Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
Well, that’s August nearly over. Where has the time gone?! Well, for us it has gone very productively this week- almost as productive as a cough. We’ve completed loads of conservation work, engaged with loads of visitors and have seen loads of birds! Read on for more…
News from the Estate:
We have one of the largest inland breeding colonies of Common Tern in the UK. Image Credit: Lockhart Horsburgh
The Estates Team have spent the last week of August preparing the reserve for next year. Yes, we approach conservation in the same way you should approach revision- the more preparation you do, the easier it is to deal with whatever life throws at you at the time. So, here’s the preparation we’ve been doing:
On Tuesday, you may have seen people where Black-headed Gulls once nested. The people are only there so the Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns return for the breeding season next year. This is because the people are our Estates Team, who spent the day removing vegetation from the islands at Paddy’s Pool. This is so the bare ground conditions that these species prefer are maintained, encouraging (hopefully) more nesting next year.
Over the course of several years, the Estates Team have been painstakingly re-growing and repairing the Willow Maze near the playground. This week, more willow whips have been woven together and the maze is starting to look a-maze-ing! Hopefully it will be open to the general public again in the relatively near future (i.e. next year).
The willow maze (and lots of other things) show that we would be lost without our Estates Team!
What’s On:
It's always good to take a moment to pause and reflect! Image Credit: Lockhart Horsburgh.
It’s the last week of the summer holidays (at least, it is for us) and so staff, volunteers and visitors have been making the most of the last week of activities. Our trails, Buckets of Fun, pond dipping and Saltholme Safaris have been more than enough to jump-start the brains of our younger visitors, ready for the start of the new school year. We’re confident that many of these children will bounce joyfully back into the classroom to tell their friends and teachers about their Saltholme adventures. That’s exactly how the return to school works, right?
Thinking beyond the start of the school year, September holds many events to look forward to. We’d like to highlight the Mindfulness Art Sessions in this blog, as these seem like the perfect way to relax and unwind after 6 weeks of entertaining children. If you fancy using nature’s sounds, colours and shapes to inspire the creation of an artwork to take home with you, this is the event for you! No artistic skills or experience is required- this session is all about unwinding and making whatever you want to make! Interested? For more information and to book tickets, click on the link above.
Recent Sightings:
Spotted Flycatchers weigh less than 20 grams! Image Credit: Matthew Scarborough.
We spotted a Spotted Flycatcher catching flies this week. Spotted Flycatchers catch flies from on high- a high perch helps them spot flies, then it’s just a short flight to catch the fly (on the fly) before returning to the perch to spot more flies to catch. It truly is a bird that lives up to its name!
Kingfishers are sensitive to water pollution, so their presence is a sign of good-quality ponds. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
Next on our list for this week is one of the UK’s crowning glories- a Kingfisher! We usually get Kingfishers in the winter, so this one might just be casting around or angling for the best fishing spot. Well, as they say, the early bird catches the worm (or the fish)!
The Osprey can have a wingspan of up to 170 centimetres! Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
Last but certainly not least is the Osprey flew over the reserve mid-week. These fantastic Birds of Prey are seen over the reserve relatively frequently as they migrate from one place to another between seasons. Did you know that Ospreys travel over 5000 kilometres to West Africa for the winter. This arduous journey can take as little as 13 days of continuous flight!
Well, the Ospreys may have enough time for 13 days of continuous flight, but we certainly do not have time to spend that long on one task. And so we regret to inform you that this is the end of the blog for this week. We hope you have enjoyed hearing about the amazing things that have been happening at Saltholme this week, and we also hope you have been able to tolerate the puns through which you have to wade to get that information. If you want to enjoy all that Saltholme has to offer with less exposure to puns, we recommend visiting us in person!
We hope to see you soon!
References and Additional Reading
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Black-headed Gull [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/black-headed-gull [last accessed 29/08/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Common Tern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/common-tern [last accessed 29/08/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Kingfisher [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/kingfisher [last accessed 30/08/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Osprey [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/osprey [last accessed 30/08/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Spotted Flycatcher [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/spotted-flycatcher [last accessed 30/08/2024].
Scottish Wildlife Trust (2024). Osprey Fact File [webpage]. Accessed through https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/scotlands-wildlife/osprey-fact-file [last accessed 30/08/2024].