Image Credit: Mary Hon
Ah yes, the end of April. Don’t you just love it when the end of April involves sleet splatting against the window like congealed soup? Fortunately for us, the wildlife seen this week has more than made up for the deplorable state of the weather. Read on for more!
News from the Estate:
We are often treated to spectacular sunrises and sunsets at Saltholme. Honestly, the sun does shine occasionally!
What our Estates Team lack in sleep, they make up for in enthusiasm; with the arrival of Spring (yes, really, it’s here) the wardens and residential volunteers have been busy completing dawn surveys of nesting birds as well as completing their usual day-to-day tasks. It may involve early starts and late finishes, but working on a nature reserve and knowing you’re contributing to the conservation of wildlife is certainly a very special feeling. And we have plenty of coffee available afterwards.
Sand Martins dig burrows up to 1 metre long in our artificial nesting bank! Image Credit: Mary Hon.
As well as counting and appreciating the wonderful wildlife for themselves, the Estates Team have also made sure that visitors have access to the best possible views of said wildlife. This week, the vegetation around the artificial Sand Martin nesting bank has been cleared before the breeding season starts for this species. This not only helps the birds by making sure they have clear flight paths to-and-from their burrows, but also means visitors can enjoy much clearer views of all the Sand Martin activity!
What’s On:
Speaking of dawn surveys and early mornings, we’re giving YOU the opportunity to experience Saltholme as you have never seen it before in our Dawn Chorus Walk! On 18 May, meet at Saltholme bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 4am to start what promises to be a walk that is a feast for the senses. With experts on-hand to talk you through the huge variety of birdsong that wakes up the reserve, and plenty of incredible wildlife to spot, this will certainly be an event that’s worth the early start. Oh, and you get breakfast in our café afterwards so you can finish watching the reserve wake up from the comfort of a comfy chair and a caffeinated beverage.
Also in May is our latest Nature Tots session. Specifically, the next session is on 6 May. This event starts in the morning but not quite as early as the Dawn Chorus Walk...10:30am. Bring along pre-schoolers and associated responsible adults for a morning of family fun! This is a great event for learning about wildlife in a safe and supportive environment. We hope to see you there!
Recent Sightings:
Moorhens are also known as Marsh Hens. Image Credit: Mary Hon.
One of the many many joys of working on- or visiting- a nature reserve is that get to see all the hatching chicks! This week, the first Moorhen and Lapwing chicks have been spotted at our Wildlife Watchpoint hide and on the wet grassland. Watching the next generation of wildlife thrive is always incredibly special and is certainly a fantastic motivation when it comes to conservation work!
Female Black-tailed Godwits are larger and heavier than the males, with longer beaks. This means they can reach further into mud for food, so avoids competition for food between males and females. Image Credit: Adam Jones
Another highlight of a nature reserve in Spring is the opportunity to admire the breeding plumage of many different species. The species with its glad rags on this week is the Black-tailed Godwit. Granted, this wading bird is spectacular in every season. However, there is something special about the deep, rusty orange feathers that they use to try and impress each other. It’s easy to see that it’s a strategy that would work pretty well!
Swallows feed on flying insects, just like Swifts. However, these two bird species tend to feed at different heights in the air to avoid direct competition between each other. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
The first Swallows and Swifts have also now been recorded on-site! These agile flyers are perfectly adapted to life on the wing- Swifts in particular only really land to breed, even being able to sleep whilst in flight! Listen for the chatter of Swallows and the screaming of Swifts on your next visit.
Wheatears are another species that migrate from central Africa to breed in the UK. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
Last but certainly not least is the Wheatear- a group have decided that Paddy’s Pool hide is the ideal place to look for food and mates (not necessarily in that order). We’re very happy about this, particularly as it means visitors have had incredible views of these gorgeous birds as they hop around directly in front of the hide windows!
That’s all we have time for today, but as always there are plenty more spectacular species to discover at Saltholme. The only way you’ll really get to know the variety of life on-site is to of course visit. But, if a teaser trailer will persuade you further to visit, watch this video (filmed by Ian Robinson) to see what has been found at Saltholme recently.
We hope to see you soon!
References and Additional Reading
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Black-tailed Godwit [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/black-tailed-godwit [last accessed 26/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Lapwing [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/lapwing [last accessed 26/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Moorhen [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/moorhen [last accessed 26/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Sand Martin [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/sand-martin [last accessed 25/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Swallow [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/swallow [last accessed 26/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Swift [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/swift [last accessed 26/04/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Wheatear [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wheatear [last accessed 26/04/2024].