggs have hatched. Butterfly transects are another weekly job and plenty of dragonflies and damselflies are seen along the way. The red-eyed damselflies are really impressive and its good to see them in such big numbers at Burton Mere Wetlands as we are near the northern limit of their range. The bluebells were also in full swing at the beginning of the month and I went on my first event here at the reserve, a Dawn Chorus walk guided by our site manager, Graham.
One of my aims for this month was to try and see all the warblers we have on the reserve. I have managed to see chiffchaff, willow warbler, reed warbler, sedge warbler as well as the elusive Cetti's warbler. One of my favourite places to go is next to our reedbed screen where you can look out and see the reed and sedge warblers flitting around. The Cetti's warbler is usually not far from this spot too and you can hear its loud call even if you don't see it. I also managed to get a good view of a reed bunting one evening when looking through the reeds. I am still to see a grasshopper warbler even though I have heard it a few times, so hopefully that will happen soon! Male reed bunting seen from the reed bed screen Woolston Eyes is another, lesser-known wetland nature reserve near Warrington where the RSPB support the management of the reedbed there to encourage a wide range of species. Black-necked grebes are a very rare species in the UK (only 40 pairs) but there are around nine breeding pairs at Woolston and I was fortunate enough to see a pair with a chick when we went on a site visit a few weeks ago. I also saw a great crested grebe pair feeding their chick on the back which was a first for me! One of the reedbeds at Woolston Eyes This month has been a month full of wonderful wildlife however my highlight definitely has to be the badgers! We have a badger hide here on site which people can pay to come and use. I had the opportunity to go and sit in it one evening and it really was one of my best wildlife experiences! We put food out to attract the badgers to use the site and, as long as you're quiet, they come right up close to the hide! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who’s interested so do get in contact with the RSPB Burton Mere (deeestuary@rspb.org.uk) if you are interested in booking it one evening! Soggy badger seen from the hide When you look out over the main scrape at Burton Mere Wetlands you can see power stations and an industrial landscape on the other side of the estuary. Some people may think this ruins the view but I think it's great as it shows how wildlife can still exist so close to the human world. When I went on a walk after putting out the badger food one evening I managed to see a drinker moth caterpillar, a bee orchid, a common toad and a beautiful large skipper butterfly that had just emerged, all along the path in the space of five minutes. All the while I was in view of the power stations. I think this just shows how amazing nature really is and I am excited for what else I will see on the rest of my placement here! View from the visitor centre at Burton Mere Wetlands
Thank you for your blog, Gwen - an enjoyable read. Good luck with the Grasshopper Warbler!
I always reckon that the industrial background helps to remind us of the importance of nature reserves like Burton Mere Wetlands in providing safe havens for our wildlife, including the species you have described. The structures are also useful for directing visitors onto distant, flying birds!
Glad you are enjoying your time here, it is a special place!