British Science Week Blog Post 11/03/2022
Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
It’s British Science Week! From 11 to 20 March, people around the UK will be celebrating scientific subjects and all the benefits and opportunities they provide. Of course, as a nature reserve, conservation science is an essential part of our work. We want to tell you a bit more about our species monitoring programmes- what they are, how they work and why they are so important for the future of RSPB Saltholme. Read on to find out more!
What are surveys?
Image Credit: Fabian Harrison, RSPB Images
Collecting accurate data is crucial to scientific research; we need to collect data in a way that ensures the conclusions we draw from results can be trusted. This is where surveys come in. Surveys can come in many different forms, but all involve establishing a ‘method’ (basically a set of instructions) that everyone doing the survey must follow. In this way, multiple people can do the same survey in the same way and so the data collection remains objective and as unbiased as possible.
What surveys are done at Saltholme?
Image Credit: Tim Robinson
The short answer is lots! Many groups of species use Saltholme as either a temporary or permanent home, and we need to keep track of all of them! This means our wardens are always busy surveying something. These surveys include:
Why are these surveys so important?
The surveys done at Saltholme are important for several reasons:
Longitudinal studies are scientific investigations that happen over a long period of time. Surveys are repeated at regular intervals (for example, every month), so data builds up over time. This means that we can look back and see how species populations have changed. Crucially, this means we can see if a species is declining, meaning we can step in and prevent the situation getting worse.
Ecology is never as simple as it seems, mainly because everything interacts and affects each other! By conducting a wide range of surveys on a wide range of species and habitats, we stand a better chance of understanding the interactions within ecosystems and how changes in one species/habitat may affect others.
Surveys allow us to keep track of what species there are at Saltholme. Did you know that we only found out about our Bearded Stonewort because of a survey? Without that investigation, we would never know we were one of only two sites in England to have this critically endangered algae.
How can I get involved with conservation science?
Image Credit: Kelly Thomas, RSPB Images
Great question! There are so many ways you can get involved in survey work and science…
With these projects, anyone can get involved! It doesn’t matter if you have never done a survey before; all the information needed to accurately conduct the survey is provided.
Citizen science projects are a great way to get involved in science, meet like-minded people, and learn more about the amazing world in which we live! Some good citizen science projects to look out for are:
-Big Garden Birdwatch (RSPB): This nationwide project runs throughout the last weekend in January every year. Simply record the birds you see within an hour, either in your garden or a favourite local spot, and send in the results! For more information, click here.
-BeeWalk: (run by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust). Bumblebees are important pollinators. But, their numbers are declining. Sign up to count the bees in your local area once a month (March to November)!
-BioBlitz: There are bioblitz events happening up and down the country, so there should be one happening close to you!
For a round-up of citizen science projects in north east England, follow this link.
The estates team conduct surveys on our site and in nearby areas such as Seal Sands. Many of our estates team volunteers and hide guides take part in these surveys and are essential to ensuring these longitudinal studies can continue. So, if you want to get involved and have a good working knowledge of bird species, please get in touch!
Interested in science? There are loads of resources out there! It’s doesn’t have to be a book that doubles up as a doorstop, or the latest scientific papers; there are plenty of websites, magazines, pamphlets and identification guides out there that are either free or available for a small fee. There are lots of books available in shops (including our own shop here at Saltholme) that explain and discuss important concepts in conservation science. Our membership magazines tell you about the wider survey work of the RSPB. We also have a variety of pamphlets and ID guides available.
Knowing more about conservation science is a great starting point for learning what you can do to help the discipline.
Science really is for everyone so, if you need help finding resources, just ask!
The Weekly Saltholme Round-Up
The big news this week is that we now have a lovely new road surface leading up to our visitor centre! Due to access difficulties, this work meant we had to shut the reserve on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. But we are now open again and revelling in the lack of potholes.
In other news, our estates have been busy preparing the tern islands for the upcoming breeding seasons. Visitors on Thursday may have seen them on the islands in the main lake, shovelling cockle shells over the bare ground to encourage common terns to nest there this summer.
Image Credit: Mike Richards, RSPB Images
The sightings have been good this week too! On Monday, a ruff was seen from the Saltholme Pools hide. These birds use the UK as a stopover point on their migration route from Scandinavia to Africa. The name of this bird comes from the display feathers of the male, which form a ‘ruff’ around the neck of the bird.
Image Credit: Mike Langman, RSPB Images
We now have 3 Mediterranean gulls on site. This is very encouraging, as we know they bred here last year and things are looking very promising for this year too! The avocets are still showing well at the Saltholme Pools hide; hopefully they too will have a good breeding season!
We have also seen a great white egret, short-eared owl and spoonbill.
Well, that's everything for this week. We hope to see you at Saltholme soon!
References and Additional Reading
British Science Association (2022). British Science Week 2022 [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.britishscienceweek.org/ [last accessed 09/03/2022].
Bumblebee Conservation Trust (2021). BeeWalk [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/beewalk/ [last accessed 09/03/2022].
Bumblebee Conservation Trust (2022). BeeWalk Survey Scheme [webpage]. Accessed through https://beewalk.org.uk/ [last accessed 09/03/2022].
National Biodiversity Network Trust (2022). National Bioblitz Network [webpage]. Accessed through https://nbn.org.uk/tools-and-resources/useful-websites/national-bioblitz-network/ [last accessed 09/03/2022].
Natural History Society of Northumbria (2020). Citizen Science [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.nhsn.org.uk/citizen-science/ [last accessed 09/03/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Avocet [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/avocet/ [last accessed 11/03/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Big Garden Birdwatch [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/ [last accessed 09/03/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Common Tern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/common-tern/ [last accessed 09/03/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Great White Egret [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/great-white-egret/ [last accessed 09/03/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Mediterranean Gull [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/mediterranean-gull/ [last accessed 09/03/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Ruff [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/ruff/ [last accessed 09/03/2022]
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Short-eared Owl [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/short-eared-owl/ [last accessed 09/03/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Spoonbill [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/spoonbill/ [last accessed 09/03/2022].
The Wildlife Trusts (2022). Ruff [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/wading-birds/ruff [last accessed 09/03/2022].