In my last blog I said we had to control the water levels and we were pumping water out of bottom tank - and that is where we saw the Glossy Ibis. The Ibis is still on the reserve but yesterday it was on Back Saltholme and Dormans pools so we could effect at permanent solution (the old drains no longer working) to the water without disturbing it.

A trench was cut in the bottom tank bund and a large diameter pipe installed…

We are working on getting the water levels correct and today we put a pump to move water from bottom tank to the fire station field. Just as we were about to bring the pump back to our workshop a Glossy Ibis landed just where the water was flowing onto the field. We had no choice but to collect the pump, and although we got a good look it did fly, first to bottom tank, then farther away.

I did not have a camera so to see…

It has to be the Black-tailed Godwit. Anywhere where we have lots of mud you are likely to see these waders.

Now that we have had the water supply restored, and we can start to control the levels in the tanks, the views from Wlidlife Watchpoint and Phil Stead hides will be improving. There is also good mud in the Saltholme pools (which we have no control over) so the hide there gives opportunities for spotting migrating waders…

It is essentail that we keep water at the correct level. On Cowpen Marsh we are aiming to keep most of the ditches full of fresh water and to do this there are quite a few sluices which prevent the ingress of sea water. Any damage to these sluices has to be repaired and today we were working on one of them. Water was leaking round the side of the concrete blocks so we inserted plastic pilings  behind which we placed clay…

 

The transformation through the spring into the summer months is remarkable, in the summer things change but you notice things in stages. In the middle of summer the breeding animals peak their numbers with the large total of adults and baby animals. The plant life is growing and over the weeks their colour changes from a fresh lime green to a duller shade of dark green. Things changing are a part of life that some…

Since the RSPB acquired Dormans Pool a lot of work has been done. Car parking has been improved and the path to the hide upgraded. And new signs - not an easy task with the hard ground composed of industrial slag but the volunteers on the work parties are fit for a challenge!

Over the last few days the reeds between the hide and the pool have been cut by a contractor with his tractor (thanks Keith) although assistant warden…

Not everything in our Wildlife Garden goes to plan. We had planted a musk rose (Rosa moschata) to give scented, single flowers around a seat. Bees love single flowers and the birds eat the hips. However, it has been slow to grow and has no flowers. But I had noticed there were bits taken from the leaves.

I suspected the culprit, but on Sunday got the evidence while I was working in the garden - Leaf-cutter Bees were…

As Josh was talking about thistles in his last blog here is a photo of some.

Lockhart saw this Linnet on thistles on Saturday. For the next few weeks there will be lots of seeds from thistles and other weeds so the seed-eating birds - Gold Finches most noticably - do not need to visit the feeding stations quite so often. The finches will be seen in the coarse vegetation eating these seeds and are less interested in the…

In this wonderful weather the Dragonflies are flying and on Saturday Lockhart got this shot of a Ruddy Darter.

They are such a lovely blood red colour, but the classic feature is the red frons (the Latin for forehead) which Lockhart captured in this photo. This differentiates them from the more orangey Common Darter, and also the legs are black.  Lockhart told me he got the shot after lunch which is to be expected as they…

At Saltholme we have representing the commonwealth home nation of Scotland – the thistle. As this week a big sporting event begins in Glasgow the reserve has had plenty of sunshine bringing out a range of dragonflies, butterflies and bees. The latter two mentioned spend their time flying around the thistles to collect nectar. Some species of animals are deterred from coming near the prickles around the flower, so specialist…

This week, on one of our 'almost weekly' butterfly transects, we found two Grayling butterfly (Hipparchia semele).  It is the second year in a row we have found Grayling out on our wildflower walk.  The Grayling is a cryptically marked butterfly and spends much of its time with its wings folded back where it can be totally lost to its surroundings.  It has a distinctive flight pattern and is often first noticed when…

A summer grassland maintenance job is ragwort pulling. This is done throughout the grasslands over the summer at Saltholme and is a continuous job over each summer in order to control the amount of ragwort that is present.

When the ragwort grows and begins to disperse its seeds it will increase its range year on year as would many other plant species. The issue with allowing a species like ragwort to expand its range…

It is once again the time for the sheep to lose their fleeces, so our Warden Emma, and her team of staff and volunteers, aided by a professinal shearer Jed, have started the task.

Today and tomorrow there is a full programme of shearing and related events - and in such wonderful weather.

Ed, assistant warden, and Emma shearing two of our Shetland sheep.

 

We currently have a white winged black tern feeding over Back Saltholme and Saltholme West Pools.

A number of weeks ago the estate team were improving the view that you see at the wildlife watchpoint hide. Last winter a channel was created by removing a section of reeds and opening up the view, as the summer is coming along the growth was obscuring the open area. Now the water levels are really low it should be a place to see great wildlife up close from the hide.

Now the view has been improved I went back to the…

So we begin July with the reeds full of life and sound, especially the reed buntings from on top of the reeds and the moorhens from deep inside of the reed bed.

What a contrast in water levels to that of two years ago, I’ve looked back at the blogs to see what had been posted about the water levels; the wet summer in 2012 had allowed some of the excess water to drain away, we are not as fortunate this summer to have excess…

Widlife Watchpoint is still attracting the Water Voles

Our guide Brian D saw this one on Saturday, but as Lockhart found out it is not the only mammal.

He saw this weasel on the same day just by the vole feeding station.

This side of the hide gives excellent views of the Water Rail family

Dean in his blog earlier this week talked about the Roseate Terns, and to give a comparison with Common Terns look at this…

This afternoon, we've seen two female garganey with 11 chicks in the Watchpoint Cut. There appears to be a brood of 10 and another of 1, which is smaller than the other 10. The 10 have begun to feather, and the 1 chick is still downy. There are also 3 water rail chicks in the cut.

We currently have two roseate terns on a spit of mud in the main lake, visible from the Visitor Centre. We have guides with telescopes on the birds.

A survey of the Dragonfly Ponds this morning brought some surprises. Amongst the 4 spotted chaser skirmishes, the north pond had two common hawkers emerging, while the southern pond had 10+ newly emerged emerald damselflies and even a new common darter. it is exceptionally early for these species and I wouldn't normally expect to see any of these 3 until mid July. It's amazing what a mild winter and warm spring can…

It would have been nice if one of us had got a shot of the Hobby as it visited the reserve this weekend, but sadly it was not to be.

But Lockhart got a good shot of a Black-tailed Godwit from Saltholme Pools hide yesterday.

And a Blue-tailed Damselfly

There are lots of these now - easy to see in the Wildlife Garden, but also on the Wildflower Walk where they were joined by dragonflies, Burnet Moths - problably

…

I was unfortunately away this weekend when an amazingly rare bird was briefly seen on the reserve. 

A hugely rare, and a first for Cleaveland Black-Winged Pratincole was seen on Friday 13 June. 

For those that saw it, it was definitely NOT an unlucky date! 

Site manager Dave gives us another great insight into the reserve.

Nature is difficult stuff sometimes.

Today I had a chat with Dean, one of our assistant wardens as I got out of the car and he was effusive about the Water Vole feeding station at the wildlife watchpoint. He`d put a fresh apple out and a vole was almost straight in! He`d also seen a Water Rail with chicks. So my choices were when I got to the desk, turn…

With stripes like this they look like humbugs. Yes, the Great Crested Grebe chicks are out with the adults. They can also be seen riding on an adult's back whilst the other adult brings fish to eat, so just who is being taken for a ride?

And in case you wonder what the Drinker Moth Caterpillar from my last blog looks like here is one crossing a path.

The names - both English and Latin - come from the belief that…

We have lots of nettles at Saltholme and they provide the perfect home for the caterpillars of some of our most colourful butterflies, especially the Peacock Butterfly.

They like large patches of nettles in full sun so there is no point in letting nettles grow in a corner of your garden - grow colourful flowers for nectar for the adults instead.

Volunteer guide Brian took this photo today just outside Wildlife Watchpoint…