Image Credit: RSPB
What a glorious week! Not only was the weekend and early part of the week beset by sunshine, we then had the wonderful smell of light rain on dry ground on Tuesday and Wednesday. Did you know the smell of rain is called ‘Petrichor’? Well, there you go. Of course, that’s not the only thing you will learn if you continue reading…it’s been an incredibly busy week here at Saltholme (even by our standards) and we want to tell you all about it! Read on for more…
News from the Estate:
An extended ‘News from the Estate’ section this week, as the Estates Team certainly have a lot of news!
Working in wildlife conservation is rarely glamorous, but the wonderful outdoors brings its own beauty! Image Credit: Katie Nethercoat, RSPB Images
If you see any of our wardens clutching a coffee like it’s the one thing reminding them of who they are and why they’re here, that’s probably because it is. For the birds, breeding season is in full swing which means, for our wardens, survey season is also in full swing. They have been up at all hours counting nests, chicks, arriving species, predator activity and much more. It’s not every job where you get to start your working day at 5:30am, but there are benefits as well as sleep deprivation:
Firstly, our wardens and wider team are all hugely passionate about conserving wildlife. Surveys are an essential part of that conservation work as they allow us to monitor populations and spot any trends in population sizes. This informs our future conservation work. Secondly, there is something remarkable about a nature reserve at dawn- not only are the birds starting the day with a torrent of birdsong, there are also sunrises to watch, insects to identify and sights to see. Not bad is it?
A well-earned tray-bake break (a tray-break?) on Global Big Day. Image Credit: Matthew Scarborough.
After all that hard work, you may think a warden’s day off involves sleep and not much else. But as mentioned previously, our wonderful wardens LOVE their job! So, on Saturday 11 May, our wardens used their day off to get up at- you guessed it- 5:30am and head down to- you guessed this too- RSPB Saltholme to take part in Global Big Day. Global Big Day is an annual celebration of birdlife in your local area; the aim is to count as many different species as possible and submit your results to a global database, which can use this information to monitor bird populations. At Saltholme, the team saw a total of 92 species in one day (87 of which were on our main site)! This is in addition to 11 butterfly species, 3 damselfly species and a dragonfly species. Not bad for a day off!
We have a series of Dragonfly Pools on the way to our Saltholme Pools hide. There is also an incredible sculpture that shows the life cycle of a dragonflies/damselflies. Keep an eye out for it on your next visit! Image Credit: Claire Freeburn
And then, because the wardens are so amazing, they came back after their well-earned days off and jumped straight back into conservation work! Quite literally ‘jumping in’ as this week the Estates Team have been removing blanket weed from the Dragonfly Pools and putting out the moveable Tern Rafts on the Main Lake. This is in addition to removing small bramble plants from the path at Dorman’s Pool hide and- you’re getting good at guessing this- more surveys! So, next time you see a member of our Estates Team, give them a pat on the back!
What’s On:
Whilst the Visitor Experience Team haven’t been quite as busy as the Wardens, there have still been plenty of events to organise and run.
Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
If you are jealous of our Wardens getting to spend the very early morning at Saltholme, our Dawn Chorus Walk on Saturday 18 May gives you the chance to join in! Starting at 4:30am, this guided event will be worth the early start as it will give you the unique opportunity to witness the dawn chorus at Saltholme. This promises to be something really special, especially as you will have experts on-hand to guide you through what birdsong you are hearing and what species you are seeing! Missed out on tickets this time? Don’t worry, we will be running it again in the future!
As well as the Dawn Chorus walk, May Half Term is rapidly approaching (25 May- 2 June). It promises to be a week of fun and frivolity with Pond Dipping, Activity Trails, Buckets of Fun and much more. Make sure to visit us to take part! Oh, and remember you can get more Saltholme Passport stamps…
Recent Sightings:
If you thought the two previous blog sections were longer than usual, just wait for the recent sightings! The wildlife has been throwing itself at us this week and we just have to mention it all! To make the information slightly more digestible, we’ll break it into 3 sections- chicks, terns and unusual sightings…
CHICKS:
There are many young birds at Saltholme, but the two species we wanted to mention this week are the adorable Redshank chicks on the wet grassland and the Great Crested Grebe chicks at Haverton.
Redshank use their long legs and bills to find food in water and mud. Image Credit: Andy Hay, RSPB Images.
The Redshank chicks represent the first brood of the year at Saltholme for this species. Whilst the UK hosts around 130,000 of these birds over the winter months, only about 25,000 pairs breed in the UK (that’s just under 40% of the winter population). So, we’re very lucky to have this brood at Saltholme!
Great Crested Grebe chicks have different markings to the adults. This is to help them blend in with their surroundings and avoid predators. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
Great Crested Grebe chicks are also fascinating. They look like animated mint humbugs and ride around on their parents’ backs when they are very young. The Great Crested Grebe pair that can be seen from the Haverton Viewpoint are currently carrying their chicks around on their backs- a sure sign of Spring and always a welcome sight for visitors!
TERNS:
Black Terns get their name from their breeding plumage. However, they have distinctive black head markings throughout the year. Image Credit: RSPB
Three tern species to mention this week, starting with the four Black Terns that stopped at our Main Lake on Sunday. As this species feeds by picking food from the surface of the water our Main Lake- well-stocked with fish- will have provided the perfect re-fuelling stop for these beautiful birds. Their presence was certainly a tern-up for the books.
Our Common Tern breeding colony was heavily affected by avian flu, so it's fantastic to see them back in the breeding season. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
As well as the Black Terns, we have also had plenty of Common Terns and Arctic Terns on the Main Lake islands. We are particularly pleased to see the Common Terns returning (no pun intended)- we have one of the largest inland breeding colonies of Common Tern in the UK, but avian flu enormously depleted their breeding population here (and elsewhere). Their presence here at Saltholme once again is a real sign of hope for the future.
UNUSUAL SIGHTINGS:
Image Credit: Chris Knights, British Trust for Ornithology.
Firstly, a Red-breasted Goose has made friends with the Canada Geese and Greylag Geese on our Wet Grassland. There has been some debate as to the origin of this goose- is it an escapee, or has it travelled as part of a mixed-species flock from the Arctic Tundra? We may never know. Either way, we’re very glad to have it here!
The Hobby is about the same size as a Kestrel, but looks much more like a Swift when in flight. Image Credit: RSPB
On the same day as the Black Terns’ arrival, a Hobby flew into the reserve. The best views were from our car park, showing that you don’t even need to get through the front door to see all our incredible wildlife!
As with most warblers, the Savi's Warbler is more easily identified by its song than by its looks. Image Credit: RSPB
And last but certainly not least, Haverton Viewpoint became the ‘it’ place on Thursday and Friday. Not only does it have incredible views over Saltholme, Great Crested Grebes and gorgeous reedbeds, this week it has also had a Savi’s Warbler and a Red-backed Shrike! The Savi’s Warbler is a welcome returning visitor, having flown into the area around Haverton last year and caused great excitement. With the addition of the Shrike, the excitement this year is palpable!
In fact, let’s finish the blog there so you can all finish your cup of tea/coffee and visit Saltholme to see these incredible birds for your yourself! We hope to see you very soon.
References and Additional Reading
British Trust for Ornithology (2024). Red-breasted Goose [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/red-breasted-goose [last accessed 15/05/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Arctic Tern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/arctic-tern [last accessed 15/05/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Black Tern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/black-tern/ [last accessed 15/05/2024].
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 15/05/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Great Crested Grebe [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/great-crested-grebe [last accessed 15/05/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Hobby [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/hobby [last accessed 15/05/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Red-backed Shrike [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/red-backed-shrike [last accessed 16/05/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Redshank [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/redshank [last accessed 15/05/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Savi’s Warbler [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/savis-warbler [last accessed 16/05/2024].