Radipole Lake

It's that time of the month again where we reflect on the past month at the Weymouth Wetland Reserves.

It has been a great month of both practical work and visitor engagement. The wildlife has also not failed to disappoint! 

Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)

Notable wildlife sightings this month are the return of swallows and martins, particularly the sand martins seen flying around the sand martin wall from the North…

Another month goes by at the Weymouth Wetland Reserves - it's been sunny but chilly, but that hasn't stopped visitors from enjoying the sights and sounds of the reserves.

Wildlife highlights this month include more up-close bearded reedling sightings at Radipole Lake, a pintail too, and most amazingly a fly-by from a white tailed sea eagle! 

Pintail - Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)

In the café, sausage rolls are…

After a break in December, the Weymouth Wetlands Round-Up is back for January.

January has been a busy month for both our wildlife and our staff teams. From more flooding of Radipole to wildlife spectacles at Lodmoor, there's been much going on across our wetland reserves.

For a quick wildlife shout-out - seeing hundreds of golden plover at Lodmoor has been a brilliant addition to the reserve. While at Radipole…

From flooding to the arrival of Christmas, November has certainly been an interesting month!

The beginning of the month saw staff and volunteers learning how to place in the flood barriers, in case of a flood warning. Funnily enough, less than a week later the barriers had to be put up at Radipole Lake - the water was as high as many had ever seen it and the reserves trails were completely flooded. While this pushed…

This October has been a pleasant introduction to autumn. With temperatures still mild, many visitors have been enjoying Radipole Lake and Lodmoor reserves. 

The warden team have been busy cutting back the vegetation along the paths at Radipole Lake, particularly along the Discovery Loop, which has opened the paths up nicely after a whole summer of growth. At Lodmoor, many will have seen the cattle which are back grazing…

This September has seen a burst of wildlife return to the Wetlands. Kingfisher and bearded tit sightings have been numerous as well as the first bittern sighting of the season.

Over-wintering ducks and other wildfowl have been returning in their masses too.

The first two of four bearded tit walks have been successes, with the next tomorrow and the last booking up fast. To sign up for the final bearded tit walk on the…

The Weymouth Wetlands Reserves have been busy this Summer. We have launched a new partnership for the Discovery Centre, hosted two Hurtigruten Cruise excursions to the Reserves and are continuing to deliver a busy schedule of events for the Summer and beyond. We are also looking for volunteers to help us continue our visitor engagement at Radipole Lake. 

These are the events happening across the Weymouth Reserves in the…

What's on at the Weymouth Wetlands

Spring has been in full swing with Cow Parsley blooming by the paths and the reedbeds alive with the sound of birdsong.  As we move towards early summer, the Cow Parsley is now is giving way to the Hemlock Water Dropwort.  This is a typical plant of wet grassland and in the same family as Cow Parsley.  To discover more about the plants and birds on Radipole Lake and over at Lodmoor…

What's on at the Weymouth Wetlands

It's Spring and time to get out and about around our reserves! Several events are coming up to help our visitors make the most of the nature and wildlife on our doorstep.

 Lodmoor in Bloom by Laura Pringle

Not Quite The Dawn Chorus at Lodmoor

Enjoy the magical symphony of the Dawn Chorus as well as learning to identify a range of our native migratory songbirds by their calls…

The days are getting noticeably longer now and Spring is starting to emerge around our reserves.  Marsh Harriers are in our skies once again.  Sweet Violets are making a splash of purple along some of our paths, there are still some late Winter Heliotrope flowering.  Alexanders, Cow Parsley, Hemlock Water Dropwort leaves are up, Blackthorn is starting to come into blossom.  Even sightings of Red Admiral butterflies have been…

We are very pleased to inform our visitors that the Discovery Centre has now re-opened! Our staff and volunteers are looking forward to welcoming you back.

The Discovery Centre Opening times are Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00am to 4:00pm for: reserve information, refreshments are available to purchase, recent sightings information, family activities (activity backpacks, free activity sheets, duck food to purchase…

Following the latest government advice we have made the difficult decision to close our Discovery Centre to visitors by 5pm, Friday 20th March. This is to prioritise the health and welfare of our staff, volunteers and visitors.

These are difficult and unsettling times for all of us but we hope that nature can provide a welcome respite in whichever form and wherever you may encounter it. We want to do everything we can…

Wetland Management Works at RSPB Lodmoor

Winter 2019/20 Update

In October 2019, it was announced that the RSPB was planning some significant habitat management works at RSPB Lodmoor over the winter with the aim of rejuvenating the reed bed and enhancing the saltmarsh.

The bridge work started in October but because water levels were so high wasn’t finished until November. A sluice has now been installed behind the bridge…

After a succession of storms, the water levels at Radipole Lake and Lodmoor are high again.  Many puddles on the paths but all passable.  Ducks still around are Tufted, Mallard, Gadwall, Teal, Pochard and Shoveler.  Other birds noted are Grey Heron, Moorhen, Coot, Cormorants including the subspecies sinensis and Snipe. In the reed beds Cetti's are being noisy and in the hedgerows Blackbirds, Robin, Dunnock, Great Tits and…

On 1st February the Penduline Tit returned to Radipole Lake and has been seen frequently on the reserve these past two weeks.  It's current favourite place to be is in the reed beds near the viewing shelter.  On 5th February two more Penduline Tits were seen over at Lodmoor.  Both of these birds were seen in the reed beds calling to each other but moving around a lot.  All three birds are male, no sign of any females…

The Penduline Tit was back over at Lodmoor on Tuesday 29th January for a fleeting visit.  The Bearded Tits have also been showing well with a number of ringed Beardies being reported to the Discovery Centre.  The reports are helping us to track individual birds movements around the reserves and how far they travel.  Please do keep your sightings coming in, it is making an important contribution to our research.  Just make a…

The Bearded Tits have been seen around the reserve, since the last blog a number of sightings of ringed birds have been reported.  Two birds, one ringed with white over pink is a female and a male with green over pink rings have been seen frequently together, perhaps courting?  Remember to keep a look out for them when you visit and report your sightings to the Discovery Centre, with a photo if possible.

Water levels are…

Happy New Year to everyone and welcome to the first blog for 2020. We start the year off with visitors reporting good views of Bearded Tits around the reserve. One of the birds reported today had orange and yellow rings, a timely reminder of the Radipole Lake Bearded Tit Ringing Programme which began in Autumn 2017.  

RSPB and BTO volunteer, Steve Hales went out on the reserve ringing our Bearded Tits.  Each bird has been…

Most of Radipole Lake is currently underwater, parts are accessible for a welly walk but only as far as the Buddleia Loop.  Despite the flooding, Bearded Tits have been showing well in the reed beds outside the Discovery Centre and the Siberian Chiff Chaff has recently been seen.  The ducks and swans that are still here have been gathering around the duck feeding platform hopeful for some easy food.  The higher than usual…

It's been a spooky week at the Radipole Lake as all things Halloween were celebrated during the Autumn half term.  Children (and adults of course!) have been encouraged to hunt around the Centre to find hidden eight Spiders and eight Bats and learn interesting fun facts about these sometimes maligned creatures.  

Recent Bird Sightings

On 19th October some people were lucky enough to see a Short Eared Owl pass over the…

There have been several notable bird sightings over the past month.  During the second half of September a Long Billed Dowitcher was seen several times over at Lodmoor.  On 24th September, visitors were amazed to see a Black Swan in front of the Discovery Centre window!  No rings were seen on its legs so it looks like a genuine wild Black Swan.

Photo Credits: Long Billed Dowitcher and Black Swan - Edmund Mackrill @Wey…

Wetland Management Works at RSPB Lodmoor, Winter 2019/20

The RSPB are planning some significant habitat management works at RSPB Lodmoor over the coming winter with the aim of rejuvenating the reedbed and enhancing the saltmarsh.

Rejuvenating the Lower Lodmoor Reedbed

Working with Dorset Council, a bridge and a sluice will be put in on the Council path that divides the reedbed at RSPB Lodmoor in two.  In order to do this…

After the heatwave over the August Bank Holiday, September has brought an Autumnal chill to the air.  Some notable recent sightings: a Great White Egret and 50+ Mediterranean Gulls at Lodmoor on Bank Holiday Monday.  On Thursday 29th August a Spotted Crake was seen in the post box pool on Lodmoor, the next day a Bittern was seen in the same area, along with 3 Great White Egrets, 3 Green Sandpipers, a Greenshank, over 60…

August is a normally a quiet time at Radipole Lake.  The majority of the Swifts, House Martins and Swallows have left on their migration. Many of our resident birds are moulting their summer feathers and have gone into hiding to stay safe.  We still have our Mute Swan families and the island in front of the of the Discovery Centre window is a welcome sanctuary for the Mallards, Gadwalls, Tufted and Shovelers in their eclipse…

The summer holidays are upon us, the warm weather bringing many families and holidaymakers from the local area and further afield to the Discovery Centre.  The reserve is alive with fledglings and our Mute Swan cygnets are growing up fast.  The Swifts have already left for their long journey to South Africa.

Among our current feathered visitors is a Wood Sandpiper which has been seen at the North Screen and over at Lodmoor…