Trip reports

Car trip to Blacktoft Sands Reserve

Sunday, 22 January 2012

I woke up on Sunday morning to the sound of the wind trying very hard to blow my house down! This made me very nervous as I drove over to the RSPB's Blacktoft Sands reserve. On arrival the wind was still very strong, but, along with 10 other members of the group, I set out to explore the reserve. In the end, the group managed a very respectable total of 31 species, including both our "target species", Marsh and Hen Harrier.

We arrived at 12.00pm and spent the first three hours looking around the hides, where, despite the very strong winds, we saw several duck species (Teal, Wigeon, Goldeneye, Mallard, Shelduck and Gadwall), along with 5 wader species (Lapwing, Golden Plover, Dunlin, Snipe and Curlew) and our first bird of prey, a Kestrel.

From 3 o'clock onwards we sat in the Singleton Hide, the best place to see the harriers. Shortly after our arrival we saw a Marsh Harrier, the first of at least half a dozen, followed a little while later by a "ringtail" Hen Harrier. A male Hen Harrier also put on a show, before we left at 4pm. A lovely day, despite the weather!

Peter Stoppard