Image Credit: Chris Gomersall, RSPB Images.
Like the returning geese, the latest blog post has landed at Saltholme. And, if we do say so ourselves, it’s a good one! We always get incredible wildlife sightings, but this week has been a cut above the rest…read on for more!
News from the Estate:
As usual, the Estates Team have been hard at work keeping Saltholme looking (and being) amazing. This week, Sea Buckthorn has been removed from the Haverton Scrub area. Sea Buckthorn has started to spread at Haverton, which is reducing the area of ‘open mosaic habitat’. Whilst that may sound like a What3Words location, it is actually a technical conservation term. Open Mosaic Habitat refers to the fact that, by providing a range of habitat conditions, we encourage a greater range of species to visit our reserve. A mosaic is made up of lots of little pieces of rock and/or glass, and our reserve is made up of lots of pieces of reedbed, meadow, scrubland, lakes, ponds, and much more. By removing the Sea Buckthorn, we maintain this mosaic.
Secondly, the Estates Team have cut and cleared vegetation from in front of the Viewing Gallery (just outside our Visitor Centre). This is to discourage rats from visiting the bird feeders. Whilst rats are an important part of the ecosystem, they have been enjoying the bird food a little too much. Also, the easy food pickings have meant they have had plenty of time to make more rats. By cutting the vegetation, we have removed things rats can use to climb up to the bird feeders. This not only leads to some faintly sulky rats, but also means the food is shared out more equally between mammals and birds!
What’s On:
Starling murmurations are most spectacular at dawn and dusk, meaning Soup and Starlings attendees have also had the opportunity to admire Saltholme’s stunning sunsets.
Now that it is November, our Soup and Starlings events have returned. The soup has definitely returned, and some starlings have also showed up (probably the equivalent of a murm rather than a murmuration). But we have had Short-eared Owls, Little Egrets, Great White Egrets and much more show up. In addition, the sunsets have been spectacular. There are still some spaces left on a few of the Soup and Starlings events, so if you would like to experience Saltholme out-of-hours, click here!
Recent Sightings:
Speaking of seeing incredible wildlife at Saltholme, this week has been yet another week where visitors have experienced bountiful birdwatching brilliance. Here’s a brief round-up:
As the name suggests, Red-throated Divers dive for food. They can stay underwater for a minute and a half! Image Credit: Phil James, RSPB Images.
The hypothetical ‘Star Species Award’ has to go to the Red-throated Diver this week. As this is a seabird, it’s more commonly seen…on the sea. But this individual has decided to spend its time dabbling in front of the Saltholme Pools hide, giving visitors the opportunity to see this beautiful species up close.
The Kingfisher flies fast and low over water, meaning it can be difficult to spot. However, there are between 3800 and 6400 breeding pairs in the UK. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
Just in case you thought we were being biased in our ‘Star Species Award’, the Kingfisher also won. Seen at the Phil Stead hide, the Wildlife Watchpoint and in the Discovery Zone (but not all three at the same time), this fancy fish-catching bird has been keeping our visitors well-exercised in their mission to catch a glimpse of the distinctive blue feathers. Here’s hoping it hangs around for a bit longer!
Around 1.4 million Woodcock spend the winter in the UK, but don’t think that makes them easy to spot! Their incredible camouflage makes them very elusive. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
Next winner in the ‘Star Species Award’ is the Woodcock seen snooping around the car park on Thursday and Friday. That’s right, we have so much wildlife here that it’s tripping over you before you even get through the main entrance to the reserve.
The same goes for Lesser Redpoll and Siskin, another two species that charmed visitors in the car park this week. As they were found in the same area as the Woodcock, we really can’t not (it’s a double negative, not bad grammar) give them the ‘Star Species Award’ too.
Well, as they’d probably say at award ceremonies, that’s a wrap! But just for this week- make sure to keep an eye out for next week’s gripping instalment of reserve life. We would also like to strongly encourage you to visit Saltholme soon, so you can see all our Star Species for yourself!
References and Additional Reading
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Great White Egret [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/great-white-egret [last accessed 10/11/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Kingfisher [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/kingfisher [last accessed 10/11/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Lesser Redpoll [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/lesser-redpoll [last accessed 10/11/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Little Egret [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/little-egret [last accessed 10/11/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Red-throated Diver [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/red-throated-diver [last accessed 10/11/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Short-eared Owl [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/short-eared-owl [last accessed 10/11/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Siskin [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/siskin [last accessed 10/11/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Starling [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/starling [last accessed 10/11/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Woodcock [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/woodcock [last accessed 10/11/2023].
The Wildlife Trusts (2023). Sea Buckthorn [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/trees-and-shrubs/sea-buckthorn [last accessed 10/11/2023].