Image Credit: Caroline Walker
The life of a nature reserve is always busy. This week at Saltholme has been no exception. So read on to uncover what conservation work we have done, what events we have run, and what species we have spotted over the last seven days…
News from the Estate:
With the Cowpen Marsh project ticking along nicely (see last week’s blog for more details), the estates team have been doing everything but putting their feet up! This week has been all about making sure our visitors know where our paths end and where wilderness begins…
This sculpture shows the life cycle of a dragonfly. You can see it on our dragonfly path. Image Credit: Claire Freeburn
One route to our Saltholme Pools hide is the dragonfly path. As you might guess from the name, the series of ponds alongside this route often host a variety of dragonfly species. The most notable recent sighting was the southern migrant hawker, spotted last week, that signified the first record of this species in the northeast region!
These ponds are also home to bearded stonewort, which can only be found at one other site in England.
The dragonfly path is clearly an important site for endangered or rarely seen species. Part of the reason they may be rarely seen is because it’s currently difficult to look into the ponds without getting your feet wet. This is why we are building a boardwalk!
This rope marks where a section of the new boardwalk will be. Image Credit: Chris Francis
The new boardwalk will all visitors to get up close and personal to the wildlife using the ponds, without the risk of joining them. It will be accessible to wheelchairs, mobility scooters and pushchairs. Keep an eye on our social media pages- and this blog- for updates!
We rake away grass cuttings so wildflowers and other plants are not smothered. Image Credit: Adam Jones
Everyone needs a haircut every now and then. The same is true of our footpaths; with the warm weather and rain we have had this week, the grass alongside our pedestrian access routes has been attempting to become the centre of attention. Thankfully, the work party and youth rangers have been there to bring it back under control.
What’s On:
Image Credit: Olivia Dunn
We may not have any elephants wandering across the horizon, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a safari at Saltholme! In fact, some of the most important links in the food chain are those we often overlook.
Children visiting Saltholme this week have had the opportunity to discover these overlooked wildlife gems by taking part in the Saltholme Safari. Wildlife bingo on the Discovery Zone boardwalk yielded a number of fascinating sightings, including dragonflies and pondskaters. We then dived into plant identification on the Discovery Zone meadow, before hunting for minibeasts and creating natural art. Harry Otter joined in the fun too- he’s making the most of the summer holidays while they last!
Recent Sightings:
We always talk about the birds in this section (it’s almost like we’re a bird conservation charity or something), so this week we’ll start off by talking about something that only pretends to be a bird…
A hummingbird hawkmoth has been hanging around the entrance to our visitor centre this week. As its name would suggest, this moth hovers above the flowers it is feeding on, using its long proboscis to reach into the flower for nectar. It’s been a bit camera-shy, but one of our visitors managed to take the amazing photo pictured above.
Shrikes are also known as ‘butcher birds’, due to their habit of storing their prey by impaling them on branches or other sharp objects. Image Credit: Mike Langman, RSPB Images
The next sighting didn’t technically land at Saltholme, but was seen flying over our reserve so we will count it anyway. A red-backed shrike flew from an unknown source to an unknown location on Tuesday. It was seen long enough to get everyone excited, but vanished quickly enough to leave everyone confused.
Did you know that bitterns have been a motif in poetry over the centuries, including in Geoffrey Chaucer’s ‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale.’ Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
But there are some species that have been hanging around a bit longer this week. Firstly, two bitterns were posing for cameras at our Haverton Viewpoint on Wednesday. It certainly wasn’t one bittern, two shy!
And that wasn’t the only- usually shy- species seen on our reserve; a family of water rail (two adults and a chick) paraded around the Wildlife Watchpoint hide on Thursday. These birds are often only seen fleetingly (but their pig-like grunts can be heard much more regularly), but the three spotted this week were the exception that proved the rule.
Image Credit: Katie Nethercoat, RSPB Images
We also seem to finish this blog with ‘and last but not least’, so this week we will channel our inner BBC News presenter and say…
AND FINALLY
One of the local peregrine falcons has been showing off at the Saltholme Pools hide this week. Whilst looking for its lunch, this beautiful bird of prey disturbed many of the feeding waders and wildfowl. So, if you are in a bird hide and suddenly all the feeding birds leave, look upwards and see what might be circling above.
Of course, these are just a small selection of Saltholme’s special species (surprisingly). Want a more complete round-up? Why not watch this video, filmed by Ian Robinson, to see what else you could find on your next visit to Saltholme?
References and Additional Reading
British Dragonfly Society (2022). Southern Migrant Hawker [webpage]. Accessed through https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/species/southern-migrant-hawker/ [last accessed 25/08/2022].
Butterfly Conservation (2022). Hummingbird Hawkmoth [webpage]. Accessed through https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/humming-bird-hawk-moth [last accessed 25/08/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Bittern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/bittern/ [last accessed 25/08/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Peregrine [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/peregrine/ [last accessed 25/08/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Red-backed Shrike [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/red-backed-shrike/ [last accessed 25/08/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Water Rail [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/water-rail/ [last accessed 25/08/2022].