Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
Mid-November has brought spectacular sunrises, sunsets, Starling murmurations and species sightings to Saltholme. It’s been a week that, for all it hasn’t been warm by any stretch of the imagination, has been a fantastic reminder of just how incredible UK landscapes and wildlife are. If you need more of a reminder, you’re in the right place! Read on for the latest conservation work, events and wildlife sightings…
News from the Estate:
Take a moment to pause and think about the Estates Team in this cold November week. Whilst conservation is always top of their priority list, the ability to stay warm has also been fairly close to the top of that list. Fortunately, they’re very good at doing conservation tasks that allow you to simultaneously wear the maximum number of layers. Who needs to be able to move their knees or elbows when there’s habitat management to be done?!
Hedgerows and scrub provide food, shelter and protection for many species over the winter months. The bird pictured above is a Dunnock (Hedge Sparrow). Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
The habitat management this week involved removing Sea Buckthorn from the Haverton Scrub as well as ‘varying mature hedgerow habitat’ around the reserve. Varying hedgerows means thinning out sections of the hedges, allowing new shoots and other plants to grow in that space. The material taken from the hedgerows is used to protect young plants such as tree saplings and developing reedbeds. See, nothing goes to waste in conservation!
What’s On:
Ok. We hate to break it to you, but we’re over halfway through November. That means there’s half of November left, but then you’re into full-on Christmas mode. There, we said it. Fortunately, we have some events that either distract you or help you.
Firstly, the distraction events. Forget about the to-do list and come along to build some nestboxes! On 30 November and 1, 14 and 15 December, we are running Nestbox-building Workshops. We provide all the materials; you provide the manual labour and creative impetus. These workshops are suitable for all ages and are a fantastic and fun way to help the wildlife in your local area. Book tickets using the link above!
Secondly, the events to help you with the run-up to Christmas. The one we would like to mention this week is our Artisan and Eco Fair, which will be running from 6 to 8 December. Yes, that is 2 weeks away. Yes, that means it’s nearly December. But also yes, it’s going to be great! We’re hosting a range of local businesses selling beautiful handmade gifts, decorations, and much more. So if you want to make progress with your Christmas shopping, support your local economy and the work of the RSPB all at the same time, this is the event for you! Entry to the fair is free; normal reserve entry fees apply.
Recent Sightings:
The Egyptian Goose is actually closely related to the Shelduck. Image Credit: RSPB
Given the freezing temperatures, it was somewhat ironic that we have had several Egyptian Geese on site this week. Egyptian Geese are more common in the south of the UK, but Saltholme is a relatively frequent visiting place for these colourful birds.
About 30,000-50,000 pairs of Golden Plover breed in the UK each year. However, in the winter their numbers swell to around 410,000 individuals. Image Credit: Paul Chesterfield, RSPB Images.
Saltholme’s spectacular Starling murmurations are well-documented and have been a wonderful feature of this week (there are still some spaces on our Dusk Walk- Soup and Starlings- on 28 November! Book your tickets here). However, did you know that Starlings are not the only species to form murmurations? We have also seen Golden Plover murmurations over the last few weeks. If Starling murmurations are all about shapes and patterns, Golden Plover murmurations are all about the ‘twinkling’ of the birds’ wings and the changing colours of the flock. Head down to Saltholme Pools to see this for yourself!
The Woodcock is a nocturnal bird, meaning it is most active at night. During the daytime, it is most likely seen resting in dense vegetation. Image Credit: Les Bunyan, RSPB Images.
When visiting a nature reserve, it pays to not just look at the birds in the sky. There can be fascinating species lurking nearer foot level too! This week at Saltholme, one of those species has been the Woodcock. Woodcocks are beautifully camouflaged against the current backdrop of fallen leaves and fading grasses, so spotting them is a challenging but highly rewarding experience.
The Bittern does not approve of its pond being solid. Image Credit: Adam Jones
Wildlife is wonderful. Species are spectacular. And quite often, wildlife can also be incredibly expressive. Just look at the Bittern pictured above. This individual was photographed from Haverton this week, and it certainly doesn’t look happy about the frozen nature of its habitat! It just shows that nature has an amazing habit of always providing you with something new or unexpected. Its this predictable unpredictability that makes Saltholme such an incredible place to visit- you never know what you are going to see! So, we hope to see you very soon.
References and Additional Reading
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Bittern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bittern [last accessed 22/11/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Egyptian Goose [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/egyptian-goose [last accessed 22/11/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Golden Plover [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/golden-plover [last accessed 22/11/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Starling [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/starling [last accessed 22/11/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Woodcock [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/woodcock [last accessed 22/11/2024].
The Wildlife Trusts (2024). Sea Buckthorn [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/trees-and-shrubs/sea-buckthorn [last accessed 22/11/2024].