It’s less than a week until Christmas (sorry), which also means it’s nearly the end of 2024. Like all years, it’s had its ups and downs for Saltholme. Like all years, it seems to have flown over far more quickly than anyone expected. Like all years, it’s worth taking a moment to look back at some of the main events. Read on for your 2024 Saltholme overview!
Brian:
In February, we lost an amazing friend and colleague in Brian Darby- our Project Manager. Brian would be laughing in a faintly embarrassed way at all the wonderful things we’ve been saying about him (which probably tells you all you need to know about him) and he is very sorely missed.
As our Project Manager, Brian was instrumental in organising many of the conservation initiatives that have improved Saltholme’s habitats for both wildlife and visitors. For example, he took a lead on the project to make the wet grassland even wetter and to expand the island at Paddy’s Pool. That project has not only made it easier for visitors to see amazing birds and other animals, it has also helped bird populations recover from Avian Flu (thanks to more breeding space), providing wader birds with more area to forage and given Lapwing more space to raise their young. That’s a fantastic legacy to have!
We were overwhelmed with the support we received from volunteers and visitors throughout this very difficult time. Thank you very much for being fantastic!
Our 15th Birthday:
A young visitor and Middlesbrough Town Crier cutting the (bird food) cake at Saltholme's Big Birthday Party.
Seen as it is 15 years since 2009 (yeah…just move on swiftly from that thought) and we opened in 2009, some highly complicated mathematical equations should tell you that Saltholme turned 15 this year! The 21st of January marked 0.15 of a century since we first opened our gates to the general public; March marked the anniversary of our official opening. We couldn’t decide which of the two dates to celebrate, so we decided to host our Big Birthday Party in April! It was a fantastic day- we offered heavily reduced tickets to experiences such as pond dipping, meadow sweeping, nestbox building, guided walks, talks and much more. At lunchtime staff, volunteers and visitors all gathered together for a well-earned picnic. It was wonderful to see so many people take part in this day (and in the Saltholme Passport, which has been running all year). It shows us just how many people love Saltholme- and quite rightly too. In fact, the year we turned 15 is also the year we welcomed the millionth visitor to our reserve!
Terning it Up at Saltholme Pools:
Common Tern were one of the species heavily affected by avian flu. The 'Terning it Up' project will hopefully help their population recover. Image Credit: Ben Andrew.
2024 has brought some growth and re-shaping at Saltholme Pools. Don’t worry, it’s perfectly natural and happens to everyone- just a normal part of a reserve growing up and maturing. Saltholme Pools has had existing islands extended and new islands added in close to the Saltholme Pools hide. Not only will this give visitors fantastic, close-up views of a variety of bird species, but it will also give birds such as Common Tern more breeding space. And more breeding space hopefully equates to more nests, therefore more chicks! What’s even more clever is that we can control the water levels at Saltholme Pools and so the islands can be completely covered by water. Why on earth would we want a perfectly good island to not function as an island? Well, we can keep the islands as not-islands until we see the first Common Tern of the year. Then and only then will we drop the water levels. This prevents the Black-headed Gulls, who are here year-round, from completely taking over said islands and crowding out the less confident species.
So, make sure to visit the Saltholme Pools hide in 2025!
Notable Sightings of 2024:
This Spoonbill is just one of many different birds seen at Saltholme this year. Image Credit: Lockhart Horsburgh
This section could be very short if we said (quite rightly) that all reserve sightings are notable. We would not be wrong, but it would not be particularly informative. So, we’ll relent and do a bit of a round-up…
Not only did we see Long-eared Owls at the start of the year, but we have also had multiple sightings of both male and female Hen Harrier, near daily sightings of Marsh Harrier and even a record of a Hobby!
It’s been a very good year for warblers at Saltholme. In fact, it’s been such a good year that we can’t mention all of the ‘usual’ warbler iterations. The ‘unusual’ ones included Barred Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Savi’s Warbler, Marsh Warbler, and an Icterine Warbler. That’s an awful lot of warbling!
As well as our Common Terns (which are common here but not necessarily elsewhere), we have also had a Black Tern and a few Roseate Terns visit us this year.
It’s been incredible to see so much of the Bitterns at Haverton this year; 2024 has been a real sign of hope for a booming Bittern presence (in every sense) on our reserve. Haverton was also the site of the sight of a Black-crowned Night Heron in June, which created a lot of interest. Other highlights included the Bearded Tit seen in the Main Lake reedbeds, the Twite, Hawfinch and Spotted Flycatcher all seen in the car park (not at the same time), a Richard’s Pipit at Saltholme Pools, and even a Ring-necked Parakeet!
Saltholme is a fantastic place for mammals and other wildlife aside from birds too! As well as sightings of Foxes, Otters and Roe Deer, 2024 brought the first record of Muntjac Deer to our reserve, courtesy of our July Saltholme Bioblitz counts.
And it’s not just about what species are present- it’s lovely to know that so many of them are thriving. As well as a huge increase in productivity at the heronry (the name for the place where Grey Herons nest), we have also had confirmation of breeding success for all three of our reedbed specialists- Bittern, Marsh Harrier and Bearded Tit!
And this is just a tiny fraction of Saltholme’s wildlife! The BioBlitz (on a very wet, windy day) recorded over 400 species on the reserve and we definitely did not count everything. You’ll just have to come and visit to really get a flavour of the wildlife we are lucky enough to have here.
Goodbye:
And that, as they say, is that. This is the last blog post I will be writing for Saltholme. It has been an absolute joy to work at Saltholme over the last three years. Please keep an eye out for blog posts written by my much more competent colleagues- they will be much less likely to contain the number of bad puns I have managed to shoehorn into my posts!
Of course, the work of a nature reserve is never done. I hope this blog has shown you just how much Saltholme does for nature and that you will continue to support this amazing place.
Wishing you all the best in 2025!
References and Additional Reading
British Trust for Ornithology (2024). Barred Warbler [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/barred-warbler [last accessed 19/12/2024].
British Trust for Ornithology (2024). Black-crowned Night Heron [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/night-heron [last accessed 19/12/2024].
British Trust for Ornithology (2024). Icterine Warbler [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/icterine-warbler [last accessed 19/12/2024].
British Trust for Ornithology (2024). Richard’s Pipit [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/richards-pipit [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Bearded Tit [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bearded-tit [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Bittern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bittern [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Black Tern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/black-tern [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Black-headed Gull [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/black-headed-gull [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Common Tern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/common-tern [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Grey Heron [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/grey-heron [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Hawfinch [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/hawfinch [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Hen Harrier [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/hen-harrier [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Hobby [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/hobby [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Lapwing [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/lapwing [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Long-eared Owl [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/long-eared-owl [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Marsh Harrier [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/marsh-harrier [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Marsh Warbler [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/marsh-warbler [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Ring-necked Parakeet [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/ring-necked-parakeet [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Roseate Tern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/roseate-tern [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Savi’s Warbler [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/savis-warbler [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Spotted Flycatcher [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/spotted-flycatcher [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Twite [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/twite [last accessed 19/12/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Yellow-browed Warbler [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/yellow-browed-warbler [last accessed 19/12/2024].
The Wildlife Trusts (2024). Muntjac Deer [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/mammals/muntjac-deer [last accessed 19/12/2024].