Things have moved on since my last visit to Radipole Lake three weeks ago.  Quite a number of our Hawthorn trees are weighed down with their white blossoms almost like a snow drift.  The Guelder Rose is about to burst into flower, Cow Parsley, Hemlock Water Dropwort, Hogweed are also coming into bloom.  The Common Comfey is blooming at its best, the flowers in various shades of cream through to deep pink and lilac-purple…

Beautiful day down here at Radipole Lake, blue skies and sunshine all day and set to continue over the weekend. The Discovery Centre has been very busy with visitors and birders. The craft activity table has been popular with the children.  

Dan, our Senior Discovery Centre Assistant, made the most of it by setting up the Easter Trail over the reserve. The Easter Trail costs £1 each to take part. Follow the nature clues…

Quite a number of children have visited the Discovery Centre recently and have been busy making craft birds of different 'variations and species' at our craft table. When they have finished making their birds, staff hang them up decorating the beams making a colourful and welcome addition to our Discovery Centre.

The Marsh Harriers have been active today with up to FIVE being seen soaring over the reedbeds this…

The big news this week is the new viewing shelter is now open!  There are a few jobs that still need to be done but we didn't want to delay your enjoyment of the new scrape any longer.

Benches will be installed within the next few weeks so you won't have to stand for too long. I went up this morning for the first time and was rewarded with sky dancing Marsh Harriers.

Some unusual guests visited us this week…

RSPB volunteer, Dave Morphew, has sent in the latest progress pics on the Viewing Shelter area. As you can see the digger has now been brought in to do some heavy moving and lifting.

The digger has been busy moving the material ready to spread out over the path to the new Viewing Shelter.

The  newly laid path to the viewing screen overlooking the scrape.

An inside view of the shelter and the new path. Fabulous…

Keeping Radipole Lake (and Lodmoor) spick and span for our birds and wildlife is a team effort involving staff and volunteers and keep us all busy. For some people it's a full time job!  Today Dan, Discovery Centre Senior Assistant, and volunteer Charlotte took on one of the less pleasant tasks of litter picking this morning.  As Radipole is an urban reserve close to a retail park it can be challenging keeping on top…

A glorious day down here at Radipole Lake. A welcome change after yesterday's gusty winds. The sunshine has brought out the Daffodils near the Discovery Centre entrance bringing a splash of spring colour.

The sunshine also brought a steady stream of visitors to the Discovery Centre, one visitor reporting a Bittern and a Bullfinch sightings at 10:00 a.m. this morning. Another visitor pointed out the two Mediterranean…

Spring is on the move! The days are now getting noticeably longer and the Winter Trail has just closed for this season. Violets are in full bloom as are the catkins on the Alder trees, a very early Hogweed is nearly ready to flower, the Daffodils outside the Discovery Centre are in bud nearly ready to burst, the Cow Parsley and Hemlock Water Dropwort leaves are well up now.

On the bird front, a Spoonbill and Whimbrel…

It's a grey, windy, rainy day at Radipole today, not many people or birds about. The water levels are high but some hardy Mallards and Teal were swimming about in front of the window at the Discovery Centre.

Our resident Hooded Merganser seemed to be enjoying the rain and was enthusiastically ducking and diving in the water, entertaining the two of us that were in the Centre this morning.

Photo Credit: John…

It's time once again for the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch. This event which started in 1979 is this weekend on Saturday 28th, Sunday 29th and Monday 30th January. For the first time in its history the Big Garden Birdwatch is taking place over three days. If you have had a busy weekend, the weather is inclement or you can birdwatch at your place of work you now have the option of recording on a Monday.  Last year,…

Winterwatch is nearly upon us. The BBC will be broadcasting live from RSPB Arne from Monday 23 – Thursday 26 January, BBC TWO, 8pm

BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p012msk2 

RSPB Arne will be open as usual throughout broadcast week, staff and RSPB volunteers will be on-hand to welcome visitors and help them experience the full Winterwatch magic.

Winterwatch Presenters: Chris Packham and Micheala Strachan…

Beautiful calm and sunny day down here at Radipole Lake today. The sky and lake are a deep blue while the reedbeds are golden with the sunshine filtering through them. The Marsh Harriers have been displaying in the skies overhead, three were seen all together at one point. Many visitors have been coming in the Discovery Centre reporting their sightings of the Marsh Harriers. 

Marsh Harrier - Photo credit: RSPB Radipole…

After yesterday afternoon's downpour, the sun is shining brightly at Radipole.  A combination of a high tide and and heavy rain means the water levels are much higher than usual. There are plenty of Tufted Ducks and Mallard at the Discovery Centre but they are not able to get onto the island but have gathered around in a flock. Three Little Grebes have been seen among the flock.

The Hooded Merganser is back at his…

Happy New Year to everyone from Radipole Lake! 

Two notable events are happening at the end of January 2017. As you know the BBC's Autumnwatch was broadcast live from Arne in October 2016. The BBC will be back at Arne to film Winterwatch 2017.  The broadcast dates have now been confirmed as Monday 23 - Thurs 26 January, 8:00 pm on BBC 2. We will keep you up to date with the latest news.

Just after Winterwatch, it will…

Christmas is fast approaching and the school holidays are just about to begin. The Radipole Lake Discovery Centre has lots of crafty activites to keep the children occupied.  Last week's activities are hanging up on display, brightening up the Discovery Centre.

This week there are six different crafts to choose from:  

1. Colouring in activities, a range of pencils and crayons are available.

2. Pin the Nose…

It's an autumnal warm day at Radipole Lake. The Discovery Centre has become festive with it's Christmas tree from the Pull a Pine day at Arne last week. The Friday morning monthly Toddler Group had their Christmas party with some festive songs filling the air.

The Kingfisher was seen several times outside the Discovery Centre window. Clouds of Black Headed and Mediterranean Gulls filled the sky from time to…

As regular readers of our blog know, our intrepid RSPB volunteer, Pete Clinch, has set his trail camera in the conservation area at the north of the reserve recently. Pete's camera has captured some superb shots of the night time exploits of our birds and mammals which have been shown on previous blogs. This time all the images are our otters.

Signs of otters were first noticed back in 2007 when our former site…

It's been a windy and rainy week down in Weymouth. Parts of the reserve were flooded.and paths waterlogged. RSPB Volunteer, Pete Clinch, captured this superb double rainbow over the "Centre Bridge" next to the Discovery Centre on Monday afternoon.

Pete set his his trail camera at the top end of the reserve in the new restoration area which will be open to the public just before…

It's been a beautiful day down here in Weymouth with the odd rain shower or two, The Kingfisher has been about along with the Hooded Merganser, Black Tailed Godwits, over 80 Teal, Cetti's Warblers, lots of Grey Heron's and a Little Egret. Also about in front of the Discover Centre window were a group of Common Gulls and Mediterranean Gulls. In the afternoon we had a visit from the Marsh Harrier.

As it was…

A few weeks ago, Kate Wyatt, wildlife artist , shared some of her amazing sketches of RSPB Radipole's beautiful wildlife, on our Facebook page. We were wowed by her work and so thrilled that the Weymouth Wetlands had proved such an inspiration. We...

lt's a rainy day down here at Radipole Lake but lots of Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck and Grey Herons making the most of the wet weather. Also Snipe, Black Tailed Godwits, Gadwall, a Kingfisher and a large of flock of over 75 Mediterranean Gulls are about.

In recent weeks, Radipole Lake Volunteer Pete Clinch, has been setting up his trail camera at different places around the reserve. This camera can take pictures day…

As you all know, our colleagues over at Arne have been hosting Autumnwatch this year. Staff and many of the volunteers at Radipole Lake have gone over to Arne to take their turn assisting colleagues. All have done an amazing job this week. Over 3.6 million viewers tuned into Monday's show to enjoy the sights and sounds of Arne.

There has been a real buzz around the reserve. Neither staff nor volunteers have been…

As you know the North Hide and boardwalk is currently closed as they have come to the end of their lives. With this in mind, our Discovery Centre Senior Assistant, Danny Bartlett and I were discussing the North Hide and the untimely passing of the other hides which were here on Radipole Lake and over at Lodmoor. Danny was on hand to witness and photograph the tragic fates of our former hides.

Buddleia Hide

Radipole…

Autumnwatch 2016

I'm sure many of you have already heard the exciting news that this year's Autumnwatch is being hosted by our colleagues over at Arne. 

Keep up-to-date with all of RSPB Arne’s latest Autumnwatch news by following and liking RSPB Arne on Twitter, Facebook and the website:

Facebook: facebook.com/RSPBEastDorset

Twitter: @RSPBArne 

Website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature…

From the 1st October access to the North Hide will be closed. The hide and the boardwalk have come to the end of their life and are no longer safe for use.  Access will end at the locked gate.

What's Coming Next?

A few years ago we started to prepare for when the North Hide would be closed. A new scrape was created which now has had to time to become great for wildlife. There will be a new trail to a viewing structure…