Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
As the second week of Easter Holiday activities draws to a close, another blog comes along to tell you all about what has been happening at Saltholme. Lucky you! So settle down and read all about the amazing wildlife, amazing events and amazing conservation work on our amazing reserve…
News from the Estate:
Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
Conservation isn’t all about busying yourself with enormous machinery, creating new landscapes and wrestling with deep ecological issues. Sometimes, it’s simply about working out what is going on and how we can best help the wildlife in that situation. This week, this meant cutting and clearing grass from around the Dragonfly Pools. Cutting the grass gives wildflowers a chance to get established and grow without being out-competed by faster-growing grasses. In turn, wildflowers provide nectar for bees, butterflies and other insects. A benefit of this work is also that visitors can look into the Dragonfly Pools more easily, discovering the huge array of life that lives below the water’s surface at Saltholme.
And that’s not all! On Thursday, the Estates Team also practiced their willow weaving skills. This is part of the project to re-grow and re-weave the willow maze by the playground. So, watch this space!
What’s On:
Drum roll please…tomorrow is our BIG BIRTHDAY PARTY!
To celebrate 15 years since Saltholme first opened its doors to the public, 2024 is full of events to mark this auspicious occasion. Our Big Birthday Party is exactly what it says on the tin…a big celebration with fun for the whole family! For just £1 per activity, you can try out pond dipping, minibeast hunting, mindfulness art sessions, guided walks, talks, and much more! All activities will be running between 10am and 3pm, so come along tomorrow and join us for our celebrations!
Recent Sightings:
We have an anti-predator fence circling our Wet Grassland, allowing the Red List Lapwings to breed without the risk of predation by foxes. This also means the birds spread out more, reducing the risk of eggs or chicks being trampled. Image Credit: Adam Jones
With the arrival of Spring, we expecting the arrival of eggs and chicks in the very near future. The birds are also expecting it, as they have started to build nests! From the Saltholme Pools hide, you can now see several Lapwing and Avocet nests scattered around the wet grassland. Both of these birds are ground-nesters, meaning their eggs have evolved to be extremely well-camouflaged against the ground to protect them from hungry eyes. When you are out walking at this time of year (anywhere, not just at Saltholme), please keep to footpaths and take care of eggs and nests that might be hiding nearby.
The Wood Sandpiper is a passage migrant, meaning it only stops off at Saltholme briefly before flying on to Northern Europe to breed. Image Credit: RSPB
A Wood Sandpiper joined the party at Paddy’s Pool on Thursday, charming visitors and staff alike. Like many other wading birds, the recent project to improve the wet grassland and other wetland areas of Saltholme should greatly benefit this species.
The Common Gull isn’t really that common at all! It can be hard to distinguish from a Herring Gull, but is slightly smaller and has greenish-yellow legs as opposed to pale pink ones. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
Are you feeling gull-ty? We certainly were…we had both a PAIR of Common Gulls on the Main Lake AND a Little Gull on the Main Lake earlier in the week. Both of these gulls are not common inland, so it’s been fantastic to have them on-site.
Other notable mentions this week have included the Yellow Wagtail seen on the wet grassland on Thursday and the first Swallow of the year on the Main Lake!
Otters have their cubs in underground burrows, which are called ‘holts’. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
And last but certainly not least was the Otter that was seen at Saltholme Pools on Wednesday afternoon! These beautiful mammals are regularly on-site but not often seen, so this individual was a very special sighting.
Well, that’s all we have time for this week as we’ve got lots of party planning to do! Please join us tomorrow for a day filled with fun!
References and Additional Reading
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Avocet [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/avocet [last accessed 04/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Common Gull [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/common-gull [last accessed 04/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Lapwing [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/lapwing [last accessed 04/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Little Gull [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/little-gull [last accessed 04/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Swallow [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/swallow [last accessed 05/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Wood Sandpiper [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wood-sandpiper [last accessed 04/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Yellow Wagtail [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/yellow-wagtail [last accessed 05/04/2024].
The Wildlife Trusts (2024). European Otter [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/european-otter [last accessed 04/04/2024].