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Lydia Cave
September Species and Summer Soirees

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

Not only is it the last week of the summer holidays, it is also 1 September. Yes, we’re as shocked as you are. But the summer holidays, despite the best attempts of the weather, have been a success and it has been another good week at Saltholme. Want to hear all about it? Good! Read on for more…

News from the Estate:

Many wildflowers grow best in nutrient-poor soils as grasses, which tend to dominate ecosystems, grow less well in these conditions. Image Credit: Richard Bowler, RSPB Images. 

We are out of ragwort-pulling season and are now firmly in raking season. If you have visited the reserve this week, you may have noticed our work party raking cut grass from the edges of the Dragonfly Path and ponds. Not only does this make it easier to see the edge of the pond (meaning visitors are less likely to join the pond wildlife), it also removes nutrients from the area. This may seem counter-intuitive but it encourages the growth of wildflowers which tend to thrive in poor soils. This increases the plant diversity- therefore insect diversity- at Saltholme.

On Thursday, the work party cleared vegetation from in front of the Wildlife Watchpoint hide. This had a twofold purpose. Firstly, shorter grass and reeds at the front of the hide makes it much easier for visitors to see the wildlife they have come to see. Secondly, removing this vegetation helps to prevent the ground from drying up and so gives more feeding opportunities for wading birds.  

What’s On:

Image Credit: Chris Shields, RSPB Images

With the summer holidays rapidly drawing to a close, adults associated with small children have begun to get that panicked ‘new school shoes’ look in their eye. We decided to take their mind off things like that with some Pond Dipping. And what a week of pond dipping it has been! To round off this chapter of the year’s events, we thought we’d tell you some of the interesting facts that children have learned about our pond life…

  • Dragonfly and Damselfly Nymphs have an explosive way of escaping from predators: they draw water into their abdomen and then expel it from their…we’ll call it ‘posterior’. This shoots them forwards in a jet-propelled manoeuvre that outwits the fastest of predators!
  • Water Beetles do not technically exist! A water beetle is simply any beetle that lives in water during some stage of its life cycle. There are actually around 350 different species of ‘water beetle’ in the UK!
  • Water Scorpions might look like they have a ‘sting’. But this is actually a tail that it uses as a snorkel so it can breathe underwater.
  • The larvae of Caddisflies make cases out of reeds, stones, leaves or even bits of plastic, held together with silk, to keep themselves safe while they are pupating.
  • Lesser Water Boatmen cannot breathe underwater. Instead, they hang upside-down on the surface of the pond and collect air bubbles. They hold these air bubbles on their body so they have an oxygen supply underwater.
  • There are 17 species of freshwater Leeches in the UK, but only one sucks human blood- the Medicinal Leech. This species was extensively harvested for medical uses throughout history and so is now scarce in Britain. Leeches have 2-10 eyes (depending on the species). Some species have teeth, whereas others use a proboscis to penetrate the skin of their host.

And those are just some of the awesome things you could see and learn about at Saltholme! We’re always happy to give visitors the opportunity to discover the ‘hidden’ wildlife of the UK and to shine a spotlight on species that might otherwise be overlooked. So if you have any questions about the creatures on our reserve, please just ask.

Recent Sightings:

Of course, it’s not just insects that rely on our ponds and pools; we have a huge range of bird species that make use of the resources at Saltholme. At this time of year, we are starting to see more and more wading birds arriving. This attracts Birds of Prey and other predators, so it has been quite a week for birdwatching. Here’s a quick round-up:

The Osprey’s wingspan can reach 1.6 metres! Image Credit: Chris Gomersall, RSPB Images

What’s better than seeing a Peregrine Falcon? Seeing both a Peregrine Falcon and an Osprey! Yes, it was quite the aerial display over the Saltholme Pools hide on Tuesday as these two spectacular birds vied for visitors’ attention. Ok, the Osprey didn’t land at Saltholme, but it did fly over our reserve so we just had to mention it.

The ‘drumming’ courting sound of male Snipe is not a call but its tail feathers beating in the wind. Image Credit: Andy Hay, RSPB Images

But why would the Osprey and Peregrine Falcon be so interested in our reserve? It might have something to do with the large influx of Snipe that has occurred over the past week or so. Snipe are hard to spot when they are on the ground due to their incredible camouflage, but their unique flight pattern helps with identification.

In winter, the UK gets an influx of Short-eared Owls from Scandinavia, Russia and Iceland. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

Maybe also looking for Snipe was the Short-eared Owl that was seen from the Haverton Viewpoint on Wednesday. Yes, it was an owl seen during the day. This is because Short-eared Owls are the most diurnal (active during daylight hours) of the UK owl species. So keep your eyes peeled for this incredible hunter on your next visit.

We have also had fantastic views of an Otter from the Haverton Viewpoint this week. At 80 centimetres long and weighing up to 8 kilograms, you would think Otters would be easy to find. However, these mammals are stealthy hunters that can easily avoid being spotted.

There are fewer than 60 breeding records for Pectoral Sandpipers each year in the UK; most of the birds you see are passage migrants using the UK as a stopover point. Image Credit: Mike Langman, RSPB Images. 

We don’t often mention the species seen at Greatham Creek, but we just had to include the Pectoral Sandpiper that has been flitting between there and our main site this week. This wader can be identified by the brown breastband and white belly that gives this species its name.

Fewer than 300 Green Sandpipers spend the winter in the UK. Image Credit: Chris Gomersall, RSPB Images. 

Last but certainly not least is the Green Sandpiper that was showing beautifully on our Main Lake this week. We get a lot of sandpipers, but this one can be identified by the contrast between its very dark upperparts and pale underparts.

Well, that’s all for today folks. Well, not quite- if you’d like to see what other wildlife has been recorded at Saltholme recently, why don’t you watch this video [hyperlink] that has been filmed by Ian Robinson (one of our hide guides)? It gives an overview of the range of species you can see on our reserve. Speaking of which, we hope to see you soon!

References and Additional Reading

Andrew Makeham (2023). Bedfordshire Odonata [webpage]. Accessed through https://makeham.org/what-are-dragonflies-and-damselflies/larva/ [last accessed 01/09/2023].

British Dragonfly Society (2023). Life Cycle and Biology [webpage]. Accessed through https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/odonata/life-cycle-and-biology/ [last accessed 01/09/2023].

Field Studies Council (2023). Leeches [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.field-studies-council.org/2022/10/26/freshwater-leeches-identification-and-ecology/ [last accessed 01/09/2023].

Freshwater Habitats Trust (2023). Water Beetles [webpage]. Accessed through https://freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/pond-clinic/identifying-creatures-pond/water-beetles/ [last accessed 01/09/2023].

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Green Sandpiper [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/green-sandpiper/ [last accessed 01/09/2023].

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Osprey [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/osprey/ [last accessed 01/09/2023].

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Pectoral Sandpiper [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/pectoral-sandpiper/ [last accessed 01/09/2023].

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Peregrine Falcon [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/peregrine/ [last accessed 01/09/2023].

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Short-eared Owl [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/short-eared-owl/ [last accessed 01/09/2023].

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Snipe [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/snipe/ [last accessed 01/09/2023].

The Wildlife Trusts (2023). Caddisfly [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/other-insects/caddisfly [last accessed 01/09/2023].

The Wildlife Trusts (2023). European Otter [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/european-otter [last accessed 01/09/2023].

The Wildlife Trusts (2023). Lesser Water Boatman [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/bugs/lesser-water-boatman [last accessed 01/09/2023].

The Wildlife Trusts (2023). Water Scorpion [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/bugs/water-scorpion [last accessed 01/09/2023].