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Saltholme |
Recent sightingsSunday, 15 November 2009A bittern has been seen on several occasions around the Haverton end of the reserve, it could possibly spend the winter with us. Bearded tits, which are a very rare sight on our reserve, have been seen from top tank reed bed. Water rails have been spotted from the viewing screen in the car park. There have been good views of jack snipe for several days from the viewing screen in the car park. A peregrine falcon is seen daily hunting across the wet grassland and disturbing the assemblage of waders at the southern end of the reserve.
Thursday, 29 October 2009A pectoral sandpiper re-appeared on Fleet Flash and has been seen on and off in the last few weeks. A woodcock flew over Haverton and is a good sign, along with several more seen in the county, that birds are moving in from the continent. The long staying slavonian grebe and jack snipe were also seen on the reserve today along with merlin.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009A bittern was seen for the second consecutive evening flying in to roost at Haverton Hill. This bird could well be the same individual that was last seen a month ago. Hopefully it won't be such a long gap till it's seen again. The large female merlin was seen patrolling Back Saltholme and fortunately didn't stray over towards the meadow where a twite, brambling and the years first treecreeper were. The jack snipe on Bottom Tank and slavonian grebe from Saltholme Pools hide were still present.
Thursday, 22 October 2009The Slavonian grebe remains for it's 4th day and takes top billing for best bird, though not necessarily the best we have on offer at the reserve. A brief sit down in Saltholme Pools Hide is a reminder as to why winter is going to be fantastic. Over 5000 birds were spread out on the grass and water. These were made up of a thousand geese, at least 700 each of golden plover and lapwing, 600 wigeon, 450 teal, 1,500 starlings and a good supporting number of duck. A lot of the males have just moulted out of their eclipse phase and are now in splendid fresh plumage, including shoveler, pintail and gadwall. A grey wagtail has been frequenting the muddy shore in front of the visitor centre and has popped into the Wildlife Garden a few times.
Friday, 16 October 2009The numbers are really starting to build at Saltholme as our winter assemblage begins. Today's highlight was 700 golden plover swirling around over Back Saltholme, their whistling call chiming through a swoosh of wing beats as they fly low over Saltholme Pools Hide. This is just a little taster of what to expect, as the days get shorter and colder. The supporting cast of numbers include 500 each of lapwing and wigeon, 250 teal, 600 greylag and 300 Canada geese, with 3 barnacle geese tucked away amongst them. A male marsh harrier cruised over the reedbed at the Wildlife Watchpoint. This bird has been seen on and off for the last couple of weeks but hopefully will like it enough here to stay for the winter. Our first goldeneyes of the winter turned up on in front of the visitor centre with a pair in the afternoon and over at Haverton a very late reed warbler was feeding in the reeds below the viewpoint.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009The buff-breasted sandpiper was relocated in front of Saltholme Pools Hide at close of play today and shared the bird of the day headlines with another scarce wader in the form of a pectoral sandpiper found on Back Saltholme this morning. Goose activity wasn't as good as it has been in the last week but a single barnacle goose and several handfuls of pink-footed geese were in and around Back Saltholme and the Wet Grassland. No sign of the spotted crake on Bottom Tank but the curlew sandpiper remains faithful feeding alongside several dunlin and a dozen black-tailed godwits. A kingfisher at Paddy's Pool Hide saw the day finish with a turquoise flash.
Sunday, 10 May 2009The colour ringed Great White Egret rejoined us after a brief foray away to Dorman's Pool for most of yesterday and found the Wet Grassland to it's liking spending all day there. It would disappear into ditches every now and again but showed exceptionally well on occasion and could be seen quite clearly from the Visitor Centre. 2 Wood Sandpipers were also on the Wet Grassland, seen from Paddy's Pool Hide late in the afternoon and a Pectoral Sandpiper was an evening find on Back Saltholme. Today was mostly a wader day with Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, 2 pairs of Little Ringed Plover, 11 newly arrived Ringed Plover and 12 Dunlin from Saltholme Pools Hide.
Saturday, 26 September 2009The last weekend in September has been amazing at Saltholme for birds. An eclipse drake blue-winged teal has been roaming around the North West reedbeds, where a lucky few visitors have also had a bittern in flight on several occasions. Back Saltholme hosted a buff-breasted sandpiper, which has been associating with several of the resident ruff. 2 garganey have been showing well from the screen on Bottom Tank and the hooded merganser is still present on the lake. Birds of prey were represented by an osprey, merlin, 5 buzzard's and 2 hobby's. Birds seen along our extensive trails include wheatear, whinchat, stonechat, great-spotted woodpecker, grey wagtail and the final few house martins, sand martins and swallows of the summer.
Wednesday, 16 September 2009The lowering of water levels on the wet grassland is paying off with lots of mud for the waders to forage in. 2 curlew sandpiper were in amongst the 50 dunlin with 3 black-tailed godwits, 11 redshank, 8 ruff and 3 greenshank. A female merlin flew over Bottom Tank, flushing a bar-tailed godwit as it headed towards Saltholme Pools Hide where 5 pintail, a female scaup and the ever increasing wigeon flock, standing at about 100, were present. In amongst the dozen little egrets spread out across the Reserve was a colour-ringed bird from Norfolk.
Monday, 24 August 2009The juvenile citrine wagtail was present for it's second day on the Main Pool among the pied and yellow wagtails. Also present on the Main Pool this morning were the immature black-necked grebe, 8 little gull, knot and common sandpiper. A female marsh harrier drifted south over Saltholme Pools Hide and a female merlin was harrying starlings and meadow pipits on Saltholme Field. Several whinchat were seen around Paddy's Pool Hide along with a wheatear and over 30 snipe were in front of the Wildlife Watchpoint.
Sunday, 23 August 2009Durham and Cleveland's 3rd record of Citrine Wagtail was found at lunchtime in front of the Visitor Centre and performed fantastically throughout the afternoon. The other highlights of the day were immature Black-necked Grebe, 8 Little Gull, Short-eared Owl, female Marsh Harrier, 2nd Winter Mediterranean Gull and immature Garganey. There were good numbers of migrant waders throughout the Reserve including Greenshank, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover.
Sunday, 16 August 2009As breezy as the last few days have been the birds have proved a little more settled. Several little gulls have been present since midweek and 4 were seen today from the visitor centre. Elsewhere the waders have been showing an increase in both number and variety with a little stint, 6 ruff, 16 dunlin, 2 greenshank, 4 ringed plover, 2 black-tailed godwits and singles of both knot and golden plover on Back Saltholme. The latter is something we can expect to see a lot more of over the next few weeks and throughout winter which can also be said for the 450 lapwing that are present. Our common terns have steadily moved away but there are still 40 in front of the visitor centre, a few of which are still feeding chicks.
Sunday, 26 July 2009A pectoral sandpiper in front of Saltholme Pools hide showed well on the waters edge in and amongst a group of dunlin. A winter plumage knot was also present on Back Saltholme with a couple of ragged ruffs who are part way through their post breeding moult. At least 3 greenshank were on the reserve with a dozen black-tailed godwits on the wet grassland. Our common terns have had a fantastic season and most of the young have now fledged and are being fed by the adults on the shore. There are still some birds with chicks and even on eggs so we have a full breeding spectrum on show.
Wednesday, 8 July 2009A tern extravaganza on the reserve today, well not so much an extravaganza as an education. A green colour ringed roseate tern was seen again from Saltholme Pools Hide. This bird was originally found on the main pool on Friday the 3rd but no luck in tracing its provenance just yet. First summers and adults of both common and arctic tern were present together, providing a great opportunity to study these two similar species and plumages side by side. 4 male ruff were not quite in their pristine breeding plumes but still exhibiting some of their feathered finery. Curlews have started to drift back on to site with several being heard and seen, interspersed with the occasional whimbrel. The day was finished with 4 very vocal avocets on Back Saltholme.
Sunday, 28 June 2009The first summer arctic tern had relocated to Back Saltholme this morning where it was accompanied by a little gull and at least twelve sandwich terns. The two summer plumaged black-tailed godwits were on the Wet Grassland with three greenshank and a black ruff. A single whimbrel flew over the visitor centre at noon.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009Highlight of the day was an osprey flying West over the reserve at midday. Identified as one of this years youngsters, we hope it will be the first of many birds to pass over the site in the next few months as they start moving back to their African wintering grounds. The sandwich terns are making their presence known with regular parties calling and chasing each other as they fly to and from the common tern colonies on Back Saltholme and Paddy’s Pool. Sandwich terns have not bred in the area for three years so our fingers are crossed that the interest they are showing is more than just casual. The common tern colony itself is very healthy with over 300 pairs spread across the reserve, including double figures in front of the visitor centre. The first chicks hatched last week and we look forward to seeing many more as the month draws to a close.
Sunday, 14 June 2009Six little egret dotted about the reserve was the highest count for a while. Wader numbers and passage have been minimal on the reserve and throughout the country this year but the combination of Back Saltholme and the wet grassland provided a nice selection with two little ringed plover, a summer plumaged black collared ruff, four black-tailed godwit and a greenshank.
Thursday, 4 June 2009The day's highlight was a roseate tern that alighted on Paddy's Pool late afternoon. The common tern numbers are at their highest numbers this year with over 300 counted in front of Paddy's Hide alone. It's all gone a bit chick happy on our colony's with the black-headed gull eggs bursting open with chirpy brown balls of feathers spilling out. These can be seen very well from the hide but also in the centre from our live camera feed on Back Saltholme. redshank and lapwing chicks are also more noticeable out on the wet grassland and around the fringes of Back Saltholme.
Saturday, 30 May 2009We are a lucky bunch up here at Saltholme, as soon as one Mediterranean heron departs another takes it's place. No sooner had the great white egret departed than Cleveland's sixth purple heron was found in our Haverton reedbed. It was quite secretive throughout it's stay but gave fantastic views on occasion, both in flight and in amongst the rushes. A roseate tern was well picked out amongst the common tern colony in front of Paddy's Pool, a good prize for keen eyes. Our resident yellow wagtails are performing well on the path to Paddy's Hide and in front of Saltholme Pools.
Sunday, 24 May 2009Today there is a great white egret still present at Saltholme Pools Hide. Also seen from this hide were two spoonbills, one adult and one immature. The numbers of common terns have reached over 250 and are increasing. Also spotted today were a yellow wagtail and a cuckoo.
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New Saltholme centre - (RSPB)
- Andy Hay (rspb-images.com, Ref: 1018354)
Bird illustrations by Mike Langman (RSPB)