Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
Brace yourself…it’s now suddenly warm enough to be t-shirt weather! Some of our staff and volunteers are now exhibiting…bare ankles. But don’t worry, that’s not the most dramatic thing that has happened this week at Saltholme. The sun has shone metaphorically as well as physically on our reserve, with many unusual wildlife sightings and plenty of conservation work and events. Want to find out more? Read on!
News from the Estate:
We’ve already had the bare ankles and unexpected sunshine, so we thought we’d add to the unexpectedness of this week by doing the ‘News from the Estate’ section slightly differently. It’s ok, take a seat and take some deep breaths- it’s not going to be anything too ‘out there’. It’s just a good opportunity to tell you a little more about how our conservation work links up to the latest ecological thinking. We won’t go into too much depth, but there are a couple of theories that we almost mention quite a lot in this blog.
Habitat loss and its effects on wildlife are well-known. Habitat loss can range from the intentional removal of a habitat (e.g. draining wetlands or deforestation) through to simply making a place uninhabitable for the wildlife that used to live there (e.g. litter and pollution changing conditions). In fact, habitat loss is one of the five main causes of species extinction so is a complex problem that is crucial to tackle. But how do you restore habitats whilst also making sure people have space too? Wildlife corridors.
Wildlife corridors connect areas together, allowing species to move between these areas. This is the equivalent of building a bridge between two islands, allowing individuals to meet with ease. Wildlife can use the corridors to gain greater access to food, shelter, mates and more, which hopefully boosts their population size and restores some of the ecosystem functions that can be lost with diminishing habitat. Many things can be wildlife corridors- hedgerows, footpaths, even strategically-placed gardens and plant pots!
At Saltholme, we are actively involved in creating wildlife corridors, allowing the wildlife that use our reserve to join up with populations elsewhere and therefore increasing biodiversity across a much wider area. We are working with a project that will create a footpath (therefore corridor) between Saltholme and Cowpen Bewley Park; we plant and maintain hedgerows along the boundary of our land; we have our incredible ‘Wild Saltholme’ project, which aims to give an area of land back to nature and therefore create a wildlife corridor and place of sanctuary for many species.
Much of the work we do is aimed at increasing or improving the available habitats for species- next time you visit, why not ask us for more information?
Conservation is a fine balance between doing too much and too little. The correct level is hard to find and constantly needs to be assessed due to the complex interactions between species, and between species and their habitats. People have also had a nasty habit of pushing ecosystems close to or across a ‘tipping point’, beyond which the sliding scale of conservation has to skew more towards the ‘nursing back to health’ end (away from the ‘giving things space’ end).
Ever heard of the phrase ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’. That describes an ecological tipping point pretty well. Species and their habitats can cope with a lot- they can bounce back from human activity, disease, climate changes (natural changes in climate anyway) and much more. The issues start to appear when all these factors converge on an ecosystem at the same time. As we ourselves will be aware, coping with multiple stressors at the same time is much harder than dealing with just one or two. In fact, if we push ecosystems past the point they can cope- the tipping point- they cannot recover. For example, a species may go extinct instead of just seeing a population reduction; overgrazing may trample the ground so much that new seeds cannot enter the soil and so the land becomes barren; we may release so much carbon dioxide that the ocean is acidified as it absorbs the gas, leading to shelled animals and corals dying. The list goes on.
When a tipping point is being reached or has been passed, we must intervene. For example, at Saltholme we prevent foxes from entering the wet grassland because of the nesting Lapwing (using an anti-predator fence; the foxes are not harmed). Predation by foxes would not usually be a problem for this bird, but their population is so low- due to human activity- that we must make special efforts to boost their population size and get them away from the tipping point, beyond which their population may not recover.
Avian flu was a stressor faced by our Common Terns and gulls last year. This, on top of reduced fish populations, pollution, habitat loss, etc. could push these populations near to or across a tipping point. This makes the work we do to protect and help these birds even more critical. Again, we are more than happy to talk to you about this on your next visit.
There are many more theories behind the conservation work that we do, and ecology is an ever-changing field (no pun intended) as our knowledge of ecosystems grows. It’s a fascinating and incredibly important subject!
What’s On:
You can relax now; the rest of the blog will function exactly as it normally does- a mixture of bad puns, random rabbit holes and faintly useful information.
We were treated to some spectacular sunsets on our Big Wild Sleepout event.
Firstly, our Big Wild Sleepout event went swimmingly. ‘Swimmingly’ could be interpreted in two ways- the event did go incredibly well and it was fantastic to see so many families and Cub Scouts having such a great time. The torrential rain also meant we were quite literally swimming at points. However, the spectacular sunsets and sunrises could be seen as the clouds cleared, and the wildlife is more than worth getting the waterproof trousers out for. Keep an eye on our website for tickets to next year’s Big Wild Sleepout!
Looking forward, it is now less than a month to go until the Saltholme BioBlitz! This event- on 13 July- will be full to the brim with guided walks, activities, demonstrations and much more. What’s even better is that most of these events are completely free! There are some with a small charge (the Early Morning Bird Walk, Evening Bat Walk, Mindfulness Art Sessions and Bird/Bat box Making) but these will also be at a reduced rate. So, if you want a day filled with discovery and citizen science, come along! And bring all your friends with you.
Recent Sightings:
The Haverton Viewpoint has been sharing the unusual sightings this week, but we’ll pick up where we left off last week and start with what has been seen from this viewpoint…
Otters are excellent swimmers- even their cubs are in the water by the time they are 10 weeks old! Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
Firstly, we have been lucky enough to witness lots of Otter activity from Haverton this week. A pair of these marvellous mammals have been seen swimming through the pools and reedbeds, making the coots nervous but delighting many a visitor. Otters are most usually active at dawn and dusk, so for all we know they are there it is a pleasant surprise to see them during our normal opening hours.
The Bitterns at Saltholme have been seen flying over the reedbeds over the past few weeks. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
Secondly, the Bittern has also remained regularly visible from Haverton, often seen flying to and from the reedbeds here. This is another species that we know is always there but isn’t usually seen. Much like the sun lurking behind the clouds, Bitterns tend to skulk around in our reedbeds, only emerging when you have given up all hope of ever seeing one. So make the most of it!
In the summer, Little Gulls have black heads. This can make them hard to spot amongst the Black-headed Gulls (who actually have brown heads)! Image Credit: Mike Langman, RSPB Images.
Thirdly, a Little Gull graced the Main Lake with its presence in the early stages of this week. No, it was not seen on a little buoy. But it was seen flying amongst the Black-headed Gull colony, so there.
Well, we’ve kept you long enough for this week. We’ll let you go and enjoy this glorious sunshine! Of course, you could come and enjoy the sunshine at Saltholme soon…we’ll see you then!
References and Additional Reading
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (2021). What are Wildlife Corridors? [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/conservation/wildlife-corridors [last accessed 21/06/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Avian Flu [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/avian-influenza-updates [last accessed 21/06/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Bittern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bittern [last accessed 21/06/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Black-headed Gull [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/black-headed-gull [last accessed 21/06/2024].
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 21/06/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Lapwing [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/lapwing [last accessed 21/06/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Little Gull [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/little-gull [last accessed 21/06/2024].
The Wildlife Trusts (2024). European Otter [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/european-otter [last accessed 21/06/2024].
Timothy M. Lenton, Jesse F. Abrams, Steven J. Lade, Steven R. Smith, David I. Armstrong McKay, Manjana Milkoreit, Sara M. Constantino, J. David Tàbara, Vasilis Dakos, Juan C. Rocha, Sonia Kéfi, Laura Pereira, Joshua E. Buxton, Chris A. Boulton, Caroline Zimm, Sina Loriani, Emma Bailey, Tom Powell, Sirkku Juhola, Jonathan F. Donges, Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs, Avit Bhowmik, Lukas Fesenfeld and Johan Rockström (2024). Global Tipping Points: An Introduction [webpage]. Accessed through https://global-tipping-points.org/introduction/key-concepts/ [last accessed 21/06/2024].