With just over a week left of the school holidays the team at Saltholme have been reflecting on what a fantastic summer we have had so far. We're on Minibeast week this week and the recent spell of damp weather followed by a brighter spell has meant that the invertebrates of Saltholme have been particularly obliging. plenty of creepy crawlies are being caught in our sweep nets and the grasshoppers are in full 'voice'. The last week of the holidays we will have the theme of 'waterworld' No, Kevin Costner wont be joining us for a week! We'll be exploring the reason that this reserve is such a fantastic place for wildlife, it is of course a wetland reserve!
The middle of August is traditionally a poorer time for bird watching, when many birders look to wildflowers, moths and butterflies to keep their interest in the natural world piqued, Here at Saltholme however we have had a flurry of activity, as well as the usual late summer residents such as yellow wagtail with their now juvenile offspring, swallows and sand martins, we have had an influx of early migrants.
Dave A, one of our regular Tuesday Saltholme guide volunteers managed to get us quite an impressive list yesterday, starting the day with a short eared owl in the Discovery Zone. The day continued to improve, despite the weather yesterday with marsh harrier and a female smew adding to the highlights of the day.
Turns out August isn't such a bad time to see birds after all...
Full list courtesy of Dave A on 18 August
Black tailed godwit, magpie, lapwing, common tern, gadwall, mallard, coot, moorhen, little egret, shoveler, teal, water rail, starling, gargany, snipe, herring gull, little grebe, greenshank, woodpigeon, curlew, short eared owl, marsh harrier, great tit, tree sparrow, wren, blue tit, greenfinch, cormorant, goldfinch, lesser black backed gull, mute swan, canada goose, sand martin, swallow, ruff, dunlin, pied wagtail, little grebe, greylag goose, wigeon, meadow pipit, black headed gull, barnacle goose, tufted duck, grey herron, carrion crow, redshank, smew (female) pochard, great crested grebe.