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Cutting reeds at North Pools - play the short video to see how it was done.![]()
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There is a dual purpose to cutting the reeds here. It benefits the visitors by reopening views of the water and island. It also helps to create a reed-mosaic of different ages. This mosaic is important in conservation management as difference species have varying requirements. ![]()
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NSC's contractor with a tractor cleared some of the reeds, but couldn't reach those close to the water. So the Portbury Wharf Volunteers, armed with scythes and rakes, finished the work. There were even two brave volunteers who donned waders to reach the reeds in the slightly deeper parts of the water! 👏![]()
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Cutting the vegetation in the field to remove woody and persistent vegetation was also necessary. This will allow the local farmer to access more areas of grass to cut for hay next summer. It might look bare now but the flower and grass seeds will be lying dormant ready to sprout into life next spring. ![]()
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#portburywharfnaturereserve #portburywharfvolunteers #helpingnatureatportburywharf
A mouse has taken up residence in the old wooden, MAP BOX by Wharf Lane Car Park. Well, we all need somewhere cosy to spend winter! ![]()
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It appears the mouse has shredded the contents to make itself a nice, comfy nest . . . a perfect way to recycle our maps!![]()
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You can find UN-shredded maps in the leaflet holders attached to the legs of all three of the metal entrance signs. The monthly spotting cards are there too. They are also available from Portishead Library.![]()
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If you prefer a digital copy of either the maps or spotting cards, you can download them using the QR codes on the leaflet holders.![]()
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#portburywharfnaturereserve #portburywharf
Have you seen the Bug House yet?![]()
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We have included a Bug House as part of the nature trail. We hope this will increase both the summer nesting and the winter hibernating opportunities for invertebrates on the reserve. You can find it by the Insect Patch (panel 4).![]()
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Did you know? Over 75% of all animals on the planet are insects. They are hugely important for pollinating plants and as part of the food chain.![]()
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Over the summer, solitary bees have been seen nest building in the hollowed logs and bamboo canes. During winter it will be a cosy place to hibernate.![]()
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Thanks to Industrial Modern Furniture for making and installing this Bug House and to volunteers for filling it full of natural materials to create cosy holes and crevices for insects.![]()
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#wetlandstrail #wetlandstrailuk #helpingnatureatportburywharf
*** New WETLANDS TRAIL has arrived at Portbury Wharf ***![]()
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Not sure what wildlife is on the reserve at this time of year? Then why not try the new nature trail? See what species you can identify from the 12 winter panels.![]()
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This is a changeable trail, as both the panels and squares are swappable. So look out for the "What am I?" squares coming soon . . . ![]()
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To find out more visit www.wetlandstrail.org![]()
#wetlandstrail #wetlandstrailuk
It was such a lovely, sunny afternoon on the reserve today and the South Pools especially were looking great. NSC have been digging out some of the reeds to increase the water area and the rain has done its job to fill it up. Several Common Snipe were making the most of it.
Look out for these when you next take a walk on the reserve.![]()
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This fibrous growth is usually found on wild roses like the Dog Rose. It is easy to spot, especially in autumn when it matures and turns red.![]()
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It is a hard, woody structure with an outer covering of soft moss-like leaves. It is called a gall and is the winter home of the larvae of a tiny gall wasp, Dipoloepis rosae.![]()
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In the summer the adult gall wasp lays eggs in a developing rosebud, stem or leaf. When the larvae hatch they secrete chemicals which cause abnormal growth creating multiple chambers and food for the larvae.They will winter inside the gall and emerge as fully grown adult gall wasps in spring. The galls are not harmful to the rose.![]()
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It is not just the Dog Rose which offers this “insect overwintering” service. There are more than 900 insects that form plant galls from wasps and beetles to flies and mites. Look hard and you will find other galls on the nature reserve such as the Silk Button Spangle Gall, Apple Gall, Knopper Gall and Marble Gall which are often found on Oak Trees.![]()
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However, this red-breasted, rose gall is one of the most distinctive and comes with a lovely descriptive name . . . the Robin’s Pincushion Gall.
Been monitoring rainfall etc for 11 years now and never seen such a high rainfall forecast. In old money it’s about and inch and a half - today.
The brazen sun of summer has started to fade from our skies; to become more gentle, more polished, more subtle. Its work in the fields and hedgerows is largely accomplished for the year, the joy and frivolity of wildflowers have passed to leave so many different forms of bounty for the winter ahead. Some will be gone in a trice, whilst others, like hawthorns, and rose hips, will last deep into the hungry months of winter to welcome and nourish our returning fieldfares and redwings from Scandinavia. Goldfinch will gorge themselves on thistledown and the seeds of greater napp weed. Warblers and their fellow travellers from way up in the north will stock up for the journey down to France then onward to northern sub-Saharan Africa. Blackbirds are busy stuffing themselves full of blackberries and service berries whilst they jealously guard their own patch of berries from interlopers. Even so, foxes, badgers and deer will also be foraging the brambles and even the most bombastic blackbird can do little to fend them off!![]()
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Autumn is a season of change. Our wildlife knows deep in their bones and DNA that winter is coming and now, more than at any other time, they are planning ahead, readying, preparing themselves for cold nights when even if they roost together, the outliers may still perish. Winter is a time of challenge and reckoning for wildlife around the world, and it is only the canny ones who make it through to spring. Nature still operates on the principle of survival of the fittest.![]()
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So, it will come as no surprise for you to realise that today I have been investigating the hedgerows for fruits and seeds, and there really is a huge variety out there. Have a look when next you walk across our wonderful wild spaces. Summer maybe over, but the highlights of autumn and winter can rival anything seen in the summer.
Sometimes wildlife can be easy to spot but not always . . .This Little Egret is fast becoming a regular in Portishead Hole. Its white plumage makes it easy to spot on the mud but look closely and you will see something else too! A very special bird with a beautiful call, long legs, a curved beak and plumage which blends it into the background . . . a Curlew.
Dog Rangers
Dog Rangers protect wildlife
your dog can become a Dog Ranger too
What’s on this page?
Meet HUGO Dog Ranger of the Month!
Say hello to the latest Dog Rangers
Dog Rangers Introduction
Though sadly, research shows that well over 50% of coastal bird disturbance involves a dog, especially dogs which are off the lead. So dogs have a big part to play in helping our birds . . . and the roe deer too. Wildlife see dogs in the same way as they see any predator, so simply put, our dogs scare the wildlife. Dogs themselves are not doing anything wrong, they are just doing what comes naturally.
So they need our help to do the right thing.
DOG RANGERS give wildlife space to feed and rest
All your dog has to do is follow four simple pledges. This will make Portbury Wharf somewhere safe and really special for wildlife!
Our 4 Dog Ranger pledges
Sign up to the Dog Rangers
Does your wildlife friendly pooch want to sign up?
How to become a Dog Ranger
Your four-legged friend could become Dog Ranger of the Month and feature on our website and posters if you send us a photograph.
How these pledges will help save wildlife:
There are a lot of creatures which live close to the paths. My owners don’t see them but I know they are there. I can still have a sniff and runabout on the path without disturbing the wildlife feeding close by.
If I roam onto the salt marsh I will stop endangered birds from feeding. So because of me they will waste precious energy flying away. As it is they have to spend most of their time feeding just to get enough food to survive. The salt marsh rarely freezes so it is a hugely important winter feeding area for wildlife.
So I can help them by keeping my distance. I have to be extra careful at high tide when there is less space for them to feed, rest and stay safe.
The rhynes (drainage ditches) and pools are where hundreds of amphibians, insects and even mammals live and breed.
Sometimes I smell the water voles as they forage for food along the banks. Like the great crested newts they are so rare they are protected by UK law. So I stay away from the water to keep them all safe.
I also need to make sure that I do not contaminate the water. Some cat and dog flea treatments contain toxic pesticides which can wash off my coat into the water and kill wildlife read more. So I hope my handler uses the wildlife friendly treatments so nothing horrible ever seeps into the water!
. . . and if I needed any more reasons to stay clear of the water it would be because of the Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs). Did you know you can be fined if us dogs go into the water in the Ecology Park? It is also a fineable offence if you don’t keep us under close control, carry a poo bag and pick up and dispose of our poo! You might want to check the details at http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/my-services/community-safety-crime/public-space-protection-orders/dog-control.
The birds need all of their time to feed, preen and rest in order to survive the winter. Many shorebirds need to eat about a third of their weight in food every day. So they cannot afford to lose precious feeding time or waste energy flying away from me.
It is tempting to chase the deer but I can still harm them even if I can’t catch them. Young deer and pregnant mothers are especially vulnerable.
Popular Myths Debunked
When I cannot see any wildlife on the salt marsh it’s okay for me to walk there.
No unfortunately it isn’t okay. The wildlife on the salt marsh makes a good job of being invisible. While we may not see them they will be watching us. Dogs especially attract a lot of attention from the roe deer. They will be watching our dogs walking along the sea wall until we disappear out of sight. Because dogs chase them they always keep a wary eye on them. They know that if the dogs come too close they will have to make a run for it.
If the deer can make themselves invisible here, there is no chance of seeing small wading birds. You will usually only see these when they fly off and by then it is too late.
It is not uncommon to watch walkers and dogs unwittingly disturb wildlife here. Roe deer and birds will often flee unnoticed by people admiring the view or on their mobiles.
The plants underfoot are rather special too! They can tolerate regular “drowning” in salt water. These are highly nutritious to wildlife and even rather interesting. For example see how Sea Scurvy Grass got its name on our Salt Marsh page.
It doesn’t matter if the birds fly off as they will just find somewhere else to go.
Yes it really does matter! Somewhere else may be just as busy* and there are not that many areas they can feed. Continual disturbance will put their survival at risk. So in the end they may be too cold and exhausted to find somewhere else to go. So Portbury Wharf may be their last hope.
Skylarks nesting on the salt marsh are not just vulnerable to high spring tides but to us too. If disturbed they are likely to abandon nests and chicks.
It’s fun for dogs to chase the birds and deer and anyway they will never catch them?
Dogs might find it fun to chase wildlife but for the wildlife it is a matter of life and death. Escaping from predators wastes valuable time and energy. Coastal birds have to spend most of their time feeding. Many need to eat a third of their body weight each day to survive.
Chasing a pregnant roe deer, or a mother with young, could result in unforeseen fatalities. For example the mother could abort and a fawn may not be able to outrun a dog.
Swans and other large birds are too big and clumsy to take off quickly. So they are vulnerable to attack from foxes and dogs.
My dog won’t harm the wildlife by swimming in the rhynes and pools?
Unfortunately it will! Many species feed and breed in these watery worlds including Water Voles and Great Crested Newts. Both are so rare they are protected under UK law. So dogs swimming here will stop them from feeding and breeding. Water voles have to eat 90% of their own body weight each day; more if they are pregnant.
If we protect nature it will still be here for our children and our children’s children.
References and related reading:
Some of the other dog ranger schemes in the UK:
Studies on coastal bird disturbance: