What a year! 2022 has- nationally and internationally- been a rollercoaster ride. On a more local level, the year has brought new ventures, new species and new challenges to Saltholme. Read on to find out more!
New Ventures:
Image Credit: Jim Stephenson
As an RSPB reserve, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our land for wildlife and its conservation. We’ve started several projects this year, and seen older projects beginning to show results…
Back in January (if you can remember that far back. We’re not sure we can), we announced that we were giving some of our land back to nature. After creating a series of pools and hedgerows, we were going to take a step back and see what nature does next. Want the scientific explanation? Take a deep breath and read on…
An ecosystem, as defined by National Geographic (2022), is ‘a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work together to form a bubble of life.’ From this, you can see that the interactions between living things are as important- if not more so- than each individual species. If we remove too many species or change the landscape too much then the entire ecosystem is at risk of collapse. It also means that it can be harder for the ecosystem to recover by itself. By restoring and enhancing the landscape- through planting hedges and digging ponds- we are encouraging species to return to the area. Once those species are there, more will follow!
Not enough excitement for you? Well, the Wild Saltholme project will also be monitored by a PhD student! The RSPB is working with Teesside University to analyse how the soil, plants, and wildlife are changing on our Wild Saltholme site. Teesside University have obtained funding for a PhD student to research the monitoring of above and below ground biotic change. The programme will run from May 2023 to May 2027. For full details, click on this link.
If you have visited us recently, you may have noticed that we sprouted some diggers (both on our main reserve and on Cowpen Marsh). The reason? We’ve been improving our wet grassland areas! By digging new channels/opening up old ones, we create more areas through which water can flow (which is kind of important in a wet grassland). This creates more sites where insects such as dragonflies can breed, and also gives wading birds more food sources. Watch this space to see how this project unfolds in 2023!
Ok, the predator fence around our wet grassland was installed in 2021. But it’s been this year that we’ve really started to see the benefit of it. Ground-nesting birds such as lapwing and avocet have seen an increase in the number of chicks that survive to fledging. As well as the obvious benefit of fewer birds being eaten, fewer foxes and other land-based predators on the wet grassland changes the behaviour of these birds; the birds spread out more, as they don’t need to bunch together for protection. This leads to fewer nests (and therefore eggs) being trampled. As ground-nesting birds and waders are a conservation priority for Saltholme, it’s very encouraging to see this project boosting their population here.
These projects are, of course, on top of all the day-to-day conservation work that we do. A nature reserve is always busy, always changing, and always hugely valuable for wildlife and people. If you want to learn more about the work we do to support nature, you could:
New Species:
It’s also been an exciting year for wildlife sightings. Of course, we host many important, beautiful and fascinating species on our reserve and it is impossible to mention them all here; we're simply going to mention some of the highlights:
Image Credit: Mark Stokeld
We have hosted not one, not two, but THREE glossy ibis over the summer. We think these were three young birds that swapped sunny southern Europe for the Teesside coastline. As an occasional visitor to this country, we felt very honoured to have so many on our reserve at once.
Image Credit: eBird (2022)
Speaking of uncommon visitors, 2022 also brought a first record for Cleveland: a collared pratincole. Never seen one? It looks a little like a tern, but with a shorter beak and a wider colour palette. Not many people saw it at Saltholme either- it was only on-site for half an hour but caused quite a stir for the short while it was here as this species is usually only seen as far north as southern Europe. In October, the bird ought to have been on its migration journey to Africa. Needless to say, the bird began to fly south shortly after landing.
One species that spent more time here was the lesser yellowlegs. This North American wader flew into Saltholme in early September, and didn’t leave until the end of the month. It proved highly popular with photographers and birdwatchers, showing off its eponymous legs to great effect from the Philstead hide.
Image Credit: Verity Hill, RSPB Images
Last but certainly not least, another first for the region was the visiting nightjar. Using Saltholme as a resting point on its migration south, this nocturnal bird snoozed peacefully on a fencepost while the visitors, staff and volunteers looked on.
Of course, we’ve only covered birds in this section. We have had reports of new dragonfly species in the form of a southern migrant hawker, fantastic views of many owls and other birds of prey, a plethora of ducks, masses of mammals and much more. In our completely unbiased opinion, Saltholme is an incredible place for both people and wildlife. Why not visit us in the New Year and see what you can find?
New Challenges:
Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
Despite 2022 being overall a positive year for Saltholme, it has not been without its challenges. We of course have had to deal with the rising cost of energy, and the war in Ukraine has affected birds migrating from eastern Europe (and also the supply of sunflower seeds). On top of all this, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)- a form of avian flu- has once again been widespread in seabirds, gulls and geese. We have had confirmed cases of this disease at Saltholme and, while we have not seen the large-scale deaths other reserves have suffered, it remains a real concern.
We won’t dwell too long on HPAI in this blog, but there are plenty of resources available if you would like more information.
Summary:
Well, with another year under our belt, the future of Saltholme is looking bright. There are some exciting things to look forward to (but we're not telling you about them yet. You'll have to wait until 2023! Oh come on, is it any worse than waiting to open Christmas presents?) and even more wildlife sightings to wait for.
The future is not without its challenges- the Nature and Climate Emergency and HPAI being just two of them-but the staff and volunteers at Saltholme are more than proud to work in and maintain this place for both wildlife and people.
Everyone who visits Saltholme contributes to its growth, importance and conservation work. So, to all of you who have visited us in 2022, THANK YOU. And to all of you are thinking of visiting in 2023, we’re looking forward to welcoming you!
References and Additional Reading
British Dragonfly Society (2022). Southern Migrant Hawker [webpage]. Accessed through https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/species/southern-migrant-hawker/ [last accessed 27/12/2022].
British Trust for Ornithology (2022). Collared Pratincole [webpage]. Accessed through https://app.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob4650.htm [last accessed 27/12/2022].
British Trust for Ornithology (2022). Lesser Yellowlegs [webpage]. Accessed through https://app.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob5510.htm [last accessed 27/12/2022].
National Geographic (2022). Ecosystem [webpage]. Accessed through https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ecosystem [last accessed 27/12/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Avian Flu [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/disease-and-garden-wildlife/avian-influenza-updates/ [last accessed 27/12/2022].
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 27/12/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Lapwing [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/lapwing/ [last accessed 27/12/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Nightjar [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/nightjar/ [last accessed 27/12/2022].
The Wildlife Trusts (2022). Glossy Ibis [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/herons-egrets-spoonbill-and-crane/glossy-ibis [last accessed 27/12/2022].