Image Credit: Claire Freeburn
Yet another busy week at Saltholme! It may feel like January has been at least two months long, but spring is actually not that far away. As a result, we’ve been prepping the reserve for the return of certain species. We've also had to perform some essential tree maintenance work on the reserve, which we would like to tell you more about.
News from the Estate
Image Credit: Katie Fuller, RSPB Images
It’s been another busy week for the estates team.
Our work party volunteers have been preparing Saltholme for the return of the common terns. Our tern islands have had the cockle shells removed, allowing the underlying membrane to be cleaned before fresh cockle shells were added. It may seem like a lot of work but doing this provides terns with the areas of bare ground they need for a successful breeding season.
On Wednesday, the path leading from the visitor centre to the Wildlife Watchpoint hide (past the Alice in Wonderland table) was closed. This was to fell the ash trees in that area. We wanted to tell you a bit more about why we did this, and what the next steps will be…
Why did we need to fell the trees?
These trees were infected with ash dieback- a fungal infection that affects ash trees. This disease weakens the crown (top) of the tree first. This causes branches to fall from the tree suddenly and unexpectedly, and so we must fell the trees near footpaths before any accidents happen!
It is RSPB policy to only fell trees as a last resort. So, you can be sure that we looked into every other option available to us before taking this decision.
Why is Ash Dieback such a big deal?
This fungal infection weakens the immune system of infected trees. Therefore, these plants can’t fight off secondary infections. As a result, the fibres of the ash tree become weakened and this in turn leads to the loss roots and branches. Eventually, this will kill the tree as it will not be able to gather enough nutrients to survive.
Does this mean we’ll need to fell all the ash trees on our reserve?
Not at all! As the disease spreads by fungal spores, most of the ash trees on our reserve will already be infected. So, there is no point in felling trees to try and stop the spread to other parts of the reserve.
Any trees not posing a threat to members of the general public will be left, as they will provide an important deadwood habitat for insects and birds as they break down. Also, mature trees take longer to succumb to this fungal infection than younger trees, so many will have years of life left despite ash dieback.
Will we be replacing the trees?
Yes! The trees felled on Wednesday will be replaced with alder trees. Why not ash? Well, ash saplings are far more susceptible to ash dieback than mature trees; they would get infected before they had a chance to become established. By planting a different tree species, we are replacing the habitat for birds and also helping to stop the spread of ash dieback. Siskin and goldfinch in particular love to eat the seeds in alder cones!
What’s On
Image Credit: Ben Hall, RSPB Images
It’s the Big Garden Birdwatch! This event starts today (28 January) and will run until Sunday 30 January.
What is the Big Garden Birdwatch?
The Big Garden Birdwatch is a citizen science project that gets people off all ages and backgrounds involved in the national monitoring of garden bird species.
What is Saltholme doing for the Big Garden Birdwatch?
We will be live-streaming from the bird feeders outside our visitor centre at various points over the weekend. These live-streams will be available through Facebook and Youtube, so tune in to get an idea of the species you may see in your own Big Garden Birdwatch!
How can I get involved?
Image Credit: Jenny Tweedie, RSPB Images
It’s completely free to sign up for the Big Garden Birdwatch. You don’t need any special equipment or encyclopaedic knowledge of garden birds; we will provide you with all the information you need!
All you need to do is put aside an hour of your weekend to count the garden birds that land in your chosen survey area. This area could be your garden, a favourite spot on a local walk, your local park…anywhere that is a safe place for you to sit down and count the birds around you! Once you are done, log your sightings on our online database following the instructions on the screen.
Have fun!
Recent Sightings
Two long-eared owls were spotted from the viewing platform in the Haverton scrub on Friday morning. These winter visitors are the most nocturnal owl species in the UK- during the day, they roost in dense scrub. With their mottled colouring, they are notoriously difficult to find when they are doing this! So, to get such good sightings this week is very special.
Image Credit: Andy Hay, RSPB Images
Further to the owls, the curlew have been showing off in the evening sunlight this week. These birds were once common across the UK, but their range and population size has been dramatically reduced in recent years. We are very lucky to have so many curlew at Saltholme!
Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
Tree sparrows were seen using our bird feeders this week. These birds are another species in decline (due to a reduction in habitat). It is thought their population dropped by 93% between 1970 and 2008, although they do seem to be rallying slightly at the moment. They are smaller and browner than the more widespread house sparrow.
Sunset is often one of the most spectacular times of day at Saltholme. Our hide guide Ian Robinson took this wonderful video, showing some of our birds in the golden light of late afternoon. To watch the video, follow this link.
References and Further Reading
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Big Garden Birdwatch [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/ [last accessed 28/01/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Curlew [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/curlew/ [last accessed 28/01/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Long-eared Owl [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/long-eared-owl/ [last accessed 28/01/2022].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2022). Tree Sparrow [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/tree-sparrow/ [last accessed 28/01/2022].
The Wildlife Trusts (2022). Curlew [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/wading-birds/curlew [last accessed 28/01/2022].
The Wildlife Trusts (2022). Tree Sparrow [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/larks-sparrows-wagtails-and-dunnock/tree-sparrow [last accessed 28/01/2022].
The Woodland Trust (2022). Ash Dieback [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/tree-pests-and-diseases/key-tree-pests-and-diseases/ash-dieback/ [last accessed 28/01/2022].