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!
News from the Estate:
So, why were our Wardens and Work Party thrown in at the deep end? Well, they actually threw themselves in the deep end of the Dragonfly Pools (after donning waders and carefully checking for water depth, hidden obstacles and holiday-ing Loch Ness monsters, of course). This was to remove ‘emergent vegetation’, which simply means pond plants that have grown tall enough to break the surface of the water. Emergent vegetation around the edges of the ponds is handy for resting wildlife, but keeping the centre of the ponds clear means we will get a greater range of species living, hunting and swimming around the Dragonfly Pools. It’s also a great way to find any holes in pairs of waders…
The drier task of the week was completed at Cowpen Marsh. Here, there is a limestone track just to the south of the intertidal sea wall. This track was created at the same time as the sea wall, so that machinery could get to the wall without sinking. However, it turns out the track is also fantastic for butterflies such as Dingy Skipper and Grayling. The Work Party spent Thursday removing vegetation from the track to maintain basking spots for these butterflies.
What’s On:
In a murmuration, a Starling reacts to the movements of its nearest neighbours only (between 7 and 9 other birds). This is what creates the amazing 'wave' movements through the group. Image Credit: Ben Hurst, RSPB Images
Saltholme is a very seasonal reserve, with very different wildlife to watch in the summer compared to the winter. In the colder parts of the year (or at least, the parts of the year where it’s actually meant to be cold), we have plenty of events that celebrate the winter wildlife of Saltholme…
Thursday 23 November saw the penultimate Soup and Starlings event of 2023. We knew there was going to be soup (Tomato- very nice), but due to the high winds we did wonder if we would get any Starlings. But we were not disappointed! With Marsh Harriers keeping the Starlings up and about, event attendees were treated to a wonderful murmuration that whirled right above the heads of the group. It’s always lovely to see plenty of smiling faces by the time attendees return to their cars!
If you’ve missed out on Soup and Starlings tickets, don’t panic! To further showcase Saltholme’s winter wildlife, we are running a Dawn Waders and Wildfowl Walk at 7:30am on Friday 1 December. Our wonderful Wardens will lead the walk, meaning everyone will have the opportunity to discover something fascinating about the birds of Saltholme regardless of whether you have been birdwatching for years or are just getting into it. This is also the perfect opportunity to see Saltholme outside normal opening hours, hopefully with a spectacular sunrise too. Just click on the link above to book tickets!
And that’s not all! At the risk of causing mass panic, we have to point out that a month today is Christmas Eve. While that fact sinks in, let us tell you about some of our upcoming Christmas events…
The Artisan and Eco Fair returns tomorrow! We’re really excited to welcome 19 stallholders to Saltholme to sell their wares. We have stained glass, jewellery, children’s clothes, sweets, candles and wax melts, plastic-free products, fairtrade products, art, cards….you get the idea. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic weekend of Christmas Shopping that doesn’t cost the Earth, so why not come along and browse?
Remember that VIP visit we mentioned? Were you thinking it was some TV star? A celebrity? A philanthropist? Well, it’s actually everything in one red suit- SANTA IS VISITING SALTHOLME!
On 9 December, Santa will expertly drive his sleigh into the Discovery Zone and sprinkle a bit of Christmas magic in the air. To make it a proper occasion, the Saltholme team are providing hot chocolate and craft activities as you wait to see Father Christmas himself. Want to book tickets? Just follow this link!
Recent Sightings:
So, there is one bit in the introduction we haven’t mentioned yet- the staff and visitor stampede. By a process of elimination, it has to be mentioned in this section doesn’t it? Oh ok, we won’t make you wait any longer…
Waxwings eat berries. Sometimes they eat so many berries they get a little tipsy from the fermenting fruit! Image Credit: Andy Hay, RSPB Images
The Waxwings are back! This is what caused the stampede when over 30 Waxwings showed up at Saltholme on Wednesday. They kept us on our toes, moving from the car park to the Alice in Wonderland table, via the Walled Garden. It’s been a good year for Waxwing sightings (called an ‘Irruption’ year), probably meaning the berries in Northern Europe are in short supply and so causing more birds to migrate to the UK.
The Kingfisher displayed incredibly well at the last Christmas Artisan and Eco Fair, causing a spike in kingfisher-related sales! Hopefully it will visit this year’s event too. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
Another showstopper is the Kingfisher. It has been confirmed that we have at least two on-site. As well as showing off on the Sand Martin nesting bank (on the Main Lake) and in our Discovery Zone, they have also been testing out the new Kingfisher perches in front of the Phil Stead hide. The Phil Stead hide is in our car park, so make sure to visit it next time you’re at Saltholme.
The bill of the Spoonbill is packed with sensors that detect vibrations made by amphibians and invertebrates hiding in the mud. Once detected, the creatures are caught with a side-to-side motion of this bill. Image Credit: Mike Langman, RSPB Images
The Spoonbill has also been delighting visitors this week. With it deciding to feed extremely close to the Saltholme Pools hide, we have been able to see the fantastic bill of this bird very well indeed!
And last but certainly not least, we just had to highlight this video- filmed by Ian Robinson- that shows the Starling murmurations seen on Thursday evening. This video gives a round-up of other species seen on the reserve recently, so it’s also well worth a watch!
We hope to see you soon!
References and Additional Reading
Butterfly Conservation (2023). Dingy Skipper [webpage]. Accessed through https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/dingy-skipper [last accessed 24/11/2023].
Butterfly Conservation (2023). Grayling [webpage]. Accessed through https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/grayling [last accessed 24/11/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Kingfisher [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/kingfisher [last accessed 24/11/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Marsh Harrier [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/marsh-harrier [last accessed 24/11/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Starling [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/starling [last accessed 24/11/2023].
The Wildlife Trusts (2023). Spoonbill [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/where_to_see_a_spoonbill [last accessed 24/11/2023].
The Wildlife Trusts (2023). Waxwing [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/woodpeckers-cuckoo-kingfisher-and-waxwing/waxwing [last accessed 24/11/2023].