31st October: Spook-tacular Halloween Craft Event

The Reserve team held a family craft event on Wednesday for half-term, this  time with a creepy twist! Many spiders, bats, lobsters and wolf fish were created at the Window on Wild Lindisfarne while families learned more about these spooky-looking creatures.

Happy with a pipistrelle bat mask and wolf fish door guard!

Halloween pom-pom spiders

Some great decorations!

 Busy making some spooky crafts!

Our new badge maker was a great success too! Children can draw their own pictures of wildlife they had seen on the NNR that day and turn it into a keepsake badge.

Busy making wolf fish

Almost 50 children and their families took part in the event which was enjoyed by all, it was a great opportunity to tell families about the amazing Reserve and give children the chance to make some brilliant Halloween decorations!

24th October: Roe deer on Lindisfarne

Visitors are sometimes surprised to hear that a number of roe deer can be seen on the island, especially in the farmland near Holy Island main car park. They are spotted here most days by the Reserve team while carrying out the daily checks of the cattle among the dunes.

A group of around 15 roe deer, viewed from the dunes of the Reserve

You can get fantastic views of the deer with binoculars or a telescope from the Reserve next to these fields. Pick up a leaflet from the main car park or from Beal which has a map of the self-guided nature trail for you to follow - some spectacular wintering birds can also be seen on the Reserve now.

21st October: Annual small mammal survey

The surveying of small mammals on the Reserve, carried out every year by Veronica Carnell, has continued for the 5th year running. This year the survey was combined with a special training and identification event, run by Environmental Records Information Centre (ERIC) Northeast.

A woodmouse caught in a trap last year

The group from ERIC Northeast looking at a field vole with Veronica

Veronica demonstrated how to carry out a small mammal survey using Longworth live traps, how to identify any mammals caught in the traps, then set them free. The group were delighted to find field voles and woodmice in several traps.

15th October: Birdwatching event a success!

Last Saturday and Sunday experienced local birder and chair of North Northumberland Bird Club, Graham Bell, held a special birdwatching event at the Window on Wild Lindisfarne. The event pulled in a good number of visitors, Graham's bird call impressions definitely caught the attention of any passers-by!

Just some of the keen attendees with Graham, being shown the many birds on the flooded field 

On Saturday, Graham met the group at the Window on Wild Lindisfarne where fantastic views of some Dark-bellied Brent geese could be seen along with teal, redshank and lapwing among other waders. The group spent some time here listening to Graham's knowledge of the bird species on the scrape before walking up to the Lookout on Wild Lindisfarne on the Heugh. Here, great views could be seen of the birds across Fenham Flats and around the Island's shores.

Some of the spectacular birdlife seen over the weekend...

Redshank

Teal

Lapwing

Graham is keen to hold more birdwatching events with us so watch this space!

7th October: Cattle arrive

Today, the NNR team welcomed 30 cattle to the Reserve to carry out their yearly task of grazing the dunes of Holy Island.

 Cattle arriving - fresh off their trailer

Settling in

The cattle are checked daily by Reserve staff and volunteers, making sure they are settled among the dunes. The cattle are selected for their calm temperament but if you are visiting the Reserve, please be aware the cows are present and if you have dogs keep them on a lead. There are signs at access points to the Reserve with more information about the livestock.

6th October: Peak bird counts during September

Wintering wildfowl and waders are still arriving in large numbers from their breeding grounds to Lindisfarne NNR.

Here are some selected peak bird counts from the month of September across the NNR:

Light bellied brent goose 1200
Barnacle goose 7500
Wigeon 8500
Shelduck 205
Eider 372
Oystercatcher 1497
Golden plover 1200
Grey plover 452
Knot 1552
Sanderling 530
Bar-tailed godwit 2170
Redshank 975

3rd October: Settled sheep

The flock of sheep currently grazing among the dunes seem very content with their home for the winter. They have done a brilliant job so far, grazing all the long vegetation within their enclosure and helping the NNR team with preventing regeneration of scrub among the dunes.

Some well-chewed scrub! 

Their fence was extended yesterday to give them more area to graze, and will continue to be extended throughout the winter to ensure they have enough fresh vegetation to eat. This will also maximise the area of the Reserve that will benefit from these living 'lawn-mowers' this year.

Within the enclosure after a week of grazing

Area still to be grazed by the sheep

Doing a great job helping us look after the Reserve