Some birds are timid and secretive, and difficult to see. Other birds are very obvious and barn Owls definitely fall into this last category.   They are particularly obvious in summer as they hunt in daylight when they are feeding young, particularly in July.  But not always ?

 

Last Autumn we installed an additional Barn Owl box near the old one along the shore of the Main Lake, which can be seen from the Visitor Centre…

You’d think these cold mornings to be disappointing for the Dragonfly enthusiast, but while the insects are cold they are much more approachable. The thorax of a hawker dragonfly needs to be 27°C for flight, which they achieve by whirring the wings to warm the flight muscles in the first rays of sunshine. This means that cold mornings are a good time to go and look for them on suitable basking spots that get…

 

We're encouraging visitors to explore their creative side this October and show that they are Wild about Art!

 

With the help of Aim for Art, a group of community artists, we are aiming to inspire everyone to release their creative side this autumn, to create works of art inspired by the wonderful setting of Saltholme.

 

Throughout October, staff and volunteers at the RSPB Saltholme, will be encouraging our…

Discover something new during a family-friendly day out in Teesside, at RSPB Saltholme near Middlesbrough, with our exciting ‘Look and Learn’ weekends running this September.

Round up the family and head out on the A19 to spend a day at our beautiful nature reserve nestled in the heart of the industrial North East, including the steel works and Transporter Bridge, and see what birds you can spot that call…

The 13 tonne digger didn't sink, and the excavation work went as planned. 

This was the start of the day, with the machine starting to scrape back the water body towards the Phil Stead Hide.

In this photograph, you can see the expertise of the digger driver as he scrapes the spoil back to leave 1cm of water over the remaining mud, an ideal habitat for feeding waders.  He made a large spoil mound behind him, and…

On Monday two special things will happen at Saltholme.  Firstly, the track outside these compound gates will be tarmacked which means I won't bounce along to the gates in the morning anymore.  And secondly, a 13 tonne excavator will be creating more muddy habitat in front of the Phil Stead Hide.  This is to get birds such as this Snipe, photographed by Dan McKie, closer to visitors. 

More than 40 Snipe were present…

Discover something new at RSPB Saltholme this September You don't have to sit in a classroom to learn something new this September! The kids might be back at school, but that doesn't mean you have to wait until October half term to enjoy great family days out at RSPB Saltholme. Why not join our nature experts this September and learn all about the fascinating creatures that call the reserve their home? Embark…

The Migrant Hawker dragonfly colonised Britain in the 1950’s, about the same time as the Collard Dove. When I was a young man, with youth on my side and a disposable income, I used to travel to see dragonflies and I when I wanted to see a Migrant Hawker, I had to go to Skipwith Common just south of York. How times have changed. They are now the most numerous of the hawker dragonflies at Saltholme, and now is the time…

With the summer break drawing to a close, we thought we'd pack a whole load of water-themed activities into the final week of the school holidays to provide a fun filled family day out which is sure to keep kids of all ages entertained.

 

Celebrate the world of water with a week of water-themed activities at RSPB  Saltholme. The ponds at Saltholme are teaming with life so why not explore all that our water world has…

By carefully drawing down water and exposing wet mud, the larvae of Chironomid midges become easy prey for waders. At this time of year, migrant waders are moving back from their breeding grounds further north and wet mud is where you’ll find them. This last week we’ve had a good variety of waders on display. On Bottom Tank we’ve had 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 3 Greenshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 5 Ruff and 14 Dunlin. Good views…

The UK Tree Sparrow population crashed dramatically between the 1970’s and 1990’s. There were 30 times more Tree Sparrows in our countryside in the 1970’s than there are now. Tree Sparrows feed their young on invertebrates of wetland margins, and so here at Saltholme, our mosaic of wetlands and scrub provide ideal colony sites. We have 70 nest boxes strategically placed in little colonies for Tree Sparrows. We now know…

Test out your detective skills with our mini-beast mayhem week at Saltholme Looking for a spot of family-fun of everyone to enjoy? What about a great day out in Teesside full of exciting things to explore and discover something new? Well, here at RSPB Saltholme near Hartlepool in the North East, we think we have just the ticket for you... From Monday 15 to Sunday 21 August, why not join us for a whole week of Mini…

Last year we had an electric anti-predator fence installed around 26ha of the central wet grassland, south of Paddy's Hide.  This was primarily intended to prevent Foxes taking Lapwing eggs.  Last year in this area, 9 pairs of Lapwing only managed to fledge 5 young.  Then came the winter rains and the wet grassland flooded.  In April, the benefits of the fence soon became apparent.  At the end of the breeding season, our…

If one thing is for sure, it’s that a day out at Saltholme is full of surprises. Don’t believe us? Well how about this as a great example of what exploring our beautiful nature reserve in the north east of England can uncover…

Earlier last month, young scientists discovered a new beetle at RSPB Saltholme, never before seen on the nature reserve. During a school trip to the wildlife reserve and discovery…

Every spring one of rarest ducks, Garganey arrive at Saltholme. Fewer than 100 pairs of Garganey breed in the UK so we’re always filled with excitement and every year I am determined to find where these secretive birds are nesting.   But I always fail miserably. We usually get about 5 males which we can see from the hides, but the females are always more secretive, and then it all goes quiet. For a few months we have…

Saltholme Hide is the place to be just now as there are over 30 noisy Black-tailed Godwits in front of the hide, along with Ruff, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper and our very slowly developing Avocet chick.

Black-tailed Godwit by Mark Stokeld

And on the way to the hide, make sure you see the first of this years Common Hawkers at the Dragonfly Ponds.

Male Common Hawker by Mark Stokeld

He is currently patrolling the northern…

 

With the season rapidly approaching, we’re sure you’re starting to think about summer holiday activities to help keep the kids entertained, and if you’re looking for family friendly days out in Teesside, you need look no further than Saltholme RSPB.

 

On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 July, we’re kicking off the summer in style with fun-filled and family friendly events in Teesside for everyone…

As you walk through Haverton Gate listen for the sound of a large grasshopper coming from a patch of scrub in the Wildflower Walk loop. The sound is in fact a Grasshopper Warbler, and it is singing now because the poor bird has decided to go for a second brood.

Grasshopper Warbler at Haverton gate by Mark Stokeld

 

Once Grasshopper Warblers have attracted a mate and commence raising a family they go quiet, and their…

One of the joys of being a warden is being on the reserve in the early mornings.  I noticed this female Marsh Harrier on the gauge board in the Wildlife Watchpoint cut this morning as I entered the hide.  Ed brought the reserve camera and managed to get this shot as I slowly opened a shutter. 

Just before this, a very nervous looking female Gadwall with 11 chicks swam past underneath the post watched intently by the Harrier…

We have week old Avocet chicks in the Saltholme Scrape in front of Saltholme Hide.

Come and see them before they grow up !

Good weather in June means juicy new insects about.  Black-tailed Skimmers have emerged from the Main Lake and are sunning themselves on the paths. When Dragonflies first emerge, they are pale and weak and need about 3 weeks of nice weather and munchy food to mature. In this state they are called ‘teneral’.  Interestingly teneral males are coloured as females, and the wings are very reflective.

This photograph…

It's unusual for this Short-eared Owl to be still here in June.  It is frequently seen around the car park and main drive hunting for voles. Dan McKie managed to get this photo on the Pedestrian Path.

But he also managed this in the same week, on the same post.......................

Long-eared Owls are strictly nocturnal, so this bird must have been disturbed from somewhere and came to our special Owl post. 

…

You can tell what is feeding in the Wildlife Watchpoint Mouse House by looking at the mess left behind. Wood Mice shell the peanuts, leaving the shell intact on the floor, and then run off with the nice white nut. Bank Voles simply rip the shells off in the bowls and leave lots of bits in the bowl. Common Shrews don’t bother shelling the nuts – they just take the lot.

 

This photograph by Mark Walpole…

On Wednesday, we went out in the ranger to monitor the breeding birds on the central wet grassland. Although we do seem to have lost a few chicks here and there, generally things are looking quite good. We have 7 fledged Avocets from 3 nests, with another 7 well feathered. There are 14 part grown Avocets and 3 birds are still sitting on eggs. Ed managed to take this picture with his bridge camera of two well feathered…

1 - Eat soup

2 - Row a boat

3 - Play tennis (sort of)

4 - Wedge a door open

5 - Prize a fence rail off (it might break)

6 - Throw a small pancake

7 - Remove a bicycle tyre

8 - Keep some loose screws

9 - Put loads of sugar in a cup of tea

10 - Easily win an egg and spoon race

 

Of course all these would require removing the bill from the bird, which we would never want to do.

So we should just marvel as…