Record year for wading birds and rare sightings as Teesside’s environment revives
SUCCESSFUL environmental work at the Stockton on Tees’ RSPB Saltholme reserve has shown that nature’s decline can be revived.
Efforts by dedicated staff to enhance the quality of the wetlands in recent years have made the site a more attractive place for birds in particular and this year, the reserve has been rewarded by:
- Record breeding numbers of Avocet and Lapwing,
- First breeding recorded of Grey Heron,
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Savi’s Warbler and Rough-legged Buzzard topping the list of rare visitors
- Winning a Visit England Award for the fourth time.
The landmarks come on the back of habitat enhancement work and the installation of a 4.5 km long predator exclusion fence which saw the breeding numbers of ground-nesting wading birds increase sharply.
The fence encloses wet grassland – the favoured nesting habitats for waders such as Avocet, Redshank and Lapwing – and protects these vulnerable ground-nesting birds from larger mammalian predators such as foxes.
The improved habitat and safe nesting areas have resulted in Lapwing and Avocet breeding numbers increasing significantly, with 85 pairs of Lapwing recorded across the site in 2023 (up from 65 pairs in the previous year).
That’s a record for the nature reserve and, on top of that, 46 of their chicks fledged this year, similar to the previous year. Avocet also had a record year with 62 pairs (up from 37 pairs in the previous year) and 37 chicks having fledged.
There were also 11 breeding pairs of Redshank, four pairs of Little Ringed Plover, a rare nesting bird, and five pairs of Oystercatcher, all showing an increase on the previous year.
“This is a fantastic result for nature in Teesside”, said Ed Pritchard, Warden at RSPB Saltholme.
“Ground-nesting waders are one of the conservation priorities for this nature reserve, and to see record numbers of breeding Lapwing and Avocet is very encouraging for the future of these species in Teesside.”
The statistics come against a backdrop of widespread population declines in the UK and internationally. For example, Lapwing has been placed on the UK Red List, which indicates the highest possible level of conservation concern, caused by dramatic declines in population sizes.
Avocet, a distinctively patterned wader with a long up-turned beak, are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which makes it an offence to disturb them. It is also the logo of the RSPB and symbolises the bird protection movement in the UK perhaps more than any other species – an enduring symbol of hope for nature.
Avocet remain on the UK Amber List of concern.
Bitterns, meanwhile, have been a priority species for RSPB Saltholme, since opening 13 years ago, with male Bitterns’ ‘booming’ to attract a female being heard but no evidence of them successfully breeding on site.
Ed added, “The Bitterns are a favourite with our visitors every year as they are very secretive but can sometimes be seen well feeding, in front of our Wildlife Watchpoint, for example.
“Bitterns were lost as a UK breeding bird in the 19th Century, but thanks to work by the RSPB and other conservation organisations there are now over 200 breeding pairs on over 100 sites across the UK and it is great to be contributing to the recovery of the Bittern as a breeding bird in the UK.”
As well as upturns in the fortunes of Saltholme’s breeding birds, several species rarely seen in the UK have appeared on the reserve this year. Three rare warblers (Great Reed, Marsh, and Savi’s) were all present on the reserve for a few weeks in the summer and the latter was the first Cleveland record for 27 years.
A Caspian Tern was present on two days in June and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper was blown in from North America in September. There have been less than 10 records of this wader in Teesside over the years.
Working closely with the RSPB’s expert ecologists, the conservation team at Saltholme also planned and delivered extensive habitat works on Cowpen Marsh in 2022. This area of former coastal wetland had been drained for farming but has now been re-wetted with the historical channels restored. The southern end of the marsh, until recently very dry, has now been restored to a thriving wet grassland habitat full of waders and wildfowl.
Chris Francis, senior site manager at RSPB Saltholme, said, “The birds have responded positively to the Cowpen Marsh management work and on one Sunday morning in October this year, birdwatchers were thrilled to see Rough-legged Buzzard, Common Buzzard, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Barn Owl, Cattle Egret, Great White Egret, and Red-necked Grebe all in this area of the reserve. Not a bad start to a day!
“And while not an uncommon species on the reserve, we were also delighted when a pair of Grey Heron nested on site for the first time. The pair of Grey Heron fledged two chicks and we hope this marks the start of the establishment of a larger colony that could in time also attract breeding Little Egrets.”
