With the end of the Easter holidays, you could be forgiven for thinking that life at Saltholme has slowed down this week. However, birds have had nests to build (and some even have eggs to look after), food to eat and visitors to impress. Our team has been working hard to look after the site that these birds rely on, and to ensure everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the reserve. Read on to find out more!
News from the Estate:
Image Credit: Adam Jones
The Willow Maze has been the centre of attention this week; the work party have been cutting the willow back down to ground level. This may look suspiciously like we are destroying the maze, but this will encourage new growth. The plan is to tie in this new growth over the summer, providing a frame on which a new maze can grow.
What’s On:
Eagle-eyed visitors may have noticed that the reserve has sprouted two large huts- one outside our shop, and the other by the ponds in the discovery zone.
The shop’s hut will become the perfect ‘try before you buy’ spot, with a chance to test out binoculars sold in our shop without having to worry about what the weather is doing. It’ll also be a great place to watch all the activity on our Main Lake; sometimes, a viewing window is just not the same as being outside with the wildlife. This new viewing area will give you the perfect opportunity to birdwatch in comfort. So there you go, don’t say we never give you anything!
The discovery zone hut will become an outdoor learning area for our school visits. We’ve decided it’s a bit mean to make primary school children stand out in rain, sleet, burning sun or anything else the great British weather could throw at us. This outdoor learning area will be a great base from which schools can enjoy our tailored learning sessions.
If you are interested in booking your class onto one of our tailored outdoor learning experiences (available in late May or from July), contact our Learning Officer- Josh Swales- at josh.swales@rspb.org.uk.
Recent Sightings:
The wildlife has definitely been showing off this week (not that we’re complaining). We’ve had water voles scuttling across footpaths, hares posing in the car park, and foxes sprinting into hedgerows. In other words, all the mammals have been diving here there and everywhere. The birds, on the other hand, have had other things on their minds….
We now have lapwing chicks outside the Saltholme Pools hide! They are currently in the scrape, just to the right of the hide. Also at the Saltholme Pools hide THE AVOCETS ARE ON NESTS! This is brilliant news- we are really hoping these birds have a good breeding season, and the presence of nests is a pretty vital part of this!
Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
Grasshopper warblers are hopping around the shrubs and bushes, and these migratory birds are joined at Saltholme by another famous flier- the swallows are back! We’ve just seen one or two this week, but others shouldn’t be too far behind.
Both Whitethroat and lesser whitethroat have been seen at several points around the reserve. As you can imagine, the main identifying feature of these birds are their white throats. The lesser whitethroat is slightly smaller than the whitethroat (which is about the same size as a great tit). These birds tend to eat insects over the summer months, which might be why they like Saltholme- we have a lot of bugs flying around!
Image Credit: Mike Langman, RSPB Images
A spotted redshank, resplendent in its summer plumage has been showing off at the Saltholme Pools hide. ‘What is so special about the summer plumage?’ you may ask. Well, it’s not every day you get to see the striking black feathers with white spots that this species displays when they decide it’s warm enough. Come and have a look while it’s still around!
Phew! That’s about everything for this week. But to be honest, there have been so many amazing sightings that we simply do not have space to mention them all in this blog. Ian Robinson has done another brilliant round-up video, which you can access here. But we hope to see you at Saltholme soon to experience these sightings for yourself!
References and Further Reading
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 29/04/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Grasshopper Warbler [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/grasshopper-warbler/ [last accessed 29/04/2022].
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 29/04/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Lesser Whitethroat [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/lesser-whitethroat/ [last accessed 29/04/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Spotted Redshank [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/spotted-redshank/ [last accessed 29/04/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Swallow [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swallow/ [last accessed 29/04/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Whitethroat [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/whitethroat/ [last accessed 29/04/2022].
The Wildlife Trusts (2022). Brown Hare [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/brown-hare [last accessed 29/04/2022].
The Wildlife Trusts (2022). Red Fox [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/red-fox [last accessed 29/04/2022].
The Wildlife Trusts (2022). Water Vole [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/water-vole [last accessed 29/04/2022].