Image Credit: Lydia Cave
How is it February already?! They really don’t make years like they used to. But, the dawn of a new month means we’re one step closer to spring, and therefore we have lots going on at Saltholme. Here is this week’s round-up…
News from the Estate
The estates teams are busy prepping for the coming of spring. They have been cleaning and re-vamping our tern islands (both natural and artificial), ready for the re-tern (get it?) of these birds in May/June. It’s important to keep these islands clear of vegetation, as common terns like patches of bare ground to nest on. This means they can nest in colonies, and so work together to protect nests and chicks from any predators that may be around.
The team have also been working in the Haverton area of the reserve, cutting back shrubs that have started to become overgrown. It’s important to keep vegetation relatively open to allow butterfly species into this area over the summer months. Butterflies are important pollinators, moving pollen from one plant to another thereby allowing them to breed. Butterflies are therefore important contributors to our wildflower meadows!
What’s On
February has snuck up on us with alarming stealth. But at least that means Mud Month has arrived! In fact, today marks the start of our first Welly Weekend!
Come along to Saltholme to make the most of the soggy weather by jumping in our welly splash, cooking up something sloppy in our mud kitchen, and getting stuck (not literally) into a game of welly noughts and crosses.
Oh, and we a family of welly dogs visiting our reserve. How many will you find on your visit?
Image Credit: Neil Harrison, RSPB Images
Following on from the Big Garden Bird Watch, we have been encouraging our younger visitors to get stuck into the Big Schools Birdwatch This event is a great way to get kids interested in the natural world whilst contributing to important scientific research. We provide all the resources you will need when you sign up online. Why not follow the link above and give it a go?
Recent Sightings
Image Credit: Lockhart Horsburgh
We have had good views of a spoonbill on the reserve this week. In fact, it was even seen fishing! The picture above was taken by one of our hide guides, and shows the spoonbill tucking into a stickleback!
Image Credit: John Markham, RSPB Images
We have also had our first lesser black-backed gull sighting of 2022! This gull was seen from the Philstead Hide on Wednesday morning. Despite having a reputation for stealing chips, these birds are not doing as well as you would think; 40% of Europe’s breeding population is found in the UK, and more than half of these breeding pairs are found at less than 10 sites. This limited breeding range makes this species vulnerable to change, and so they are on the Amber List of conservation concern.
Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
One of our barn owls was also seen flying around the reserve on Wednesday morning. With all the bad weather we had over the weekend, it could be trying to make up for lost time in terms of hunting!
Of course, there have been many other species spotted at the reserve this week. One of our volunteers, Ian Robinson, has filmed a summary video of the wildlife seen recently on the reserve. You can watch it here. Why not let us know what you have seen at Saltholme recently?
References and Additional Reading
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Barn Owl [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/barn-owl/ [last accessed 02/02/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Big Schools Birdwatch [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/fun-and-learning/for-teachers/schools-wild-challenge/activities/big-schools-birdwatch/ [last accessed 02/02/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Lesser black-backed gull [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/lesser-black-backed-gull/ [last accessed 02/02/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Spoonbill [webage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/spoonbill/ [last accessed 02/02/2022].
The Wildlife Trusts (2022). Lesser black-backed gull [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/seabirds/lesser-black-backed-gull [last accessed 02/02/2022].