Saltholme

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

With a decidedly nearly December-ish bite in the air, it’s perfect weather to settle down with a hot beverage of your choosing and read all about this week at Saltholme. It’s a good read- if you want to find out about why the Wardens have been thrown in at the deep end, an upcoming VIP visit or what caused a staff and visitor stampede on Wednesday, this is the blog for you!…

Image Credit: John Bridges, RSPB Images

The weather, like mediocre cake batter, has been slightly mixed this week. With storms, sunshine and everything in between, you could be forgiven for thinking that it’s autumn in the UK. But with autumn comes lots of interesting wildlife sightings, eventful events and conservation work to tell you about. So read on for more!

News from the Estate:

Michaelmas Daisies are a…

Here are some numbers for you: 2742, 55 and 2401. No, this isn’t some Da Vinci Code-style puzzle; these numbers tell us just part of the story of schools at Saltholme.

Let us break those numbers down.

• 2742- the number of children visited us from April 1^st 2022 to March 31^st This was our first full year of teaching after the Coronavirus Pandemic.
• 55- the number of schools that visited us from all across Teesside…

Image Credit: Chris Gomersall, RSPB Images. 

Like the returning geese, the latest blog post has landed at Saltholme. And, if we do say so ourselves, it’s a good one! We always get incredible wildlife sightings, but this week has been a cut above the rest…read on for more!

News from the Estate:

As usual, the Estates Team have been hard at work keeping Saltholme looking (and being) amazing. This week, Sea B…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

If you feel like this year is just floating away, you’re probably right. The rain has been nothing if not persistent this week, but we haven’t let that dampen our spirits. In fact, you could even say this week has gone swimmingly. Read on for more!

News from the Estate:

As everyone was getting soaked anyway, it made sense for our wonderful wardens to don waders and continue…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

It has simultaneously been half-term and the week before half-term this week (more details below, but we’ll let you muse on that for a moment). This means there has been plenty happening at Saltholme, so we have a lot to tell you about! Still need some persuasion to read on? Well in that case we shall casually slip into the conversation that recent wildlife sightings include a rare…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

Friday the 13^th may be unlucky for some, but for us it’s a good day. Why? Because it’s blog day!

After 3 blog-less weeks our return coincides with the start of some more seasonal weather. This gives you a very good excuse to curl up in your favourite chair with a large mug of something warm and comforting, preferably with a blanket or woolly jumper, and read what has been…

Image Credit: John Bridges, RSPB Images

Just to keep you on your toes, we are officially halfway through September. Whist the sun is still shining beautifully, there is an unmistakeable autumnal feeling in the air. And with the changing daylight and fading leaves comes a new wave of species to Saltholme. Read on for what has been happening on the reserve this week!

News from the Estate:

All parts of a nature reserve are…

Image Credit: American Bird Conservancy

What’s that sound? ‘What sound?’ you ask. Exactly- the schools are back and it seems eerily quiet in comparison to the summer holidays. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that nothing is happening at Saltholme- we’ve had some very interesting sightings this week, both on our main site and at Greatham Creek. Want to know what they are? You’ll have to read on!…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

Not only is it the last week of the summer holidays, it is also 1 September. Yes, we’re as shocked as you are. But the summer holidays, despite the best attempts of the weather, have been a success and it has been another good week at Saltholme. Want to hear all about it? Good! Read on for more…

News from the Estate:

Many wildflowers grow best in nutrient-poor soils…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

Welcome back to the weekly blog! Yes, ok there wasn’t a blog post last week…but we did have a very good excuse. Actually, we had several very good excuses. That’s right, the twists and turns of life were particularly wriggly for our reserve last week and we intend to tell you about that (as well as giving you the usual round-up of weekly life). So sit down, buckle up and read on!…

Image Credit: Andy Hay, RSPB Images

What’s that strange yellow thing in the sky? It’s been warming everything up and has brought lots of lovely visitors to Saltholme. With the clouds and rain gone (for the time being, anyway), it has certainly been a busy week for our reserve. Want to hear what we have been up to? Read on! 

News from the Estate:

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

With the sun shining,…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

We would be lying if we said the weather had been nice this week. Yes, we may be a wetland reserve, but we don’t reckon much to being this wet IN AUGUST. But we haven’t let the rain dampen our spirits, and the wildlife has still put on an incredible show for the summer holidays. So read on to hear all about this week at Saltholme…

News from the Estate:

The caterpillars…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

You can tell it’s the summer holidays because the weather has been…mixed. But even when it’s been nice weather for ducks, that’s still been good for us because we have a lot of ducks. And even when the weather has (literally) put a dampener on things, there has still been plenty to see and do at Saltholme. Read on for more!

News from the Estate:

Image Credit…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

As schools wind down for the summer holidays, Saltholme is preparing for its busiest time of year. The wildlife has also been out-and-about making the most of the sunshine in between the showers. Read on for more!

News from the Estate:

When dry, the seeds of Yellow Rattle will rattle in the seed pods, giving the plant its name. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.

Despite the rain…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

It is now July. It has been July all week. Whether you believe it ought to be July yet or not, there have been plenty of amazing things happening at Saltholme this week. Whether you are a keen birdwatcher, looking for a family day out or want to learn more about conservation, this is the place to visit and we will tell you all about it in this blog. So read on for more!

News from…

Image Credit: BirdGuides

Never mind a week of warblers…the last seven days have been more of a term of terns! Speaking of terms, it’s nearly the end of a school one. That means there are plenty of events coming up that we intend to tell you about. This, plus the vital work of our Estates Team, means we once again have a lot to tell you about in this blog. Read on for more!

News from the Estate:

Image Credit…

Image Credit: Brian Clasper

What a week! It feels like species rarely seen in this part of the country have been hurling themselves at us from all directions. It just shows, in our completely unbiased opinion, the quality of our reserve- there is always something amazing to see, critical conservation work to learn about and plenty of awesome events to keep everyone amused. Read on for more!

News from the Estate:

Image…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

We’re back to opening this blog with a comment about the weather but, as the sun has shone so wonderfully on RSPB Saltholme this week, it would be a crime not to mention it. It would also be a crime to not mention the multitude of marvellous sightings and the crucial conservation work that has been happening recently. Interested? You should be…read on for more!

News from…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

With May half-term behind us and visiting children handed back to schoolteachers (and our Learning Team), an eerie calm may have fallen over Saltholme if the wildlife hadn’t had anything to do with it. That’s right, we have had some incredible sights (and sounds) this week- more on that later. For now, we’ll simply say read on to catch up on everything that has been happening at…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

We always seem to start this blog with a very British comment about the weather, an existential crisis about the passing of time, or a combination of the two. So we’ve decided to break with tradition this week and go…off script. So, instead we will simply say that, with May half-term and a bank holiday weekend to deal with, this week at Saltholme has certainly been brilliantly busy…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

There is nothing better than sitting down with a drink of your choice and reading this blog. Well, at least we don’t think there’s anything better than that. We may be slightly biased about the quality of the blog, but there has been a lot happening at RSPB Saltholme this week and this is the best place to catch up on what has been going on. So read on for the juicy details!…

Image Credit: Lydia Cave

Hasn’t it been a good week?! The temperatures appear to finally be catching up with how alarmingly far through May we are, the sun has showed its face more than sporadically and the wildlife has been stunning. Luckily for you, we have pulled together the highlights in this blog so, if your week has passed slightly too quickly, revisit everything that has happened in the last seven days.

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

It’s Friday- the best day of the week! You know why? Because Friday is Blog Day. As we may have mentioned previously, RSPB Saltholme is a fantastic place to visit (the wildlife certainly thinks so) and so who wouldn’t want to spend a few minutes reading all about what has been happening on the reserve this week? We know you want to, so we won’t keep you any longer; read on for more…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

You know what one of the many great things about a nature reserve is? No matter what the weather, what the time of year, what day it is or how many jobs you have to do, there is always something to see and enjoy. So, you might be struggling with where we are in the week (bank holidays do that to you) or where the sun has gone, but settle down and read on. We guarantee it will cheer…