Image Credit: RSPB
Hello you wonderful people, and welcome back to the latest gripping instalment of life at RSPB Saltholme. We know you can’t wait to delve into what has been happening this week, so we won’t keep you waiting any longer- read on for more.
News from the Estate:
Japanese Knotweed is an invasive species- it grows very quickly, shading out smaller plants and therefore reducing the biodiversity in that area. Image Credit: Japanese Knotweed Limited
On Tuesday, the Estates Team visited the Haverton Viewpoint to trim vegetation around the bases of Japanese Knotweed. Japanese Knotweed is an invasive plant that requires controlling to make sure it doesn’t shade out other species. So, the Knotweed should not need to block the weeds that spread seeds when there is not Knotweed; we, in other words, do not need the Knotweed and neither does our wildlife. Hope that makes sense. Basically, we’re trimming the vegetation around the Knotweed so we can apply herbicide to the Knotweed leaves. This kills the Knotweed (leaving Notweed?) without harming the surrounding vegetation (‘weeds’ that are not Knotweed).
Ok, sorry, we’ll stop mentioning Knotweed now.
BUT that wasn’t the only vegetation trimming the Estates Team did this week. They have also been busy strimming and cutting vegetation from around our signs and footpaths, making sure our visitors have clear instructions on where to go next. It also means butterflies and dragonflies have plenty of bare ground to use as basking spots, making the most of this wonderful sunshine!
What’s On:
All stages of the dragonfly life cycle can be found at Saltholme; adult dragonflies lay eggs on reeds and other pond vegetation, and nymphs lurk in our ponds and pools. Image Credit: David Chandler, RSPB Images.
The weather has improved so much that the dragonflies are all emerging and becoming much more active. It’s almost like they know we are running a Dragonfly Walk on 5 July! This promises to be a stunning event, with the opportunity to discover the dazzling dragonflies and damselflies of Saltholme with the guidance of our wonderful walk leaders. What will you find? Of course, the only way to answer that question is to book tickets, so just follow the link above!
As the Saltholme BioBlitz draws ever closer (13 July, if you’d forgotten), we wanted to highlight the Early Morning Bird Walk that will be run as part of this auspicious occasion. Because this Early Morning Bird Walk is part of the BioBlitz, tickets are being sold at a reduced price! So, you can now enjoy our incredible wildlife outside our normal opening hours, for less! Book your tickets by clicking on the link above!
Recent Sightings:
Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
Once again, Bitterns are top of the sightings list, being seen regularly from the Haverton Viewpoint. You would usually have to be (a) incredibly lucky and (b) incredibly patient to see a Bittern, but fortunately for us and our visitors the recent sightings have negated both of those necessities. All we can say is, enjoy it while it lasts!
Sandwich Terns are larger than Common or Arctic Terns, and have mainly black bills instead of mainly red bills. Image Credit: Chris Gomersall, RSPB Images.
Of course, the Bittern is not the only bird that has been seen this week. We have also seen a Sandwich Tern! We’re currently debating if we should call this individual BLT (for Beautiful Lovely Tern, of course). In fact, the Sandwich Tern was heard before it was seen- its unmistakeable call is very different from that of the Common Terns that nest on the Main Lake islands, making the different species easy to spot.
Image Credit: Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
If that isn’t enough to entice you to our reserve, let us tell you about the Ruddy Shelduck that flew into (don’t worry, not literally) the Wet Grassland on Tuesday. The name of this bird refers to its incredible colour, which also makes it easy to spot against the more muted blues and greens of the surrounding habitat. Keep an eye out for it on your next visit!
Image Credit: Andy Hay, RSPB Images
And finally, we just have to mention the Common Sandpiper that was found piping the sand and mud around the Saltholme Pools hide. Despite ‘Common’ being in the name, this sandpiper is actually not always easy to see. Its incredible markings also make it hard to pick out amongst its habitat (opposite to the Ruddy Shelduck) and so it provides a good birdwatching challenge for visitors and staff alike.
Congratulations, you made it to the end of the blog post. Aw we know you don’t want to go but we’re sorry, there are just too many incredible species to see and so much conservation work to do. You’ll just have to wait until next week. You could always visit us in the meantime…
References and Additional Reading
British Trust for Ornithology (2024). Ruddy Shelduck [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/ruddy-shelduck [last accessed 27/06/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Bittern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bittern [last accessed 27/06/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Common Sandpiper [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/common-sandpiper [last accessed 27/06/2024].
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 28/06/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Sandwich Tern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/sandwich-tern [last accessed 28/06/2024].