Image Credit: Verity Hill, RSPB Images
It is now officially autumn. No, we can’t believe it either. But hey, that means the first of the winter migrant species are beginning to arrive at Saltholme. Read on to find out more!
News from the Estate:
If you have walked around our Discovery Zone this week, you might have noticed that you can see more of it. This is because our wonderful estates team have spent a large proportion of this week cutting back the reeds and grasses in this area. This not only improves access to our ponds, but also means visitors can more easily spot the wildlife that lives in this area.
What’s On:
Image Credit: Helen Pugh, RSPB Images
Leading on from the fact that you can now reach the Discovery Zone ponds more easily, we have been running pond dipping sessions for grown-ups this week. On Thursday and Friday, anyone who didn’t want to let the kids have all the fun in life got to discover the- often overlooked- creatures that lurk beneath the water’s surface. Haven’t had a chance to pond dip yet? THERE IS STILL TIME; we will be running pond dipping sessions until 2:30pm today. So come along to Saltholme and see what you can find!
Recent Sightings:
The nightjar is a bird that is more often heard than seen; the camouflage of this species allows it to hide away during the day. The individual that was seen at Saltholme this week blended in beautifully with the wooden rail it was perched on! Image Credit: Ruth Topping
The sighting of the week has to go to the nightjar that a member of staff saw on a lunchtime walk around the Discovery Zone. Perched right out in the open on the boardwalk rail, this bird was snoozing off a night of hunting moths and beetles. And, as if this sighting wasn’t special enough already, we think this is the first time a nightjar has been recorded on our site!
The yellow-browed warbler breeds in Siberia, using the UK as a stop-over on its winter migration route. Image Credit: Richard Brooks, RSPB Images
Also seen this week was the yellow-browed warbler. In case you were wondering what the distinctive feature of this bird is, look for a bright yellow ‘eyebrow’! As with most warblers, this species often lurks out of sight of cameras and binoculars, preferring to make its presence known with a high-pitched call.
Another winter migrant, the bar-tailed godwit breeds in Scandinavia and Siberia. Some over-winter in the UK. Others simply use this country as a resting point on a longer migration route. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
Hiding amongst the commoner black-tailed godwits was a lone bar-tailed godwit. If you think they sound similar, then you should see them standing next to each other. We think it was very mean of the bar-tailed godwit to hide amongst the black-tailed ones; who knew birdwatching could contain so much staring at the back end of birds? You could probably say it's setting the bar high for the tail-end of the September. Oh well, at least it gives you a side-by-side (or rump-to-rump) comparison of the two species.
Reedbeds like those we have at Saltholme provide water voles with an important refuge from American mink. Mink- as larger mammals- struggle to swim through the reeds. The smaller water voles can therefore escape this voracious predator more easily. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
We are remarkably lucky at Saltholme that we can be quite blasé about seeing water voles. In fact, it’s sometimes easy to forget that these adorable creatures are suffering serious population declines due to habitat loss and predation by American mink. So, a number of sightings of water voles this week- proving a continuing Saltholme stronghold- is both encouraging and incredibly special.
As always, there are many amazing species that we haven’t mentioned in this blog. There simply isn’t enough space. Why not watch this video- filmed recently by Ian Robinson- for a more complete round-up of Saltholme species?
We hope to see you soon!
References and Additional Reading
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Bar-tailed Godwit [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/bar-tailed-godwit/ [last accessed 21/09/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Black-tailed Godwit [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/black-tailed-godwit/ [last accessed 21/09/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Nightjar [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/nightjar/ [last accessed 21/09/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Yellow-browed Warbler [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/yellow-browed-warbler/ [last accessed 21/09/2022].
The Wildlife Trusts (2022). American Mink [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/american-mink [last accessed 21/09/2022].
The Wildlife Trusts (2022). Water Vole [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/water-vole [last accessed 21/09/2022].