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There can be rich pickings for the heron on the salt marsh, especially on a big tide. As the water rises, small mammals like voles race to reach dry land. So the heron stands guard ready to intercept.
*** SEASONAL TRACK TEMPORARILY CLOSED***
Due to the recent heavy rain the muddy Seasonal Track has become waterlogged so is temporarily closed. This is the track which runs around the edge of the South Pool field shown as a dotted line on this map.
The North Pool was honoured earlier today to receive a visit from this Great White Egret. Whilst much of the time was spent hiding behind high reeds , we got one quick glimpse and for about 10 seconds he /she landed in front of the North Pool Hide before heading into deepest Somerset
What plant do these belong to?
You probably see this plant every day as you walk past gardens, woods and along the paths on the reserve. Everyone knows this plant but nobody really notices it. Yet it is an important evergreen ecosystem.
It provides nesting sites and shelter for insects, birds and even small mammals, frogs and toads. It also provides food for wildlife from autumn until spring.
It flowers in autumn, when few other flowers are open for business. Bees, butterflies and all number of insects come to feed on the nectar and pollen. In fact it is so popular with bees that you can often hear it “buzzing” as you get close, especially on a warm day.
For insects that hibernate over the winter, like the queen wasps, queen bumble-bees, queen hornets, red admiral and peacock butterflies this may provide their last chance to fuel up.
By December the fertilised flowers have ripened into clusters of black berries. Birds love them! These calorie rich berries will last until April if they don’t get gobbled up before!
Do you know what it is?
It’s so easy to overlook some species….
I was out doing a bird count at the North Pool today and had ignored these pigeons to start with. They are Stock Doves, the shy, smaller and prettier cousin of the Wood Pigeon. The photos were snapped on my mobile through the scope.
Canada Geese a twilight view.
Over docks, over tug, over me . . . then into the nature reserve!
Weather and high tide warning⚠️
We have received a warning that the old sea wall running along the seaward side of the nature reserve may be over-topped by high tides during the next few days.
We often get very high tides here but the tide is expected to be pushed even higher than usual due to the low pressure and on-shore winds forecast for this weekend.
So it would be advisable to avoid the sea wall path especially early mornings and late evenings when the tide is at its highest.
You can see the tide times and heights for the next few days at BBC Avonmouth tide table: www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast-and-sea/tide-tables/12/523#2019-09-30.
Please be careful out there.
The latest from National Grid . . .
Ecologists have been painstakingly moving reptiles and amphibians, including the protected Great-Crested Newts, from the planned construction zone. To ensure the construction corridor remains free of protected species, they will manage the vegetation by pruning trees and cutting grasslands, scrub and hedgerows down to ground level. This work will start later this week and be completed in October.
You can read more about this on the notices posted around the reserve. We have also put the full briefing on our website at www.portburywharfnaturereserve.co.uk/hinkley-connection-update-september-2019/
Hinkley Connection Update September 2019 – Friends of Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve
This is a briefing we have received from the Community Relations Team of the National Grid Hinkley Connection Project. We are posting these briefings so you are kept up to date with the work being done on Portbury… Read More
The sight of two snipe on the edge of South Pool cheered up a grey and drizzly morning. My photo may be poor but it was a joy to watch these engaging waders.
Canada Geese are rather more common but even still, when 100 flew into North Pool it was quite a spectacle. They settled on the Island to rest up for a while.
It’s now easier to sign up for Friends of Portbury Wharf Nature Reserve Community Group’s updates.
Portbury Wharf Plants
Wild Flowers, Plants and Trees
Portbury Wharf plants can be stunningly beautiful. They are also vital to the ecosystem being an important source of food and shelter for all sorts of wildlife.
At Portbury Wharf wild flowers grow around the ponds and along the banks of the rhynes and there is a flower meadow in the Sanctuary. As it is a predominantly wetland habitat, plants that prefer this sort of environment thrive here. Though don’t overlook the hedgerows which are home to many pollen and berry producing trees and plants. Where you see flowers and berries you may also see wildlife, so look closely.
This is just the beginning of a list of Portbury Wharf Plants. So we will keep adding to this page to build up a comprehensive list of the plants here.Page updated 4 October 2019
Berries Nov-Apr
Ivy (Hedera Helix) an evergreen ecosystem
This is a very important plant for wildlife providing shelter and food in autumn and winter!
Ivy is so important it has its own page . . .read more
Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
Ox-eye daisy or Moon Daisy is a familiar and attractive grassland perennial. It grows up to 60 cm and has large white flowers from June. It is our largest native member of the daisy family and thought to be the origin of the children’s petal-pulling game “loves me, loves me not”.
A mature plant can produce up to 26,000 seeds which can remain viable for many years. So it has the ability to spread relatively easily and as a result is considered invasive in more than 40 countries.
Reference and further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucanthemum_vulgare
Dog Rose (Rosa canina)
Look out for the bright red rose hips in the autumn hedgerows. They are the seed pods of the wild Dog-rose. It has sweetly scented pink or white flowers that appear in June and July with rose hips ripening in autumn.
Reference and further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_canina
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Height 20cm to 1m. Flowers have strong sweet scent. Food source for many beneficial insects. Attracts predatory insects such as ladybirds and hover flies which eat pests, so used as a companion plant. Birds such as starlings line their nests with yarrow. So all in all a great plant for wildlife.
Reference and further reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achillea_millefolium