Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images
If you thought last week was hectic, wait until you see the line-up for this iteration of the blog! Not only have we had rare birds hurling themselves at us from all angles, but we have also had a myriad of events to run, conservation work to initiate and visitors to greet. So take your seats, fasten your seatbelt, stow your trays and items of hand luggage and lets get started…
News from the Estate:
The Estates Team have displayed great aptitude at dodging the scattered rain showers this week- every task has been completed at least partially before the rain began (again)! So, here’s what they have been up to:
Firstly, the Work Party had the joyous task of wading into cold water filled with coagulating duck poo in order to cut down vegetation growing in the cuts in the reedbed. It may not have been everyone’s idea of a perfect Tuesday morning, but removing this vegetation has benefits for both visitors and wildlife. Visitors will have better views of the wading wildlife at the Wildlife Watchpoint hide and the wading wildlife will have more open water to wade through (and therefore feed in). So, a very worthwhile way to spend a Tuesday morning!
The fun didn’t stop there! On Tuesday afternoon, the team returned to dry land to rake grass that had been cut (on the central meadow) in preparation for our Big Wild Sleepout event. As well as providing an area where you will actually be able to see the tents after they have been pitched, cutting the grass also has benefits for our wildlife. By removing the grasses, which can dominate an area, we provide patches of bare ground into which wildflower seeds can land and germinate. Varying the height of the grass also creates variety in the habitat, encouraging a greater range of species (for example, voles) to use this area.
Finally, Thursday brought bracken-bashing and bramble-pulling to Saltholme. Bruising the bracken stems by giving them a little whack with a stick weakens the plant and in time we should see a reduction in the percentage cover of this species as a result of our management. A reduction in bracken cover will also result in greater plant species richness as not many species can cope with the dense shade cast by the bracken fronds. Removing brambles from areas around the Dorman’s Pool hide creates basking spots for butterflies and other insects, increasing the diversity of insect life at Saltholme.
What’s On:
The short answer to this section is ‘a lot’. But don’t worry, we will go into slightly more depth (just not quite as much depth as the Estates Team did at the Wildlife Watchpoint hide):
The Big Wild Sleepout is back! And this year, we are running TWO events. Tonight, local Scout groups will have the opportunity to dive into (hopefully not literally) pond dipping, meadow sweeping, minibeast hunting, twilight walks, moth trapping and much more.
On Saturday night, we giving YOU- the wonderful general public- the opportunity to do exactly the same thing! Tickets are sold out for this year, but this event will be back for 2025 so please keep your eyes peeled for this amazing opportunity to camp at Saltholme.
The first of our Mindfulness Art sessions took place on Thursday, and was a wonderful afternoon of calm and quiet enjoyment of nature. There is something very special about drawing and crafting in the Learning Shelter, surrounded by the wonderful outdoors and completely immersed in nature-inspired art. Missed out on this session? Don’t worry- we are running another one on 17 July! Book your tickets here.
And that’s not all! As well as events that have happened this week, there are many more that will happen very soon! These include:
On 5 July and 2 August, we will be running Dragonfly Walks [hyperlink]. We will not insult your intelligence by explaining what a Dragonfly Walk entails. Instead, we will simply say with confidence that it’s going to be amazing! We have so many amazing dragonfly and damselfly species at Saltholme that this event is sure to be an afternoon of discovery. Book tickets using the link above!
Did you know that over 200 species have been recorded on Saltholme? This shows just how incredible a site we are for wildlife. On 13 July, we are giving YOU the chance to survey some of these species for yourself! But a BioBlitz is about more than just the surveys- if there is any wildlife group that particularly fascinates you, or one that you would like to learn more about, the BioBlitz will be chock-a-block with enthusiastic experts (both from the RSPB and outside our organisation) who would love to talk to you!
As well as all the surveys and guided walks (which are all free, by the way), we will also be running some special events for the BioBlitz. There will be a charge for these events, but they will be discounted in celebration of the BioBlitz event. These events are an Early Morning Bird Walk, an evening Bat Walk and the chance to build your own Bird Box or Bat Box. As you can tell, this event will be one of the highlights of 2024, so please come along and get involved!
Recent Sightings:
For all there have been many, many sightings across our reserve this week, we will focus solely on those at and around Haverton. This is because there have been so many of them that Haverton has completely hogged the limelight this week! Not that anyone has minded…
Black-crowned Night Herons are smaller than the more usual (for us) Grey Heron; their wingspan is between 115 and 118 centimetres, as opposed to 175 to 195 centimetres for the Grey Heron. Image Credit: Roger Simpson
Firstly, we must talk about the Black-crowned Night Heron. In last week’s blog, we were sulking because this spectacular bird had only been seen…at night. Well, the Night Heron clearly got wind of our grumbles and responded! We can’t say we have been treated to spectacular views of this bird, but it has spent the week skulking through bushes and occasionally providing brief glimpses of various parts of its anatomy to waiting birdwatchers. And hey, we’ll take that!
Visit the RSPB Website to hear this bird’s call! Image Credit: Samantha Richardson
Competing with the Black-crowned Night Heron for the affections of birdwatchers was the Marsh Warbler. Whilst the Night Heron tried the tactic of ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’, the Marsh Warbler decided serenading our visitors was the way to go. Particularly in the mornings, this bird has been seen perched proudly atop grasses and small bushes, singing its heart out. It really is a great way to start the day!
There are only between 1 and 3 pairs of Savi’s Warblers breeding in the UK. Image Credit:RSPB
If the Night Heron chose absence and the Marsh Warbler chose song, the Savi’s Warbler chose a healthy balance of the two. There have certainly been brief glimpses of this warbler throughout the week, accompanied by brief snatches of song. It has proved incredibly elusive, but it’s fantastic to know it’s been here!
The Cuckoo is a Red List species, meaning its numbers have declined sharply and significantly in the UK. Unfortunately, this reflects global trends in its population size. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
Not content with warblers and herons, Haverton was also the place for fantastic views of a Cuckoo this week. These birds usually arrive later than other migrating species and leave earlier. This is because- as is well-documented- they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. This frees the ‘parent’ Cuckoo from the responsibilities of raising young, leaving them able to make the most of what summer can offer. This week marks the first week in which Saltholme has recorded Cuckoo sightings.
It is difficult to accurately determine the population size of the Bittern as they are so incredibly talented at hiding in reedbeds. It is thought there are currently around 80 breeding males in the UK, although the number is hopefully higher. Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images.
The last member of the heron family- and the last bird- that we will mention in this week’s blog is the Bittern. You have probably guessed by now that this was also seen from the Haverton Viewpoint. But what you might not have guessed is that it was seen several times on several different days from the Haverton Viewpoint. For such a secretive bird, this was basically the equivalent of it walking directly into the Visitor Centre and demanding a cup of our new iced coffee (hint, hint).
Phew! That’s probably (well, almost definitely) only a tiny proportion of what has been seen from Haverton this week, let alone the reserve as a whole. However, we shall let you unclip your seatbelts (only when the seatbelt sign is removed), retrieve your bags from under your seats and disembark for another week.
We hope to see you at Saltholme soon!
References and Additional Readings
All About Birds (2024). Black-crowned Night Heron [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night_Heron/id# [last accessed 13/06/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Bittern [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bittern [last accessed 13/06/2024].
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2024). Cuckoo [webpage]. Accessed through https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/cuckoo [last accessed 13/06/2024].
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 13/06/2024].
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 13/06/2024].
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 13/06/2024].