28th May: Little tern update

After the high tides at the weekend, unfortunately part of the little tern breeding area had been flooded and debris washed into the site. Fortunately there were no birds nesting yet though, so this didn't cause harm to eggs or chicks.

Seaweed and other debris had flattened the fence

Some little tern decoys before being cleaned up - fortunately they were not washed away

The litter has been cleared from the site and the fence fixed, so things are back to normal. We will need to move the boundaries of the site or create a dam to prevent the area being flooded again when the terns and plovers are nesting here. As this is an experimental project there are still some teething problems to overcome, but it will be well worth it when terns begin breeding here. Please respect the restricted areas and keep dogs on a short lead to prevent disturbing the birds here, this will give the project the greatest chance of success.

As I was leaving the shore, this little hairy caterpillar was making its way across the beach. It is a caterpillar of the Dark Tussock moth, a beautiful moth that emerges in late June-July.

Dark Tussock moth caterpillar

25th May: Visit our Hides and Nature Trail

This summer is shaping up to be a very busy one, with an already varied events programme (this can now be found on the Events tab) with still more to be added! Keep checking back for updates.

If you want to get closer to the Reserve wildlife, the hides are great places to do this without causing disturbance. New information boards have been installed in the hide at Beal, including a great photographic guide to the birds you are most likely to see here. Our other hides can be found at the Lough on the island and at Fenham-le-Moor on the mainland.

Our fantastic two storey hide at Fenham-Le-Moor

We also have a fantastic Nature Trail that takes you through our different habitats on the Reserve. There are 8 points marked by posts where you can stop and view the scenery and wildlife, beginning at the Window on Wild Lindisfarne building. The Trail then carries on towards the Castle, takes you along the old waggonway past the Lough and it's hide, and follows the Straight Lonnen in the centre of the Island. The waymarked route takes roughly 1 hour and allows you to experience the range of habitats on Lindisfarne.

A fantastic guide to the Trail with lots of information about each point is included in the Reserve leaflets. Please pick one up from the Beal car park at the beginning of the causeway, from the Window on Wild Lindisfarne building, or from the coastguard Lookout Tower.

May peak bird counts

The monthly Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) was carried out last week, with peak counts including:

Light-bellied Brent goose 11
Shelduck 197
Eider 418
Common Scoter 60
Red-breasted Merganser 24
Long-tailed Duck 2
Oystercatcher 304
Ringed plover 363
Grey plover 308
Sanderling 50
Dunlin 1250
Black-tailed Godwit 1
Bar-tailed Godwit 60
Curlew 230
Turnstone 17

The count of ringed plover was great, hopefully we will have some breeding on the shores soon. 200 were seen at the Beal hide last week, this is a great hide to get close views of wading birds at high tide, without disturbing them.

If you are watching birds, please don't go too near them to prevent disturbance. Please remember the Reserve codes of conduct when birdwatching or taking photographs, you can find this here: Codes of Conduct

20th May - Little Tern Update

The elements seem to be against the little terns of the NNR this year, low temperatures and gales are not exactly welcoming them to the Reserve. The brilliant decoys that pupils at Holy Island and Lowick First Schools helped make have been placed in the safe nesting area, along with a fence to discourage disturbance from dogs and signs to notify visitors about the importance of not disturbing breeding shore birds.

Some Sandwich Terns have been showing an interest in the area, but unfortunately no Little Terns as yet – this may change however, as the breeding season progresses and the weather (hopefully) brightens up.

Little Tern decoys being put to good use. This shows how much sand has been blown into the site by the recent strong wind.

Little Tern safe nesting area

18th May - First Lindisfarne Sketch Book event a success

Despite an awful weather forecast, the event turned out to be a great morning. John Steele is a very talented artist who captures the wildlife of the Reserve beautifully. He uses sketching as a technique of studying nature in more detail and to record interesting animal and bird behaviour.

Although it was misty and grey, not great for studying the landscape, we found plenty of interesting objects and animals to look at. We started off by sketching two garden snails that we found right beside the car park, they seemed to be in courtship so this was a great chance to view some interesting behaviour while studying them in detail.

Garden snail sketches

In the dunes, we came across a garden tiger moth caterpillar that didn’t seem deterred in the slightest by the mist and rain. Its hairs were covered in raindrops, a beautiful subject to draw.

John thought the pirri-pirri bur would be interesting to look at more closely – an unusual choice, since this a non-native species and is less welcome here! – as the seeds have such a unique shape. Studying them with the help of a hand-lens, you can really see how they get lodged right into clothing and fur with their barbs. This makes it all the more important to check thoroughly that you or your dog are not carrying any before leaving the Reserve.

Pirri-pirri bur seeds

This morning taught us how to take a fresh approach to watching wildlife on the reserve. John will kindly be running this event again on Sunday 10^th August, another chance to take part in this fantastic event and learn much about improving your artistic skill, whilst learning about the wildlife here in a unique way. More information is on the Events page.

13th May - Rocky shore exploration

This morning was spent looking at the rocky shore on the island where some very interesting and beautiful creatures were found. Catherine, a very knowledgeable Natural England marine ecologist acting as a lead advisor kindly explained more about the sealife found here, as she carried out a survey, and took some great photographs.

Lindisfarne's rocky shore - beautiful day!

Butterfish in one pool

Sea slug

The diversity of life in each tiny rock pool is amazing to see, we counted over 30 species attached to just one tiny rock!

It was great fun to discover the more unusual creatures of the Reserve that are seldom seen, but we were careful not to disturb them or their habitats. Any rocks that were looked at were carefully placed back in their original  position so that the animals and plants underneath were not damaged or killed by exposure to the drying sun, wind and tide.

European visitors at Lindisfarne

We have many European visitors to the reserve, most of whom are birds, however last month saw Latvian and Greek fellow conservationists arrive for the day. The group were part of a Leader funded project, looking to learn more about how we use interpretation to engage visitors with the natural environment.

After an introduction to the reserve, it was off to the Snook and the very windswept North Shore. Here we looked at site signage and a new exciting prototype virtual reality app that has been developed again with Leader funding. The prototype has an interactive map with pop up information and virtual images of things that are harder to see when visiting the reserve, such as the wealth of marine life which surrounds the island.

In the afternoon there was a lively debate on how to best protect the species and habitats to be found on the reserve, some very different approaches were highlighted and new perspectives were gained all round.

Jo explaining more about the Reserve on the breezy North Shore

Looking at the Reserve signage on the Snook 

Event Saturday May 18th Lindisfarne Sketch Book

Join John Steele, local artist and naturalist for an introduction to sketching the animals, plants and landscapes of Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve. Everyone is welcome from beginners to those looking to refresh their artistic skills. Spend a couple of hours exploring the inspiring landscapes of the nature reserve with John, as he shares his passion and skills in capturing the wonders of the natural world on paper.

The event is free and some basic equipment will be provided but please bring your own paper, pencils and colours if you wish.

Be prepared for the weather, an umbrella would be useful if it rains, and please wear suitable sturdy footwear.

Places will be limited so please book by calling the Reserve Office on 01289 381470.

Event information

Saturday May 18^th 11.00 am – 1.00 pm

Meet at the Snook Car Park, grid ref NU 104 435, the car park is down a short track on the left (when driving onto the island), less than 1 mile from the end of the causeway on Holy Island.