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This is a "wetland" nature reserve, so we like to see the wet meadow flooded. But sometimes the water drains away a bit too fast. ![]()
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So to benefit dragonflies and other invertebrates, NSC's contractors have dammed the scrapes in the South Pools field. They will still drain out but should hold water for longer. As well as being good for insects, this will also be good for wading birds. ![]()
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You can see this best by the Wet Meadow panel (no. 12), which is at the estuary end of the Seasonal Path. Beware though, this is a wet and muddy path! ![]()
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#helpingnatureatportburywharf #helpingnature
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.
Salt Marsh Mud
The salt marsh mud is vital to the shoreline birds and marine creatures too! It is full of millions of mud dwellers on which they feed.
Mud Shrimp
Mud Shrimps (Corophium volutator) are the most abundant creatures in estuary mud. There can be up to 100,000 per sq metre. They live in semi-permanent U-shaped burrows.
They feed on bacteria, alga and organic matter, but what feeds on mud shrimps. Well they are a very important food for many species including dunlin, redshank, shelduck, flounders, shore crabs and larger brown shrimps.
They are quite small, 11m in length and only live for one year. In that year the female can have between 2 and 4 broods with 20 to 50 offspring in each brood. The young develop in a brood pouch and emerge as fully formed miniature shrimps.
For more information on the Mud Shrimp see https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1661
Mud Snail
The Mud Snail (Hydrobia ulvae) also known as the Laver Spire Shell is the next most abundant species in the mud with up to 42,000 per sq metre. They feed on detritus and algae.
In turn they are food for creatures like the Shelduck, which are regulars in the estuary. So an important mud creature.
The males are larger at around 0.3 – 6mm in size and have a visible penis. Life expectancy is generally 1 to 2.5 years. They move around the shore by crawling, climbing and even floating. They might even be found amongst the high tide strand level.
More information about the mud snail can be found at https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1295
Ragworm
Ragworms (Hediste diversicolor) are one of the most common marine worms. It is perhaps one of the most important too. Ragworms are a valuable food source for wading birds. Curlews and at least fifteen other wading birds feed on them. It is not just wading birds though, flatfish like flounders and sole also feed on them.
Usually a reddish brown colour they are typically between 6-12 cm in length. Its body appears flattened with a prominent dorsal blood vessel.
They live in a U-shaped of J-shaped burrows up to 20 cm in depth. The deeper the burrow the safer they are from probing beaks. A burrow depth of over 15 cm is likely to be deep enough to escape the long beak of the curlew. Ragworms typically feed on mud, detritus, plankton and microfauna by scavenging or filter feeding on suspended particles. They can even be carnivorous.
More about ragworms at https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1426
See our hands-on mud sampling at the bottom of this page. . .
Lugworm
Lugworm (Arenicola marina) is also know as Blow lug. They feed on algae, small invertebrates, detritus and bacteria. They are another very important food for wading birds and flatfish and even ragworms which will eat small lugworms. Lugworms will grow to between 11 – 20 cm with a Lifespan of 5 – 10 years.
They live in J-shaped burrows with a vertical shaft and horizontal limb. The worm lies head up so it can capture food at the mouth of the burrow.
More about lugworms at https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1402
Catworm
The Catworm (Nephtys hombergii) is 10-20 cm long with a life span of 2-5 years. Unlike lugworms and ragworms, they don’t have a permanent burrow. Instead they move about in the sediment forming a network of temporary burrows 5-15cm deep. The catworm is a predator and scavenger feeding on molluscs, crustaceans and other worms.
Like ragworms and lugworms they are preyed upon by waders and fish and are a popular bait for fishermen.
More about cutworms at https://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1710
Mud Sampling
During our 2021 Portishead Salt Marshes Day we did a bit of mud sampling. We wanted to see what was in the mud.
We found mainly ragworms . . . which is good news as our wading birds love to eat these!
Read more about our salt marshes at the salt marsh hub
Reference and further reading:
The Marine Life Information Network