Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

Another week, another blog! That’s right, there are more wonderful wildlife sightings to read about, more conservation work to explore and more events on the horizon. Read on to discover what has been happening at RSPB Saltholme this week…

News from the Estate:

If you read this blog regularly, you will have noticed by now that our Estates Team and Work Party are multi…

Image Credit: Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge

It’s the first blog post of 2023! It will not follow the ‘New Year, New Me’ trend; expect the same level of bad jokes, shameless self-promotion and incredible wildlife as before. Read on for more!

News from the Estate:

For the first work party of the year, the willow around the welly splash got a manicure. The cut branches are being used to maintain…

What a year! 2022 has- nationally and internationally- been a rollercoaster ride. On a more local level, the year has brought new ventures, new species and new challenges to Saltholme. Read on to find out more!

New Ventures:

Image Credit: Jim Stephenson

As an RSPB reserve, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our land for wildlife and its conservation. We’ve started several projects this year, and seen older…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

It’s 23 December. Retail workers are quaking in their boots, fridges are stuffed to bursting and Santa is polishing Rudolph’s nose ready for The Big Night. But life doesn’t stop at Saltholme just because the tinsel is out- read on for conservation news, reserve events and sightings highlights!

News from the Estate:

Hedgerows and scrub are very important for wildlife…

Image Credit: Andy Hay, RSPB Images

What a week! It may have been the teensiest bit nippy, but the winter sunlight and shining frost have added a sprinkling of Christmas magic over the reserve. Oh, you forgot it was nearly Christmas? Don’t worry, leave the to-do list for now and read on to discover what has been happening at Saltholme this week.

News from the Estate:

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

The estates…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

With glittering, frosty mornings and stunning sunsets, Saltholme has been showing us its best side this week. The staff and volunteers have been making sure visitors can get the most out of this beautiful place; there have been lots of events, sightings and conservation work going on. Read on to find out more.

News from the Estate:

The water soldier you see in ponds is most likely…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

This blog aims to give you an overview of reserve life. Condensing a week’s worth of news and sightings into a manageable chunk of paragraphs can be tricky, but it’s a challenge we’re willing to accept. If you’re in even more of a hurry this week, here is a summary of the summary:

We’ve seen birds. We’ve conserved birds. We love birds.

If you would…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

Congratulations. You have made it to Friday. You might not know how you got here but don’t worry, just join the club. As well as all the usual sections, to mark Remembrance Day we will start this blog with some facts about poppies. Read on to find out more!

The Flower of Remembrance- the Poppy:

Image Credit: Colin Wilkinson, RSPB Images

The poppy is a powerful symbol of remembrance…

Image Credit: RSPB Images

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(ten)!

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

Image Credit: Les Bunyan, RSPB Images

We have reached October half-term. We might not be entirely sure how we got here so quickly, but the autumnal colours are incredible and Saltholme has been a hive of activity over the past week (in terms of both people and wildlife). So read on for more information!

News from the Estate:

Sand martins can be seen at Saltholme in Spring and Summer. Image Credit: Ben Hall, RSPB Ima…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

After this week, we’re officially closer to the end of October than we are to the beginning. It’s a good job there have been lots of wildlife sightings and other things happening to keep us distracted from how fast 2022 is disappearing. Read on to find out more!

News from the Estate:

Autumn may be advancing whether we like it or not, but that means there are lots of migrating…

Image Credit: eBird

The sun has (mostly) shone on Saltholme this week, both literally and metaphorically. We’ve had plenty of wildlife preparing for the colder weather and soaking up the autumn sunshine. Read on to find out more…

News from the Estate:

The Wildlife Watchpoint hide is a family-friendly space from which you can watch our birds and other wildlife. The one-way mirror glass gives you excellent…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

We’ve had enough bird sightings for an Alfred Hitchcock film this week. Fortunately for us and our visitors, our wildlife is much less threatening and is actually quite pleased to pose gently for cameras.

Of course, there have also been plenty of other things happening at Saltholme this week; read on to find out more!

News from the Estate:

Keep your eyes peeled for the water…

If you have been to Saltholme, you may have noticed that we provide a range of workshops for school visits. The RSPB’s Schools on Reserves (SoR) programme offers teachers the opportunity to bring their classes onto our wonderful reserves and spend the day with our expert teaching staff and volunteers, allowing children to get up close and hands-on (to an extent) with nature and wildlife.

But a visit to Saltholme…

Image Credit: Verity Hill, RSPB Images

It is now officially autumn. No, we can’t believe it either. But hey, that means the first of the winter migrant species are beginning to arrive at Saltholme. Read on to find out more!

News from the Estate:

If you have walked around our Discovery Zone this week, you might have noticed that you can see more of it. This is because our wonderful estates team have spent a large…

We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of our Patron, The Queen, and offer our heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family. As a mark of respect and mourning, this blog was not published as planned last week. 

The summer holidays are over, and with their end an eerie silence has descended over Saltholme. Good job we’ve got all our wonderful wildlife to fill the void with birdsong. That’s right, it’s been another busy…

Image Credit: Mark Stokeld

Just in case August passed for you as quickly as it did for us, we would like to remind you that it is now September. This means the summer holidays are drawing to a close. But that doesn’t equate to life slowing down at Saltholme! Read on to find out more.

News from the Estate:

It’s a Bank Holiday week, which means there has been a fair amount of rain. As a result, the vegetation around…

Image Credit: Caroline Walker

The life of a nature reserve is always busy. This week at Saltholme has been no exception. So read on to uncover what conservation work we have done, what events we have run, and what species we have spotted over the last seven days…

News from the Estate:

With the Cowpen Marsh project ticking along nicely (see last week’s blog for more details), the estates team have been doing…

Image Credit: Ben Hall, RSPB Images

We are now two thirds of the way through the summer holidays, more than halfway through August, and it is now significantly closer to Christmas 2022 than it is to Christmas 2021. But save the existential crisis for another day because you have a blog to read! We’ve had another busy week at Saltholme, so read on to find out more. 

News from the Estate:

Every week is a busy week…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RPSB Images

It’s been a week where staff, visitors, and birds alike have all been lightly toasted. But despite the high temperatures the reserve has been full of activity. Read on to find out more!

News from the Estate:

Hedgerows are an important habitat in their own right, but also act as ‘wildlife corridors’. Wildlife Corridors are areas that allow species to move from one place to another…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

July has given way to August (we know…we can’t believe it either) and the summer holidays are in full swing. The sun has even made an appearance to keep everyone happy. The wildlife has been competing with the sunshine for the most appearances (and won by a mile), so read on to find out what has been happening this week.

News from the Estate:

Maintaining mixed heights…

Image Credit: Ben Andrew, RSPB Images

The first week of the summer holidays is already drawing to a close…time flies when you're having fun! And lots of people have been having fun at Saltholme this week. There has- as always- been plenty to see and do here, and we intend to tell you all about it!

News from the Estate:

It’s been a busy week for our estates team (well, it’s never NOT a busy week). Here’s what…

Image Credit: Leslie Cater, RSPB Images

After this week’s weather, it’s safe to say our rare birds are now more medium to well done. But we made it through, and we still have a lot to talk about! Read on to find out more.

News from the Estate:

We created a series of ponds along the path to our Saltholme Pools hide to encourage a range of dragonfly and damselfly species to breed on our reserve. Image Credit…

Image Credit: National Audubon Society

Buckle up…there’s a lot to talk about this week and we intend to mention as much of it as we can. There have been unusual visitors to the reserve (birds, not paying guests), conservation tasks to complete and events to organise; read on to find out more!

News from the Estate:

On top of counting nests, monitoring breeding populations and mapping species distributions…

Image Credit: Lockhart Horsburgh

After a week off, the blog is back with a vengeance. Read on for updates on what has been seen at Saltholme this week, alongside events and conservation work…

News from the Estate:

It’s important to have a range of plant species present in wildflower meadows, to support as many insects and other animals as possible. Some species, such as thistles, can dominate these areas if left…