Blogs

After much of this week being stuck in the office due to the weather, I went down this afternoon for a look at the reserve. Apart from being completely covered in snow including the car park - there was lots of action from some of our wildlife. Here are some of the highlights: Roe Deer - seen all...

Hi, At least it has been at Saltholme this week with sightings of three bitterns and three water rails. The bitterns are best looked for at the Haverton viewpoint and it was this Thursday that our hide guides reported three water rail at the wildlife watchpoint. It looks like now is a better time...

...or maybe a bit of grey will be more your colour this weekend? This week, our Wildlife Enquiries team have been inundated with queries about these beautiful birds - redwings and fieldfares . So if these birds are now as familiar to you as your usual robin and blackbird, you're not alone....

Right now mountains are being moved! They're being moved very very slowly but it's still quite an exciting thought. Ice is incredibly powerful. Water can get into every tiny crack and crevice, so when it freezes and expands, it can split huge rocks into pieces and even slowly break down mountains...

The reserve looks a lot different now then when I last posted a blog , as the winter weather finally arrived in force. We had over 6 inches of snow at the weekend and there is still a lot of laying snow that has frozen, making the paths very icy and slippery. We have put up signs advising against walking...

We've been inundated with reports of unusual garden visitors since the snow arrived. The ice, snow and general wintry weather that has finally arrived has covered much of the countryside making many natural food resources such as worms and seed on the ground impossible to reach. So what is a hungry...

"Big Freeze" and "Arctic conditions" - it seems to me that there's a certain inevitability about the way such phrases appear among some sections of the media when we are about to experience not unfamiliar winter weather conditions in er... winter. However this time it has indeed...

'Don't talk with your mouth full.' And it's a lesson this fieldfare might want to take note of if he doesn't want to lose his rather juicy-looking berry! Fieldfares are winter visitors to the UK and a very common sight in gardens at the moment - whether you're digging yourself...

I arrived at the reserve this morning to find 7cm of snow covering the reserve and thought you might like to see a few photos of Blacktoft looking slightly different. Signs of lots of activity throughout the reserve with footprints in the snow. More footprints in Gallery. A nice shot...

Now that winter has properly arrived, we are getting a number of queries here in wildlife enquiries about how to keep bird baths ice free. Here are some top tips! Put a ping pong ball in your bird bath. The breeze should move this lightweight float around keeping the water moving and should prevent...

Pair of Mallard. Taken on 1st February 2012.

One of a series of images I took documenting this female Shoveler's grooming. Taken on the morning of 1st February 2012.

Taken near the picnic area on 28th January 2012.

Hopefully if we do get a harsh spell it won't catch too many amphibians out, although the mild winter is likely to encourage early spawning. If you do spy some early spawn, report it via the Natures Calendar site linked here . Just had a look at this yeards records for frog spawn and there are...

I made a quick visit to my parents place last weekend and had a quick look in the pond I dug for them a couple of years ago. It has been a success with frogs breeding in it two springs in a row and a number of cool invert's like backswimmers and the occasional damselfly. However, on peering into...

The range of visiting garden birds has risen dramatically for me the past few weeks. Just wondering how it is for everyone else. In particular I've had treecreepers, return of blackbirds, a redwing and a thrush, a possible blackcap the other day, a possible redpoll. I also saw the first Jay I've...

Hi Knewmans and welcome to the forum You might be interested in reading the thread here It is worth reporting the blackcap on Birdtrack this will help monitor the numbers of this plucky little bird. From ringing recoveries the BTO have learnt that many of the wintering blackcaps arrive from Europe...

Thanks Borderlass and Sparrow. Hi Grandmamac Just had a listen and that was interesting and very enjoyable. They covered quite a lot of different wildlife issues for winter including the danger of mesh. If anyone else wants to listen you can fast forward the show to 18minutes 50 seconds straight...

For the fourth year now, a pair of mallards visit our garden, arriving in early March - in fact, they arrived yesterday. The same pair, for sure, as they feed from hand and we're very familiar with the funny squeaks and mutterings, the duck doesn't 'squack' and the drake chutters continuously...

Spring, summer, autumn or winter, they all have something different to offer at Ynys-hir: Winter is the time when Ynys-hir offers you the only chance in Wales and England of seeing Greenland white fronted geese. Pretty barnacle geese are also here along with large flocks of lapwing, and lots of...

With the Big Garden birdwatch coming up fast and with lots of people reporting gardens full of a variety of birds, our feathered friends are quite rightly one of the highlights of the winter months. However, some other creatures are also active during the winter and some have quite interesting stories...

Taken from fen Hide at the Loch of Strathbeg

On a cold, grey January afternoon, a leaden atmosphere pervaded an urban, industrial landscape. But among the litter and racist graffiti, my very first bullfinch revealed its regal pink chest and black cap. A dull day was instantly enlightened.

I'll never forget the snow falling gently, the dazzling white all around me, the quietness of the cold winter afternoon, the snow buntings flitting all around me like little white pieces of paper in the wind, and how warm I felt inside.

Stopped by a bright green flash lightening the gloom (a startled green woodpecker), then again by the statuesque grey heron against the green of the grass - magic moments when rushing along the path home to beat the rain.

As the sun sets on a glorious winter's day, the sky is turned golden. Amazing!

Autumn is without a doubt my favourite time of year. It always feels cosier this time of year. Just makes me feel great!