Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
The Easter holidays are here! You know what that means…eggs-ellent events, cracking species sightings, taking up the yolk with our conservation work and much more. Fortunately for you, we are going to mention everything that has been happening this week right here in this blog. So read on for an insight into life at RSPB Saltholme…
News from the Estate:
Spring is definitely here- lapwing are now sitting on nests! This means our estates team are busy setting up the reserve for incoming summer species. Image Credit: Adam Jones
Spring has most definitely sprung. With the sun shining (we’re just ignoring Wednesday and Thursday) and temperatures rising, it’s all-hands-on-deck to prepare the reserve for incoming summer species. Here’s what the Estates team have been up to this week:
Over winter, we build a viewing platform at the back of Haverton so visitors can look for the long-eared owls snoozing in the scrub. As these owls have now flown north for the summer, the viewing platform is no longer needed. The work party have removed it for safe-keeping over the summer.
To bee or not to bee? That’s not a question we ever ask at Saltholme; we are always trying to encourage these important pollinators to visit our reserve and the surrounding area. We not only do this by maintaining wildflower meadows, but also by providing shelter and breeding sites. One example of this is our Bee Bank, which encourages burrowing activity in solitary bees. Adding sand to the bee bank will, we hope, change the formula of the substrate slightly to make this burrowing activity easier. The burrow exists to provide a safe place for the female to lay eggs and so, by providing the bee bank, we are boosting solitary bee numbers!
And we didn’t stop there. The work party also removed grass and other vegetation growing around the bee bank. This opened up basking spots for bees and other insects, again encouraging them to spend more time in this area.
What’s On:
It’s not just the wildlife that is feeling the benefit of warmer days…our visitors have also come out in force! We are taking some of the credit for this, as we have had plenty of Easter activities on offer:
We are running pond dipping sessions every day between 1 and 16 April. At the time of writing, nearly 80 children have had the opportunity to see what lurks beneath the surface of our Discovery Zone ponds. We have found damselfly nymphs, sticklebacks, water lice, water mites, water boatmen, backswimmers and many more! It’s not just the children that benefit from pond dipping- we encourage accompanying adults to get their hands dirty too! Interested? Good! All you need to do is book at the Welcome Desk when you arrive at Saltholme. It’s just £2 per child (so adults can effectively get involved for free!) and we provide all the equipment you need. We look forward to seeing you there!
If pond dipping wasn’t enough excitement for you, we’re also running birdwatching sessions from the Wildlife Watchpoint hide. With little grebes, little egrets, water rail and marsh harrier [hyperlinks] to amuse the birdwatchers, we introduced groups to our feathered friends through the medium of Bird Bingo, I Spy, binoculars and ID guides. Pretty good value at £2 per child! Once again, just ask at the Welcome Desk to book onto these sessions.
The Easter weekend is upon us and we have the Easter Eggs to prove it! We do make you work for them though- you can either purchase the eggs from our shop OR you can sign up to our Easter Egg hunts! Running at 11am and 1:30pm from 7-9 April, this event includes an interactive storytelling session as well as the Easter Egg hunt itself. Free-from alternatives are available and, at only £1 per egg-hunting child, we’re certainly over-egging it in terms of value for money. Ask at the Welcome Desk to book tickets.
Recent Sightings:
We may get 4 days off this weekend, but the wildlife certainly isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. More and more of our summer species are arriving, so here are the headliners…
Swallows are beginning to arrive in the UK, having migrated from South Africa. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
The first swallow of the year was seen lurking amongst the sand martins on Wednesday. This bird will be the front-runner, meaning others shouldn’t be too far behind! It may have been raining on Wednesday, but swallows breed in the UK because of the weather- our warm and often wet summers mean there are plenty of flying insects about, leading to lots of food. This is very important when you have several hungry mouths to feed!
The male blackcap’s cap is black (surprise surprise), but the female’s is a lovely chestnut colour. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
In another first for 2023, blackcaps have returned to Saltholme. Known as the ‘northern nightingale’ due to its fluting song, you often hear these birds before you see them. Many of the birds you see here will be visiting from Germany and north-east Europe.
Early grey (left) and beautiful plume (right) moths have been recorded at Saltholme for the first time. Image Credit: UK Moths
And it’s not just birds that are being seen for the first time this year…we’ve had some moths that have been seen at Saltholme for the first time EVER! How exciting is that?! The early grey and beautiful plume moths were found in a moth-trapping session early this week. They prove that our reserve is not just a haven for birds- it’s a haven for all types of wildlife! So remember to keep your eyes peeled for the smaller members of the ecosystem on your next visit.
Speaking of your next visit, we really hope to see you soon. There is always something happening at RSPB Saltholme and this blog can only provide a brief ‘snapshot’ of reserve life. Come along and discover Saltholme for yourself!
References and Additional Reading
Bumblebee Conservation Trust (2021). Solitary Bees [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/other-bees/ [last accessed 06/04/2023].
Butterfly Conservation (2023). Early Grey [webpage]. Accessed through https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/early-grey [last accessed 06/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Blackcap [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/blackcap/ [last accessed 06/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Little Egret [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/little-egret/ [last accessed 06/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Little Grebe [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/little-grebe/ [last accessed 06/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Long-eared Owl [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/long-eared-owl/ [last accessed 06/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Marsh Harrier [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/marsh-harrier/ [last accessed 06/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Sand Martin [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/sand-martin/ [last accessed 06/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Swallow [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swallow/ [last accessed 06/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Water Rail [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/water-rail/ [last accessed 06/04/2023].
UK Moths (2023). Beautiful Plume [webpage]. Accessed through https://ukmoths.org.uk/species/amblyptilia-acanthadactyla/ [last accessed 06/04/2023].
UK Moths (2023). Early Grey [webpage]. Accessed through https://ukmoths.org.uk/species/xylocampa-areola/ [last accessed 06/04/2023].