Image Credit: British Broadcasting Company
And just like that, the Easter holidays are nearly over. Time flies when you’re having fun! You know what else flies? Our birds! We’ve had plenty of incredible sightings this week, so read on for more information…
News from the Estate:
Sea buckthorn. Image Credit: Sue Kennedy, RSPB Images
As always, the estates team have been hard at work keeping the reserve spick-and-span for both wildlife and visitors. Here’s what they have been up to this week:
As you can see, our team are constantly working to keep Saltholme up-to-date with the latest conservation knowledge and seasonal requirements. This is one of the reasons our reserve is such a brilliant place for wildlife (seriously, you should visit. We have loads to see)!
What’s On:
The new playground has proved to be a huge success, bringing many new visitors to Saltholme. As a result, we have been able to tell even more people about the importance of nature, and how the next generation can work to save it. Image Credit: Mission Studios.
It is somehow nearing the end of the Easter holidays. We’ve been having so much fun! With activities galore and a new playground to explore, visitors have arrived in their thousands (seriously, we welcomed over 1500 visitors to Saltholme on the Easter bank holiday weekend alone). Apart from being just an all-round fantastic place to visit (in our completely unbiased opinion), the main draws have been as follows:
The pond minibeasts have been showing off to families who signed onto our pond dipping sessions. With leeches, flatworms, damselfly nymphs and more, there was enough to fire anyone’s imagination. Add in all the cool facts and figures from our Nature Activity Leaders and it’s easy to see why this event is a visitor favourite.
New for 2023 is our ‘Brilliant Birds’ event. From the Wildlife Watchpoint hide, families have discovered the bountiful bird populations we have at Saltholme. Through the media of bird bingo, nest-building activities, I spy and many more activities, children and their associated adults have learned so much! The wildlife has also enjoyed it, with marsh harriers, little egrets and a multitude of moorhens making an appearance. Fun for everyone!
It wouldn’t be a school holiday without an activity trail. This time, children have been matching animals to their correct habitats with the help of clues and riddles on the trail boards around our Main Lake. A good way to exercise and educate children simultaneously!
Yes, yes we may have mentioned it a few times already. But our new playground is proving to be a HUGE hit with families. Staff have also just had to test the quality and safety of the equipment (good on both counts, by the way), just to make sure the children can enjoy it to its fullest extent. If you haven’t visited the playground yet, we highly recommend it!
Recent Sightings:
Well, what a week it has been in terms of sightings! With rare visitors, returning summer migrants and wading birds, there has been something for everyone. Here is a quick roundup:
White storks were once common in the UK, but a combination of habitat loss and hunting mean they are now a rare sighting. However, their numbers are increasing due to conservation projects and some now breed here! Image Credit: Countryfile.
A white stork touched down in the horse fields at the back of our reserve (near Port Clarence) on Wednesday. This caused great excitement! It didn’t hang around there for very long, having left just after we opened the reserve to visitors (typical!). However, it treated visitors to a flyover- visible from our Visitor Centre- later that morning, before briefly touching down on the wet grassland.
Alpine swifts arrive earlier in the UK than common swifts, which arrive in May. Alpine swifts have a distinctive white belly and throat. Image Credit: flickr.
Adding to the sightings list was the alpine swift, seen on Thursday. Distinguishable from the common swift by its white throat and belly, this beautiful bird started hoovering up flying insects between our Wildlife Watchpoint and Philstead hides.
The sedge warbler spends the winter in Africa; it flies from south of the Sahara Desert to breed in the UK. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
The first sedge warblers [hyperlink] of 2023 have also landed at Saltholme! The RSPB Bird A-Z describes the sedge warbler as ‘a small, quite plump, warbler with a striking broad creamy stripe above its eye and greyish brown legs. It is brown above with blackish streaks and creamy white underneath’. Whilst this is true, it doesn’t quite do this bird justice- though subtle, its markings are beautiful! Keep your eyes peeled on your next visit- particularly in brackets of bramble.
Over 500,000 pairs of house martins breed in the UK. They travel from Africa to make the most of our abundant populations of flying insects. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
Another first for this year is the return of the house martin. They join our sand martins to feed on the flying insects that make our reserve so rich in wildlife. Our ponds and pools give these insects an ideal habitat in which to lay their eggs. The large population of flying insects means there is a plentiful supply of food for these high-flying hirundines (Hirundindae are the group that contains swallows and martins). This makes us a great place for these birds to raise their young!
Sanderlings do not breed in the UK. Instead, they migrate up to the high Arctic in the summer and simply use the UK as a stopover point. Image Credit: Andy Hay, RSPB Images.
Finally, a sanderling used Saltholme as a service station on its way up to its breeding grounds in the Arctic. It was seen feeding on our wet grassland on Wednesday.
As you can see, Spring is a time of great change at RSPB Saltholme. With passage migrants and new arrivals, there is always something different to see on our reserve. So make the most of the sunshine (and the rain, and the wind, and the weird grey in-between…) and visit us soon!
References and Additional Reading
British Trust for Ornithology (2023). Alpine Swift [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.bto.org/cy/node/63910 [last accessed 13/04/2023].
Euronatur (2023). White Stork [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.euronatur.org/en/what-we-do/bird-conservation-in-europe/profile-white-stork-ciconia-ciconia [last accessed 13/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Bird A-Z. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/ [last accessed 13/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Common Swift [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swift/ [last accessed 13/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). House Martin [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/house-martin/ [last accessed 13/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Little Egret [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/little-egret/ [last accessed 14/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Marsh Harrier [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/marsh-harrier/ [last accessed 14/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Moorhen [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/moorhen/ [last accessed 14/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Sand Martin [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/sand-martin/ [last accessed 14/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Sanderling [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/sanderling/ [last accessed 13/04/2023].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2023). Sedge Warbler [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/sedge-warbler/ [last accessed 13/04/2023].
The Wildlife Trusts (2023). Sea Buckthorn [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/trees-and-shrubs/sea-buckthorn [last accessed 14/04/2023].
The Woodland Trust (2023). Can trees and woods reduce flooding? [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/flooding/ [last accessed 14/04/2023].