Hi,

It has now been four weeks since our first Common Terns (two birds seen on 24^th April) returned to Saltholme. Since then the number of terns has increased dramatically with 120 birds counted on Paddy’s Pool Island during this weekends Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS). Now is a great time to watch the breeding behaviour of the terns with many birds displaying, mating and nest building. The set of photographs below show just part of a Common Tern’s courtship repertoire.

A female Common Tern behaves like a young chick begging for food.

The male flies off to go on a fishing trip with sticklebacks being easy prey for the terns here at Saltholme.

The male returns and presents a fish to the female.

The female takes the fish from the male and eats it, meanwhile the male tern starts posturing by drooping its wings and pointing its bill skywards.

This behaviour is important for developing the bond between the Common Tern pair. By giving the female tern a fish the male is proving to her that he is good enough to help raise their family in the coming months.

Cheers,

Adam

Adam Jones predicted the arrival of spoonbill in his recent May's Headliners blog post, and despite the continuation of the cool and changeable weather conditions, Saltholme saw the return of the spoonbill on Monday this week, so nice going Adam!

The bird was thought to have come down from Seaton Carew, and it spent the day at Saltholme Pools sweeping its distinctive spatulate bill through the water. The views of the bird on this occasion were quite distant (the above photo is of a spoonbill seen at Saltholme Pools in June 2011, taken by Ian Forrest), but who knows, perhaps a warmer end to May might encourage a few more of these brilliant birds to drop in for a visit.

For those of you who might not recognise my name on this blog, I'm Stephen Vincent. I'm working at Saltholme for the next 18 months as a Visitor Services Trainee, and I'm enjoying every minute of it!

Thanks,

Stephen

Hi,

April turned out to be a cold and wet month.  Migrant birds were slow in arriving but by the months end most of the summer species had returned all be it in small numbers. The cold and wet weather also had a negative impact on the number of butterflies flying around. It’s wasn’t all bad news though as many plant species are growing well after all the rain and the wet grassland is in fine condition for breeding waders.

 Will the cold and wet weather continue into the month of May? Fingers crossed that the weather won’t prevent the appearance of May’s top spots,

• Spoonbill. This ‘heron sized’ bird has become a regular late-spring visitor to Saltholme. Spoonbill numbers have increased in the UK with a small colony now breeding in Norfolk.
• Small Copper. A delightful little butterfly whose first generation are on the wing this month.
• Garlic Mustard or Jack-by-the-hedge. A perennial species with bright green heart-shaped leaves and small white flowers. This species is best looked for along the hedge which runs parallel to the Wildlife Watchpoint hide.

Bonus Bird

• Temminck’s Stint. This tiny little wader is best searched for in the month of May. Look out for individuals who have dropped in to refuel whilst en route to their breeding grounds which include Scotland.

This photograph of a Temminck's Stint was taken by Ian at the nearby site of Greatham Creek back in 2010.

 Cheers,

Adam

Why the hills? Well we have a lot of work to do each year on our tern islands. In the autumn we clear the weeds then in late winter we start again by removing the vegetation that has grown since we were last on the islands. This year that was not too difficult, mainly hemlock on Paddy's and chickweed on Saltholme island. However we found that the winter weather had undermined the timber that protects the islands from erosion. So the estate team (Toby and Keith with us, the volunteers) took timber and tools over to the islands to spend a few days working on these defences, and remodeling Saltholme island to give better views from the hide. Time will tell but we think we have done enough to last the next few years.

Meanwhile 25 tonnes of cockle shell had been delivered to the reserve. With shovels, gator (the motor buggy) and the little boat we shifted the shells to cover the islands in the best tern nesting material, first on Saltholme then Paddy's. We were just about to level the mounds when avocets showed an interest in nesting, so we left  them in peace and the little hills will stay untill after the nesting season.

As the photo shows, the terns have come back from Africa and, oblivious to the hills, are choosing nest sites. Meanwhile we will put the boat to bed and start our summer jobs of cutting the grass, maintaining paths and general maintenance.

Peter

Hi,

This week the arrival of our three common hirundines, Sand Martins, Barn Swallows and House Martins has become a lot more obvious. On Wednesday I enjoyed watching these birds from the Saltholme Pools hide where a small mixed flock was skimming low over the water. During a heavy April shower they began to line up along a barbed wire fence. The resting birds provided a great opportunity to compare the three species which shall now be with us until the autumn.

Cheers,

Adam