British Science Week Blog Post 11/03/2022

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

It’s British Science Week! From 11 to 20 March, people around the UK will be celebrating scientific subjects and all the benefits and opportunities they provide. Of course, as a nature reserve, conservation science is an essential part of our work. We want to tell you a bit more about our species monitoring programmes- what they are, how they…

Image Credit: Tim Robinson

It’s March! The sun shone both literally and metaphorically on the reserve this week (although the metaphorical aspect did, in fairness, last longer), with a wide range of species seen in and around our site. The start of a new month means there are now 20 days until spring officially arrives, and so we have also been busy preparing the estate for the return of some of our more fair weather…

Image Credit: Lockhart Horsburgh

Another blustery week, but the sun has shone more consistently and the schools have been off. So, things are looking up! Here is our weekly reserve round-up.

News from the Estate:

Fortunately, there was no damage from either of the two storms experienced last week. So, the estates team could focus on preparing the reserve for spring. You may think it is a little early to be thinking about…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew

Another busy week at Saltholme! The birds might have been flying a little bit faster than they wanted to at points, but that hasn’t detracted from our reserve- read on to find out what we’ve been up to, and what has been seen on-site this week…

News from the Estate:

Well, it looked like the estates team might have been joining some of the birds in flight in the latter half of…

Today (11 February) is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Women have been central to the RSPB story right from the very beginning, and continue to contribute to this organisation in many ways. Read on to find out more!

RSPB Origins

Image Credit: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, through https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/natureshomemagazine/posts/five-women-who-founded-the-rspb

Did you…

Image Credit: Lydia Cave

How is it February already?! They really don’t make years like they used to. But, the dawn of a new month means we’re one step closer to spring, and therefore we have lots going on at Saltholme. Here is this week’s round-up…

News from the Estate

The estates teams are busy prepping for the coming of spring. They have been cleaning and re-vamping our tern islands (both natural…

Image Credit: Phil Barnes, RSPB Images

It’s World Wetlands Day!

Wetlands are areas that are either permanently or seasonally covered by water. There are many different types of wetland (rivers, marshes, estuaries, floodplains and lakes are all examples). Saltholme contains many types of wetland, ranging from estuarine habitats to ponds, lakes and reedbeds.  

As a wetland reserve, it’s only right that we celebrate…

RSPB Saltholme is a wildlife oasis situated right in the heart of the Tees Valley and is a vital home for nature. RSPB Saltholme is designated as a Ramsar wetland site of international importance, as well as being a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Protection Area (SPA). The wet grasslands habitat is vitally important for waders and wildfowl, as the numbers of these areas have declined rapidly…

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…

This week has been Energy Saving Week, celebrating and promoting ways in which people can reduce their energy consumption, thereby carbon dioxide emissions.

Currently, carbon dioxide emissions are much, much higher than they should be. This is leading to climate change and global warming, which is in turn affecting ecosystems and the wildlife that lives there.

Before diving into what has been happening on the reserve…

Heritage Treasures- The Story of Saltholme

Tuesday 11 January was Heritage Treasures Day; the National Lottery Fund set up this day to celebrate the wide range of amazing heritage projects they have supported over the years. Saltholme is one of these places!

Whilst Saltholme may be a haven for wildlife today, this has not always been the case; the site has a fascinating history, closely tied to the industrial heritage…

With a new year come new hopes, new goals, and new sightings! Read on to find out about what has been happening at RSPB Saltholme during the first week of 2022….

News from the Estate:

Image Credit: David Tipling, RSPB Images

Common tern breed at RSPB Saltholme over the summer. They nest in colonies to reduce the risk of predation. For the same reason, they like to nest on islands.

Visitors on Tuesday may have…

Image Credit: Lydia Cave

With December disappearing at an alarming rate, things are beginning to wind down for Christmas in terms of events and reserve work. But that doesn’t stop the wildlife! The lakes, pools, grasslands and hides are all as busy as ever. Read on to find out more.

News from the Estate:

It’s been another busy week for the estates team. With the building of the new predator fence, there has been…

Another busy week at Saltholme. Read on to find out more! 

News from the estate:

Thankfully, the storm this week wasn’t up to Arwen standards; the estates staff and volunteers could therefore get back to a more normal manner of working. This week, the mesh on the stock fence that runs along the England Coast Path was tied down. This mesh was originally added to prevent bird strikes along this footpath, particularly whilst…

Image Credit: Josh Swales

It’s been, for want of a better phrase, an interesting week at Saltholme. Beautiful sunsets and frosty mornings have been interspersed with howling gales, snow, and everything in between! Storm Arwen even shut the reserve on Saturday. But we battled on through, and here’s what we’ve been up to…

News from the Estate:

Image Credit: Ed Pritchard

This week, the team were…

Image Credit: Drew Buckley (RSPB Images)

It’s National Cake Day! So, the café team has ‘stollen’ the limelight this week. It’s far from a piece of cake to run such a large part of Saltholme, so it’s only right that we let the team have their cake and eat it. We’ll still do our weekly round-up of reserve news, so you could say this is the icing on the cake!

So, what do the café…

With the soup and starlings event well underway, it's been another busy week for the team at Saltholme. But with spectacular sunsets, sightings of the bittern (amongst many other species), and a mug of soup with which to enjoy the view, what's not to like? Read on for the weekly reserve round-up! 

News from the Estate:

As usual, the estates team have been very busy making sure the reserve remains in the best possible…

With the year marching on, the Soup and Starlings event is getting underway with style. But it's not just starlings that have been the star of the show this week...read on to find out more! 

News from the Estate:

Moving the tern rafts on the main lake. The rafts are moved to the far end of the lake, to protect them from the winter weather. 

On Thursday, the estates work party moved the main lake tern rafts to their…

We’re delighted to be partnering with Netflix and Aardman on Robin Robin, a half-hour, stop-motion, festive story for the whole family, about a young robin trying to fit in. It’s debuting on Netflix on 24 November – get the date in your diary!

To celebrate, we’re inviting you to join exclusive Robin Robin-themed adventure trails right here at Saltholme nature reserve this Christmas season.

Over 30 RSPB nature…

Image Credit: Lydia Cave

The old rhyme may tell us to remember ‘gunpower treason and plot’ today, but you should also remember our wildlife when you’re lighting bonfires and setting off fireworks! In fact, we see no reason why gunpower treason OR wildlife should ever be forgot!

There are some simple things you can do to make sure your Bonfire Night celebrations have a minimal effect on animals:

• Check…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

The climate summit in Glasgow, COP26, starts on Sunday 31 October. So, as well as keeping you up-to-date with all that has been happening at Saltholme, we want to tell you more about this crucial conference. There will be a bit of climate jargon in today’s blog post, so we’ve put in a glossary at the bottom of this post.  

What is COP26, and why is it important?

COP26…

Sunset over Saltholme

Image Credit: Ian Chadwick.

This week, the team at Saltholme have been preparing for the upcoming half-term holidays. With all the gorgeous autumnal sunlight we have had this week, and the array of wildlife that has been spotted on the reserve, we are hoping lots of you will be visiting us next week for Halloween fun and wildlife sightings. 

News from the Estate:

On Sunday 18 October, some of our…

Image Credit: Ray Kennedy, RSPB Images

There has definitely been a nip in the air this week, as we speed through October at an alarming rate. At the turn of the season, Saltholme is as magnificent as ever. Read on to discover what has been happening this week! 

News from the Estate:

Visitors in the café may have noticed the estates team working in front of the sand martin bank on Tuesday. They have cleared the vegetation…

Welcome to the latest blog post!

Saltholme has seen some mixed weather this week… Tuesday in particular was fit for neither man nor beast. But the sunshine from Wednesday has more than made up for it. In fact, plenty of wildlife has been out and about soaking up the last of the summer rays. The estates team have also been most of the good weather and are performing their usual invaluable roles on the reserve.

Welcome to this new series of blog posts! We'll be checking in each week with a blog post to keep you up-to-date on what is happening on the reserve. 

At Saltholme, there is always something going on. The last two weeks have been no different- as summer draws to a close, the dragonflies have been making the most of the remaining sunshine. Species that use the reserve in the warmer months, such as terns, are leaving…