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Recent sightings

• 23 May 2012

  Here comes the Sun!

  Well we certainly have had a big turn around in the weather over the last couple of days and I am back in my shorts! All of a sudden dragonfly and damselfly larvae are leaving the ponds around the reserve and taking to the wing as newly emerged adults! one of the most common species about at the moment is the large red damselfly so keep an eye out for them on your walk.

  This spring it seemed unusually quiet for ospreys on the reserve with many flying straight through to their nesting sites but today we had a couple of sightings. First off one was seen flying in the direction of Hartland moor with a fish in its talons and then was spotted latter on flying just off of Shipstal point. This is a bit late for ospreys to be in the harbour so fingers crossed that this is a young bird that may hang around for a bit longer.

  Last weekend we held a series of reptile show and tells when we showed visitors some of Arnes incredible snakes and lizards and in the the last few days they have been fairly easy to spot around the reserve. Male sand lizards have been seen basking on a lot of the sandy heathland paths and a small amount of patience can been rewarded with some great views of the second rarest reptile in Britain. In fact the rarest  British reptile has been spotted out and about as well. Although there are plenty of smooth snakes on the reserve they are very elusive and rarely seen out in the open but a couple of days ago a visitor to this picture of one slithering across the path on Coombe heath! You can clearly see the understated black marks all the way along the back of the snake and it lacks the distinctive diamond pattern of the adder.

  

  Photo by Jenny Millard

  It is the time of year that Nightjars are returning to Britain from Africa and I have been out onto the heath a few times in the last couple weeks to try and locate some with out much success but last night - Bingo! I was hoping that the warm weather was going to bring out more flying insects and encourage more nightjar activity and I wasn't disapointed. At about 9:30 I heard the first male churring and as I walked in that direction I got some great views of one flitting across the top of a small ridge before settling on a small bush to churr! It was brilliant seeing my first ever nightjars when I arrived at the reserve last year but to be honest it was just as exciting seeing them again this year.

  We still have spaces on the first 'Creatures of the Night' walk this Saturday so if you would like a chance to see some early nightjars along with some of the bats that live on the reserve then book today! http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308782

  There are lots of linnets and meadow pipits on the heath and I got some great views of a singing Dartford warbler the other evening. There are up to 5 spoonbills still around and I watched 3 feeding along the Middlebere channel at a rising tide yesterday evening!

  Finally a quick reminder to come along to the first spider Sunday of the year this weekend and find out more about the the life of spiders on the reserve. http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308783

   

  Posted by Michael Wilson

• 16 May 2012

  Reptiles,Spiders and the Dark at Arne!

  Things have been hotting up on our live kestrel cam whch is making exciting viewing. We have still got four very hungry chicks which seem to be growing before our very eyes! Both parents are out hunting for food a lot now and are bringing in all sorts of the reserves wildlife. On the warmer days lizards seem to be a favourite and it is funny watching the chicks tackle a still wriggling slow worm! Even the smallest chick which hatched a few days after the others is getting a good in of the food! http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/webcam.aspx

  The duck sitting on the buzzards nest appears to have finished laying now and is incubating so I am wondering how long it will be before a handfull of fluffy ducklings have to make the plunge out of the tree tops?

  Hobbies are still putting in good shows over Coombe heath and I was lucky to see my first of the year perched on the top of a dead tree right by the road as I drove to work yesterday. The nicer weather in the last couple of days have been better for Dartord warblers and there are still plenty of wheatears about! Cuckoos are being heard all over the reserve and, lots of lizards have been seen (and not just in the kestrel box) and a few large red damsel flies have begun to emerge - these are easy to spot because they are large and red!

  On the feeders in the car park siskins are still regular visitors and great spotted woodpeckers have been coming a bit more recently - perhaps they are busy feeding young?

  This time of the year is when a lot of our regular events start up again so here is what is coming up over the next couple of weekends!

  If you want to have a good chance of seeing some of the reptiles on the reserve then why not pop down to our reptile weekend this Saturday and Sunday! The morning walks are fully booked already but between 12 and 4 pm on both days we are running free  reptile show and tells every hour on the hour. One of our guids will be on hand to show you some of the  lizards and snakes that are found at Arne and tell you about thier amazing lives! http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308779

  

  Photo by Peter McSweeney

  Saturday the 26th of May see's the return of our popular creature of the night walk which is a great chance to see the reserve when most other visitors have gone home and Arne turns into a very different place!This is the time of the year when nightjars have just returned and the begin chirring to mark their territories and to find a mate. These walks are great fun and along with nightjars we try to track down some more of Arne's nocturnal wildlife, from glow worms and moths to owls and bats and of course the screeching sika deer, who knows what we will see! Booking is essential for this walk but there are still plent of spaces to if you fancy something a bit different then  follow the link for more information! http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308782

  

  Nightjar by Dom Greves

  Finally the 27th May at 2pm is the first of monthly 'Spider Sunday' of the year. Arne is not only a special place for birds and reptiles but there is an amazing variety of invertebrates too. From raft and wasp spiders to some of the more hidden inhabitants of the heath our resident spider expert Tony Sheridan will take you on a journey into the fascinating world of spiders . And remember Tony famously claims that there isn't a question he can't answer on spiders so come along and test him out! http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308783

  

  Raft spider by Sandra

  With all these events going on there is plenty to see and do at Arne - So don't be shy, give them a try!!

  Posted by Michael Wilson

• 14 May 2012

  Notice of Path Closures at Shipstal point!!

  Just a quick notice to tell visitors that a small section of path in the Shipstal area will be closed for at least the next couple of weeks from Tuesday May 15 to improve access on the reserve.

  The section of board walk between the dragonfly ponds and the double decker hide will be removed and new permanent paths will be layed. This is to improve the access and prepare it for a 'TRAMPER' mobilty scooter that will be available to hire out in the near future (details to follow). There will still be access to the double decker hide via the path that starts at the disabled car park.

  We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause and we will endevour to keep disruption to a minimum. The paths around the rest of the reserve will be open as normal.

  Please come along to the visitor centre for further information about the closures or call the reserve on 01929 553360.

  We thank everybody for their patience during this time

  Michael

  Posted by Michael Wilson

• 6 May 2012

  Spectacular Sand Lizards!

  The day started with an early morning at Arne when we broadcasted the reserves dawn chorus live on the internet. We picked up chiffchaffs, willow warblers, black caps, chaffinches, and greenfinches amongst others. It  was great to wake up to and thanks to Paul for coming along to provide commentary.

  We had a little bit of excitement when a marsh tit appeared on the feeders for the first time in over a year! These were regular visitors at one time but disappeared after the very cold winter of last year. There call is a loud ‘pit-chu’ which according to Rob sounds a bit like a ‘wild west’ gun fight!

  

  Marsh tit - Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)

  There are some interesting waders about at the moment with quite a few whimbrels passing through and a number of smart summer plumage grey plovers on the Middlebere channel. There are at least 3 spoonbills about and as it is a bit late for them to still be here they are probably immature non-breeding birds so there is a chance that they may stay in the harbour over the summer.

  After a chilly grey start it soon warmed up and turned in to a really sunny day and with ith the warm weather we got a lot of reports of sand lizards on Coombe heath. This is the time of year when the smart green males display and fight for territories and females and can be quite easy to see.

  

  This brilliant male sand lizard was seen on Coombe heath today by pudweena (Mr)

  Talking of reptiles remember Our reptile weekend on 19 and 20 May - We are running bookable guided walks on both mornings (spaces still available for Sunday) and then will be giving hourly show and tells after 12pm to show you some of the amazing lizards and snales that call Arne there home! http://www.rspb.org.uk/events/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-308779

  Back at the visitor centre the kestrel cam has been compulsive viewing with a fourth chick hatching yesterday and lot of food being brought in by the male today. It was amazing the range prey being caught including a bank vole, a slow worm, a common shrew and finally a common lizard which was still alive when it arrived! At least the chick won’t get bored with a lack of variety!

  The feeders at the back of the visitor centre are still alive with birds including siskins, nuthatches, goldfinches and greenfinches but if you cast your eyes to the ground you are likely to spot the bank voles and wood mice that live under the building and dart back and forth picking up discarded seeds that have fallen in their paths!

  

  One of the visitor centre bank voles taken by wormsmum - This species is a favourite of our kestrel family!

   

   

  Posted by Michael Wilson

• 4 May 2012

  Minotaurs and Dragons - Arne is a place of legend!

  It has been a pretty interesting couple of days at Arne, not only have we got new kestrel chicks which are doing well at the moment we have also got a live blue tit cam with at least 5 eggs in the nest and you can see this on the large screen in the centre!

  Out on the reserve there seems to be a lot happening and things are getting going again after the period of heavy rain we had! We have had long lists of sightings in the last two days with highlights including the hobby that has been around for a week or so and the short eared owl that is still putting in the occasional appearance. There are two spoonbills about and they been seen feeding along the Middlebere channel on a number of occasions. Migrant wise cuckoos have been seen and heard on the reserve, there are still plenty of wheatears on the heath and whitethroats are also being spotted. The first early swifts are here and I did see a couple flying over the heath last weekend.

  Today was a good one for common lizards which are taking advantage of the warmer drier weather and judging by kestrel cam there are plenty of slow worms about too (one of their favourite foods at the moment)! I have led a few walks recently and I have been struck by the amount of Minotaur beetles about. These large black beetles are fairly scarce heathland specialists which feed on the dung of rabbits and deer. They dig burrows in the sandy soil and drag the dung into a nest cavity where they will lay their eggs. When the larvae hatch they are sustained by the dung that has been provided for them! Minotaur beetles are so named because of the protruding horn like structures on their thorax which is reminiscent of the mythical creature from Greek legend! The 'horns' are used by the males to defend their burrows! So if you haven't seen these impressive beetles keep your eyes on the heathland paths as you walk around Arne!

  

  Minotaur beetle by pochard

  Also on the invertebrate front one of the first dragonflies of the year was seen today. This photo was taken by nikon4Pete and although the wings are at an angle I am pretty sure that it is an immature female 4 spot chaser (but I am happy to be proved wrong). This is a little bit early as they usually first start to emerge from ponds at the beginning of June!

  

  Finally remember to tune in on Sunday to our live 'Dawn Chorus' webcast for a unique opportunity to hear the early morning bird song at Arne. For more information
  see my earlier blog 'Wake up to Dawn at Arne!' and go to http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/dawnchorus.aspx on the day to listen in!

  Posted by Michael Wilson

• 30 April 2012

  Wake up to Dawn at Arne!!

  Although the weather conspired against us on Sunday morning and we were forced to cancel our 'Dawn Chorus' Walk, don't panic because there is another opportunity to listen to the fantastic morning bird song at Arne and this time you can do it from the comfort of your own living room! For one day only on Sunday May 6th at 6am we are going to switch our webcam over to an area on the heath and you be able to listen to the tranquil sounds of the Arne dawn chorus!

   

  

  Robin singing at Arne by Jon

  To give you all a bit of an idea of what its all about I have included our press release promoting this event

  Dawn chorus goes global at RSPB’s Arne Nature Reserve

   The RSPB will be bringing the dawn chorus live into the living rooms and bedrooms across the world in a unique webcast event set to coincide with International Dawn Chorus Day.

  Sunday 6th of May heralds International Dawn Chorus day, the annual celebration of this natural daily miracle, which can be heard across the UK’s woodlands, parks and gardens during springtime.

  This year the RSPB will be hosting a live webcast from its flagship Arne nature reserve in Dorset.

  Mark Singleton, who’s organizing the webcast for the RSPB said that the idea came to him after an early morning viewing of a buzzard’s nest; “We have been streaming live images of a buzzards nest and in my eagerness to see the elusive birds in their early stages of nest building I put the camera on my phone after waking up early one morning.

  “The disappointment of not seeing the buzzard was soon surpassed by the sounds of singing birds brought straight into my bedroom … without realising it I stumbled across the perfect way to start the day.”

  The RSPB believes that this one of the few times a live webcast of the dawn chorus has been tried and has the potential to not only reach waking Britain but many different time zones across the planet, showcasing one of nature’s true spectacles. 

  Mr. Singleton added; “The RSPB carry out many dawn chorus walks and all prove to be extremely popular, the idea behind the live webcast is to bring the sounds of a spring woodland directly into people’s homes.

  “Not everybody can reach our reserves and spaces are limited on walks, this way we can bring the simple pleasures of bird song to the masses.”

  Those of you who are real early risers will be able to tune in from sunrise on Sunday the 6th of May by going to www.rspb.org.uk/dawn. The idea is to make the birdsong the star of the show but we will be presenting on the day highlighting different species that come to the forefront from 06:00am to 09:00am.

  More information about international Dawn Chorus Day can be found at http://www.idcd.info/index.asp

  Posted by Michael Wilson

• 27 April 2012

  Watching Wildlife is a Great Hobby!!

  Blimey! Three blog posts in one day but it has been an exciting day at Arne! Not only did I announce the winners of the 'Picture Arne' competition but it has been a good day for wildlife as well! Despite a bit of a ropey start the weather did improve a bit and there were some decent sightings out on the heath. We have only had a handfull of wheatears reported so far this year but it was a bit of a bumper day today with loads being seen all over the heath! I think they may have come in on the weather fronts we are experiencing at the momment and Arne is always a favourite stop off point before they disperse to there upland breeding grounds.

  

  The males are looking really smart at the momment and I think that they have a slightly exotic look about them. One sub-species of the wheatear amazingly migrates from Africa all the up to Greenland to breed which makes this one of the longest bird migrations in the world.  Infact it has to make a 30 hour non stop journey across the Atlantic which is just remarkable for such a tiny bird!

  There were lots of goldfinches and siskins on the niger feeders today and the firecrests are still around the car park which is great news! We also had a fox seen out in day light today and a few excited visitors reported a white sika deer. There are a few white sika deer out there but they always seem to cause excitement when they are spotted. They are a white morph rather than true albinos as they don't have pink eyes! Check out my 'Picture Arne' blog from earlier today to see the smart young stag in the photo that won the competition.

  I think the highlight of the day must have been the first hobby of the year out on Coombe heath. It is a little bit early but they have started to arrive in the country so keep a look out for this elegant little falcon. Coombe heath is always a good place to watch them hunting and last year we got some brilliant views in the evenings as they chased dragonflies!

  

  A hobby on Coombe heath last year by Dom Greves

  Earlier in the week we changed our live web cam over from the buzzards nest (looks like the pair have moved to another site) to our kestrel family. For those of you familiar with reserve you will remember the excitement of last year when we had four chick successfully fledge. This year the female is sitting on five eggs again and we are wondering how many will hatch. We aren't quite sure  when the eggs were layed but they are at least two weeks earlier than last year. They are incubated for 28 days and I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather improves a bit before they hatch! http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/webcam.aspx

   

   

   

  Posted by Michael Wilson

• 27 April 2012

  'Picture Arne' Winners 2012!!

  Well - here we are again! After six months of stiff competition and over 300 entries again Chris Packham has kindly taken time out of his busy shedule for the 2nd year in a row  to judge all of your great pictures. Again the standards were really high and there were some cracking shots. We had lots of wildlife photos but because of fewer entries in the landscape and people catergories we decided to combine the 2 as one catergory and have an extra wildlife picture as a runner up!

  Thanks for all of the amazing entries and all of us at Arne really enjoyed looking through them.

  So here goes

  WINNER OF WILDLIFE CATERGORY AND OVERALL WINNER!

  

  Blondie by Dom

  LANDSCAPE AND PEOPLE WINNER - 2nd Prize overall

  

  Sunflowers at Arne by Adamant

  WILDLIFE RUNNER UP and 3rd prize

  

  Young Squirrel by Birdman64

   As last year, Chris has picked the three winners but has also picked a few more photos for special mention!

  HIGHLY COMMENDED PICTURES

  

  Avocet cascade By Yogi Bear

  

  Hatching a new Adventure by Lucy4359

  

  Spoonbill Success - Gordon Mac

  

  Slime mould by Becki91

  

  Wood Ants by A P Read

  

  Reflections of Arne by Yogi Bear

  I think you will agree that these are all great pictures and well done to everybody who entered. A big thank you again to everyone for making this another great competition. Remember that you can still see all of the pictures that were entered on our forum so go and have a browse.  Pop into the visitor centre and you can see some of the entries on our rolling screen!!

  I have contacted the winners by email so I am looking forward from hearing from you to claim your prizes!

   

   

  Posted by Michael Wilson

• 23 April 2012

  Glorious Garston

  For those of you who don't know, the Dorset RSPB team manages a fantastic piece of ancient woodland called Garston Wood in the north of the county near the village of Sixpenny Handley. This time of year it is an absolute picture as the woodland floor is carpeted with bluebells, wild garlic and wood anemones. The woodland comes alive with the sound of bird song and the drumming of the great spotted woodpecker. Roe and fallow deer can occasional be seen through the trees and the woodland is home to the elusive dormouse.

  

  To celebrate spring at Garston wood we are holding a special open day on Sunday 29th April and this is your chance to come and explore some of the wonders of this hidden gem! There will be guided walks through out the day to show you some of the special plants and other wildlife that call Garston wood their home. The Ancient Technology Centre from Cranborne will also be there to show off some historial traditions and crafts and tea and coffee will be available.

  The day starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm it is free of charge to join in. So if you fancy something a little bit different this Sunday come along to Garston wood and find out what the fuss is about!!

  To find out more about Garston wood go the web page http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/g/garstonwood/

  Posted by Michael Wilson