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Fairburn Ings |
Recent sightingsWednesday, 4 November 2009Our winter visitors have been increasing in strength with a few sightings of green sandpipers at Pickup hide. Last week we had a large flock of about 350 fieldfares flying south west. More recently, approximately 130 fieldfares were seen flying over the reserve early in the morning. A flock of just over 60 skylark at tips and 125 pink-footed geese were seen flying west a few days ago. Last Thursday whooper swans were seen flying west, redwing at pickup pool last Wednesday and woodcock at pond dipping platform last Thursday. Our resident birds of prey have made a few appearances around the reserve such as a sparrowhawk at woodland to right of visitor centre, buzzards seen regularly over new field plantation and one of our visitors spotted a merlin along the road near the reserve. Kestrels are seen regularly hovering above Pickup pool. Regular sightings of waterfowl at spoonbill flash include a female garganey and 5 water rails at Lin Dike fields. Migrant waders such as dunlin apparently like to keep company with small groups golden plovers benefiting from their early warning sounds. 2 little grebes and snipe seen at Spoonbill Flash last Wednesday. Little egret wading and feeding at New Flash last Friday, goldeneye at village bay hide, 2 handsome goosander diving ducks at main bay and curlew at Flashes. Our first sightings of winter visitors such as little stint and water pipit seen at flashes last week. A female stonechat was spotted on Saturday at Lin Dike fields, brambling at Pickup feeders and screen on Thursday. A redpoll and a small lively siskin were also seen near visitor centre on Saturday. On the feeders around the reserve we have the usual suspects including: male and female bullfinch, treesparrows, goldfinches, male and female chaffinches and greenfinches. There are still plenty of sightings of kingfishers mainly between Pickup Dyke and screen and Cut hide. A greater spotted woodpecker was seen at Cut hide and at feeding station. Last Wednesday a number of butterfly species were seen close to the visitor centre and around the reserve including: red admiral, peacock, speckled wood, small copper, grey veined and white comma. Dragonflies were also out in good numbers including migrant hawker, ruddy darter and about 12 common darters. Last week a noctule bat was seen twice flying across the reserve prior to hibernation. Possible sightings of otters seen at Kingfisher screen and Lin Dyke.
Sunday, 25 October 2009Autumn is setting in here at Fairburn Ings with the leaves falling off the trees and the wildlife showing signs of hibernation and migration. Birds are clearly on their migration trails now as we've had a few sightings of some of our winter visitors such as Siskin seen all week around the Boardwalk, Redwing at the Kingfisher screen today and Pintail from Spoonbill flash and Cut hide. We've also had Golden Plover, Garganey, over 100 Snipe on Newflash on Wednesday and Little Stint seen from Lin Dike over the past 2 days. The Little Stint has also been seen on Spoonbill flash earlier today. Plenty of Raptors around... Kestrel above the Visitor Centre and Sparrowhawk dive-bombing our feeders yesterday. A Peregrine Falcon was seen circling the carpark last Sunday and a Marsh Harrier has been seen from Pickup hide. Buzzard are regularly seen from the Visitor Centre looking over Newfield Plantation. From Bob Dickens hide on Tuesday last week were 2 Merlin. Also in the local area near Ledston Luck there has been reports of a Ring-tailed Hen Harrier earlier today. With the colder weather setting in there are plenty of birds on the feeders around the visitor centre including: Male and female Bullfinch, Chaffinch, lots of Tree Sparrow, Blue Tit, Robin, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Willow Tit. We've had our ever successul Feed the Birds Day event on today, encouraging people to feed the birds this winter. On Wednesday last week there was a Stonechat around the visitor centre being chased by a Robin. Around the boardwalk we had sightings of a Green Woodpecker and there were 2 Jay seen in Newfield Plantation on Monday last week. There are still regular sightings of Kingfisher on the reserve, we have now dug out some ponds right in front of Pickup hide and placed perches in them so we can get even closer views of Kingfisher. They are regulary seen from Pickup hide, the Kingfisher screen, Bob Dickens hide and down Cut Lane. We’ve got loads of events on everyday next week…have a look at our events page for more information and booking details.
Saturday, 3 October 2009With the beginning of October came our first Whooper swans migrating south for the winter and dropping in at Spoonbill Flash. Also at the west end of the reserve have been Wheatears, Stonechats, Little Egrets, Ringed Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew, Greenshank, Dunlin, Pintails, Teal, Garganey, Shovelers and Shelduck. At least a dozen Red-legged partridges can be seen regularly in the field over the road from the visitor centre. We’ve also had some more good views of Buzzards over the woodland and a spectacular close up of a female Sparrowhawk swooping low over the bushes in front of the visitor centre. Down in Fairburn village a Red Kite was seen flying over Cut Lane and there have been Marsh Harrier sightings across the reserve. The Wildlife Garden has been busy with lots of woodland birds including parties of Long-tailed tits, Goldfinches, Tree sparrows, Coal tits and Willow tits and of course Broady the Bullfinch.
Sunday, 3 February 2008Lesser-spotted woodpecker has put in another appearance at the Cut this morning, along with Long tailed tits, Tree-creeper and a Great-spotted woodpecker. Green woodpecker has also been seen along the Riverbank Trail. There has been upto six pairs of Bullfinch around the Visitors Centre today along with the usual Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Willow Tits and Tree Sparrows that frequent the feeding stations. Yesterday, four Roe deer were seen from Lin Dyke path and a pair of Kingfishers were seen from the hide. Earlier in the week saw reports of Golden eye, Redshank, Snipe and over 50 Curlew on the Flashes. And a total in excess of 800 Pink Footed Geese flying NW over the reserve on Monday and Tuesday
Wednesday, 16 September 2009Lots to be seen on the reserve over the past week, particularly on the raptors front. Over the past few days there has been up to 6 Buzzard over Newfield Plantation and one almost directly above the centre this morning. We've also had sightings of Red Kite over Pickup hide, Marsh Harrier, Hobby and Sparrowhawk over the Visitor Centre, Kestrel sat on a post near the Visitor Centre, Peregrine Falcon and also an Osprey was seen on the 6th September. In terms of waders on the reserve we've had 7 Snipe, 3 Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Curlew and Ruff. Also around we've had: Yellow Wagtail, Whitethroat, Dunlin, Water rail, Pintail, Little Egret, Wheatear, Whinchat, Jay and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Id you want the chance to see any of these wonderful birds then we have our "Crunch the leaves under your feet" guided walk this Sunday 11am-1pm. We had some very pleased visitors on our Kingfisher Safari last week, they came on the walk having never seen a Kingfisher before and were lucky enough to see 3 which was fantastic!! The walks are held every Thursday throughout September, October and November and start at 10.30am. Broady the Bullfinch is still around, he is quite a character! He comes and sits on the railings outside the Visitor Centre and chirps to get the attention of people stoof around him! He's just starting to get his adult feathers so we will be able to tell whether we need to give him a girls name or not!
Sunday, 6 September 2009Its been another good week for raptors on the reserve with our second Osprey sighting of the year on Wednesday and third today. We’ve also had regular reports of Marsh Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, a Hobby, Sparrowhawk and Buzzards. A Kestrel has been putting on a show outside the Visitor Centre again too. A pair of Red-crested Pochards and 2 Pintails have been spotted. There have been Black-tailed Godwits, Green and Common Sandpipers, Greenshank, Redshank, Snipe, Curlew and Whimbrel about. There have been a few Water Rail sightings and a Little Egret has dropped in today and can be seen surveying the flashes from its bush top vantage point. The first Wheatears of the Autumn are appearing across the reserve and 3 (or possibly 4, there’s some debate here) Spotted flycatchers have stopped in to pick off wasps around the boardwalk. Also Yellow wagtails and Whinchats throughout the week. There’s been a lot of movement in the skies with various gulls passing over, 19 Terns seen flying over, swallows preparing for their long journey to Africa and the last of the summer’s Swifts. We've had two bat nights over the last couple of weeks which have been great fun and really interesting. For any budding bat enthusiasts we have Common and Soprano Pipistrelles, Noctules, and Daubenton's bats around the Fairburn village end of the reserve. Last but not least, we have a celebrity guest on the reserve at the moment. Broady the Bullfinch showed up just in time to celebrate England’s Ashes victory and has enjoyed posing on various shoulders, heads and binoculars around the Visitor Centre ever since!
Saturday, 15 August 2009Lots to be seen on the reserve last week, a few exciting sightings of raptors including a Marsh Harrier that has been seen on a number of seperate occasions throughout the week, a Red Kite on Wednesday, there was a sighting of a Little Owl in the Hawthorne Copse on Thursday, a Peregrine Falcon, Sparrowhawk and Common Buzzard on Friday and today we've had sightings of Hobby, Marsh Harrier and Common Buzzard. In terms of warblers we've had Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat and a sighting of a Garden Warbler near the railway bridge. Quite a few sightings of waders around including Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Snipe and Lapwing. Also we've had a couple of sightings of a Water Rail over the past few days, Green Woodpecker, Little Egret, Common Gull and Grey Heron. Also a great view of a Spoonbill at the start of this week from Pickup hide. Regular sightings of the Kingfisher everyday last week from various points on the reserve including Pickup hide where I saw one very close up on Wednesday, the Kingfisher screen, and from Cut hide. Also seen regularly on the reserve are our garden birds on the feeders: Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Willow Tit and Chaffinch. If you're interested in moths then tonight is the night for you... Join us for Moth Madness!! A short presentation on moths before a light supper and some moth trapping on the reserve! Starts at 7.30pm-late!
Saturday, 8 August 2009It's been quite a busy week on the reserve over the past week: Up to 7 Green Sandpiper- which can be seen daily from Pickup hide, Common Sandpiper from Pickup and Lin Dike, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, 9 Snipe, and Little Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Little Egret, juvenille Water Rail, Green Woodpecker, Yellow Hammer, Barnacle Goose and Common Tern. Also a Wood Warbler was seen by the site manager on Monday from the Kingfisher screen. Also a Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, White Throat and Tree Creeper. In terms of raptors we've had a Marsh Harrier on Saturday, Tuesday and yesterday, there has also been a Sparrowhawk and Kestrel over the centre. There are a number of different varieties of moths and butterflies around at the moment including Painted Lady, Peacock, Green-veined White, Large White, Small White, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper. If yuu want to learn about the different moths that we have here at Fairburn then why not join us for a late supper and moth trapping session next Saturday night (15th August) from 7.30pm. Or for mini-beasts in general then join us on our mini-beast safari on our family fun day next Sunday (16th August).
Friday, 31 July 2009Today two of our volunteers timed their visit to Pickup Hide right and spotted a Peregrine Falcon with Pigeon in talons being mobbed by Lapwing on its flight across the pool. Our 5 Green Sandpipers are still with us and have been joined at various points through the week by 3 Common Sandpipers, 5 Redshank, a Greenshank, Ringed Plover and Snipe. A Little Egret has been seen on a couple of occasions as well as more fishing displays from our Kingfishers. At the West end of the reserve we’ve had a party of 8 Black-tailed Godwits join us, as well as a Long-eared Owl spotted at Lyn Dyke. One lucky visitor watched 3 Green Woodpeckers perched just in the car park, we’ve had regular reports of these lovely birds across the reserve. The Yellowhammer is still serenading visitors from his telegraph post on Newton Lane. Around Village bay a pair of Blackcaps, an Arctic Tern and a Red-breasted Merganser have all been seen. Stoats on the reserve seem to be getting bold as we’ve had a flurry of sightings from around the Visitor Centre and Kingfisher Screen. The elusive Grasshopper Warbler has been out and about along the boardwalk again too. Despite the high winds and heavy showers our butterfly populations are still going strong with majorities of Speckled wood, Green Veined White, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper. For butterfly fans, now is the time to see the hutchinsoni form of Comma, a paler version of the more common form we see from March and April time. Both variations can be seen across the reserve. There is also lots going on around the reserve as well as the wildlife that is around, if you’re struggling for things to do with the little ones these holidays then why not come along to our Wild Wednesday events with fun activities for children or to brush up on your bird ID then come along to our Family Birdwatching for Beginners course on a Thursday!
Thursday, 23 July 2009Since my last update we've had lots seen on the reserve, the most exciting sighting was last Wednesday when an Osprey was seen sat in a tree from the duck and swan feeding platform. Osprey are usually seen in flight passing through the reserve but often stop to fish in the lake- presumably that's what this one was doing. We've had a number of other raptor sightings on the reserve over the past week: 2 Peregrine Falcon- the last sighting being Monday this week at 7.20pm, Sparrowhawk from Bob Dickens, Buzzard over the stacks of the reserve and a Hobby on Sunday. In terms of waders we've had: regular sightings of Green Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Oystercatcher, and Snipe. There are also various garden birds around such as Blue Tit, Great Tit, a male and female Bullfinch on the feeders outside the visitor centre, Greenfinch and Goldfinch. Also seen on the reserve are regular sightings of Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Little Egret on the flashes- one was seen from Pickup hide this morning, 16 Crossbill, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting. Other wildlife on the reserve includes: Fox, Grey Squirrel, Roe Deer and also various different types of butterfly and dragonfly.
Monday, 13 July 2009It’s been a rather unusual week here at Fairburn Ings, we’ve had a mixture lovely sunny days and stormy weather which has caused us to be out of action! Due to the storm last Monday night all our communications have been down because of a very close lightening strike, therefore, we haven’t been able to let you know what’s been seen on the reserve since last weekend! But here it is now… there’s a lot to get through as we’ve had a great week for wildlife watching!
On the birds front we’ve had a few different warblers seen such as Sedge Warbler, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, White Throat and also a Grasshopper Warbler was seen sat on the boardwalk near the visitor centre on Sunday (5th July) and today near the duck and swan feeding platform.
We’ve also had a number of raptors over head such as a Hobby at Lin Dike, a female Marsh Harrier above the flashes, a Sparrow Hawk over Fairburn village and the Kestrel has been back hovering over the visitor centre and swooping down for it’s dinner directly in front of the building. Also, today there has been 2 Peregrine Falcons seen from village bay hide.
The wildlife garden has been nice and busy with all the common garden birds been seen such as Willow Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Bullfinch and Chaffinch.
In terms of waders on the reserve we’ve had Lapwing, Green Sandpiper, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwit.
Other birds seen on the reserve are: Meadow Pipit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, a juvenile Green Woodpecker, a Jay on the Hawthorne Copse, a Barn Owl on the flashes, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Heron, a female Goldeneye from village bay, Barnacle Goose and Yellow Wagtail. There are also daily sightings of Kingfisher at the viewing screen and from Pickup hide.
If you want to see any of these birds and get identification tips from out staff and volunteers then come along to our exclusive Site Manager’s behind the scenes walks on the last Thursday of every month.
We’re not just all about birds though… there’s been lots of other wildlife seen around in the past week. In terms of mammals, we’ve seen Roe Deer, Stoat, Rabbits and Grey Squirrels. There are also lots of butterflies and moths around including: Green-veined White, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Painted Lady, Large White, Comma, Gatekeeper, Small Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Common Blue , Speckled Wood and Six-spot Burnet. In terms of dragonflies we’ve seen: Common Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Emerald Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly and Southern Hawker. A lot of these were seen on our butterfly and dragonfly walk yesterday.
If you want to learn more about the butterflies and dragonflies that we have on the reserve then join us on some of our wildlife events coming up… such as Moth Night (15th August), Bat Night (22nd August) and a Family Fun Day with mini-beasting activities (16th August). Sunday, 5 July 2009Well we’ve had an unfortunate turn for the worse weather-wise but the birds around the visitor centre don’t seem to care. Two stunning male Bullfinches with their partners have been feasting all day, along with Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Dunnocks and Blue tits. From our shelter on the other side of the glass we’ve watched a beautiful little Wren hopping along the balcony just a few feet away.
The lovely hot weather over the past few days seems to have brought out a plethora of butterflies and dragonflies, here are just a few: Meadow Brown, Small Tortoiseshell, Large White, Red Admiral, Gatekeeper, a Marbled White, Comma, Green Veined White and Common Blue. As for the dragonflies and damselflies, there’ve been Emperors, Black Tailed Skimmer, a Common Hawker, Emerald, Azure, Large Red Damselflies and more. The Marsh Harrier has been back again, making for a dramatic view against the fierce blue skies of the past few days. The Green sandpipers are still around at Pickup Pool along with a party of excitable herons who’ve been putting on a show. The kingfisher reports are still pouring in from all over the reserve, and someone has also spotted an elusive Water rail. At Lin Dyke there have been Redshank, Oystercatchers and a Barnacle Goose. Come join us next Saturday 11th July for our 3 mile healthy living walk on parts of the reserve that are not usually accessible to the public or join our butterfly and dragonfly walk on Sunday 12th July for your chance to see some our our summer visitors.
Monday, 6 July 2009Over the weekend we've had sightings of Oystercatcher near Cut Lane, 4 Green Sandpiper from Pickup hide, Green Woodpecker and a Sparrowhawk over Fairburn village. There have also been lots of sightings of Kingfisher at the viewing screen and from Pickup hide. There is plenty to see in our wildlife garden including Blue Tit, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Great Tit and some young Bullfinch which is fantastic. Also still signing in the trees around the boardwalk is a Chiffchaff. Also on the reserve in terms of other wildlife that has been around we have seen 2 Roe Deer, a Stoat, lots of froglets and some toads on the paths and various types of moths, dragonflies and butterflies. For your chance to see the different types of butterflies and dragonflies that we have on the reserve and get some expert identification tips you can join us on our butterfly and dragonfly walk next Sunday (12th July) at 11am.
Monday, 29 June 2009There has been a few raptors seen flying over the visitor centre in the past few days, we've had the Kestrel hovering directly over the centre aswell as Marsh Harrier and Hobby overhead. There are good numbers of waders on the reserve over the weekend: 15 Lapwing, Curlew, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher and some of our first summer migrants including Green Sandpiper, Redshank and Greenshank. Also in the past hour there has been a Spotted Redshank seen with it's beautiful summer plumage at Pickup hide. (1pm Monday) Also seen have been our regular sightings of Kingfisher and Grey Heron and garden birds such as Blue Tit, Goldfinch, Willow Tit and Greenfinch. Also a chiffchaff can be heard daily from the boardwalk around the visitor centre. There is also plenty to be seen in terms of ducks on the reserve: A Pochard, Female Pintail, 2 Garganey and Teal. Other sightings on the reserve include: Spoonbill flying over, 1 Little Egret, Sand Martin, Skylark and Meadow Pipit.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009Our Kestrel has been back with us this week, becoming quite a reliable sight over the visitor centre. We’ve also been visited by a very new family of tiny red-legged partridges, scampering around the back of the feeding station. Elsewhere on the reserve, our other broods seem to be doing well. The lapwing chicks are growing up fast, Pochard families are doing well and our young Herons can be seen tentatively making their first stabs at fishing for themselves. Amongst the woodland and on our feeder stations are countless numbers of young tits and finches making the most of their newfound independence. The west end of the reserve has been busy, with a Hobby, 2 Buzzards, 2 Oystercatchers, a Redshank, 10 Teal, and 3 Ringed Plovers on Saturday, as well as a Barnacle Goose in amongst the Canada Geese, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Red Kite and a Marsh Harrier. 2 Marsh Harriers were also seen over the stacks, happily the species seems to be making regular appearances at the reserve. Not to be outdone we have also had some interesting reports from Pickup Pool. 2 Green Sandpipers have spent a few days in the area, a Spotted Flycatcher was seen on Sunday and on Tuesday a Short-eared Owl! Both a Cuckoo and a Snipe were spotted flying over as well as a Green Woodpecker travelling back and forth over the water. For Kingfisher fans this week has proved to be particularly rewarding with lots of sightings of Kingfisher perching on the poles and branches just metres from the hide. A Kingfisher pair have been seen fishing behind the Kingfisher screen on a few occasions and one individual has started to frequent the smaller of our pond dipping platforms! A turnstone was spotted on Main Bay, as an irregular passage migrant we may only be lucky enough to see a couple of these little waders a year. Spoonbills were seen flying over The Cut on Sunday but unfortunately they didn’t travel further into the reserve. We did however get a lovely view of a Red Kite floating over the main bay. A Jay and a Grey Wagtail have been seen around the reserve, and for those of you who like to get up early there have been Avocet at the duck and swan feeding platform on several mornings. Speaking of getting up early we had a great turn out of both people and weather for the Dawn Chorus. Obligingly the birds were also out in force and we saw and/or heard Green Woodpecker, Yellowhammer, Whitethroat, Dunnock, Wren, Song Thrush, Cuckoo, Linnets, Bullfinches, Skylarks, Robins and Blackcaps amongst others. However, my highlight was our private audience with a Garden Warbler who sang in full view for all to enjoy. For the chance to see some of these species as well as our more secretive residents we have the Site Manager’s Behind The Scenes Wildlife Walk tomorrow from 10am – 12pm. We had an excellent spot from one of our youngest visitors when he saw a weasel bounding across the Discovery Trail. Also to watch out for under foot are the growing numbers of tiny frogs venturing out onto footpaths all over the reserve. Dragonflies and Damselflies are out in abundance, with reports of Emperor Dragonflies, Four-spotted Chasers, Broad-bodied Chasers, Black Tailed Skimmers, Large Red Damsels, Emerald Damsels, Azure Damsels and more. There have been lots of Speckled Wood Butterflies, Meadow Browns, Common Blues a Painted Lady and a Large Skipper. On Friday we put the moth trap out for the first time this summer and were greeted by dozens of species the next morning. Amongst them was a Poplar Hawk Moth, a Spectacle, the lovely Clouded Border, Buff Ermine, Common Wainscot and Burnished Brass. We have a Butterfly and Dragonfly walk coming up on Sunday the 12th July with our experts Amanda and Alan. They are also kindly sharing their vast knowledge of moths with us on Saturday the 15th August when you can get up close and personal with a variety of moths from the reserve.
Sunday, 7 June 2009There has been lots to see on the reserve over the past few days, here's some of the hightlights from the week: Seen on the reserve on Thursday was 4 Willow Tit, Green Woodpecker, 2 Avocet, 2 Rook, 7 Teal and 7 Shoveler. On Friday there was an exciting sighting of a Lapwing chick and the parents could be seen taking food to feed their young. Also on Friday there was a Stoat, Marsh Harrier, Black Tern, Grey Wagtail and Raven. Saturday was a very busy day bird wise: seen on the reserve was 3 Arctic Tern, Garganey, Greenshank, Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Green Woodpecker, Kestral, Black-tailed Godwit and Long-tailed Tit. There have also been daily sightings of Kingfisher at the Kingfisher viewing screen. We have had a spectacular view of a Kestrel hovering over the visitor centre all afternoon before it finally swooped down into the grass in front of the visitor centre and caught a vole! Also seen directly from the visitor centre was a Green Woodpecker on the telegraph pole. In our wildlife garden there are the usual garden birds: Bullfinch, Blackbird, Great Tit and Blue Tit. There is also a Great spotted Woodpecker who has got a taste for our mini-bird cake and is coming to the feeder throughout the day- this is giving us great close up views through the feeder cam! We have a jam packed weekend coming up... On Saturday there is a Healthy Living Walk starting from the reserve at 11am which will begin at the visitor centre and complete a circular walk from Fairburn, round Ledsham and back to the centre at around 1pm. Also, back by popular demand is the sell out Dawn Chorus Walk next Sunday (14th June at 5.30am)! See the events pages for more information and how to book.
Saturday, 30 May 2009There has been lots to see recently here at Fairburn Ings. We've had two guided walks over the last week which were a great success and gave people the chance to see lots of interesting birds and wildlife. There has been a Whiskered Tern on the reserve for the past 3 days, it has been seen on Hicksons flash which is located near the Lin Dike end of the reserve (for directions come and see the staff in the visitor centre). Also seen around has been a Cuckoo, Wheatear, 4 Kestrel, Lesser spotted woodpecker, Whitethroat, Goldeneye, Teal, Marsh Harrier, Little-ringed Plover, Avocet, Grasshopper warbler, Curlew, Oystercatcher and there is also daily sightings of Kingfisher. Seen yesterday on the reserve was a Jay, Treesparrow, Dunnock, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldeneye and Whiskered Tern. The bird feeders are buzzing with activity too, there has been a Great Spotted Woodpecker visiting our feeder cam for the past 4 days which is giving people really close up views. Also on the feeders are the usual garden birds that we get at the reserve such as Blue Tit and Great Tit. Our Nest Box Camera is now empty, the Blue Tit chicks fledged the nest on Friday. We are now hoping that the Blue Tit will use the box again soon! Back by popluar demand is our Dawn Chorus Walk on Sunday 14th of June at 5.30 am. For more details see the events web page, booking is essential to avoid disappointment as this is a very polular walk.
Sunday, 10 May 2009The delicious smell of bacon sandwiches filled the air at Fairburn Ings this morning as the Dawn Chorus walk finished in the visitor centre. It was a beautiful morning which gave way to some amazing views of the reserve at 5.30 this morning! On the walk there were over 70 different species of birds seen and heard! Here's just a taster of some of the things that we saw: 7 different species of warbler, 2 Avocet flying over the reserve, a female Wigeon, Linnet, Little Ringed Plover, Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Great spotted Woodpecker, Grey Partridge, Dunlin, Yellowhammer, Common Tern, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush and all 3 hirundine- Sand Martin, House Martin and Swallow. Also seen over the reserve over the past few days has been 2 Buzzard, Peregrine, Hobby, 2 Little Egret, Arctic Tern and Whimbrel Our guided walks are a fantastic way to see many of these fantastic birds! Why not join us on our next guided walk on Sunday 24th of May or come for a behind the scenes tour of the reserve on Thursday 28th May!
Friday, 1 May 2009Yesterday's behind the scenes wildlife walk was a huge success and the visitors on it were lucky enough to see 2 spoonbill flying over the flashes. Also seen and heard on the walk was 7 different species of warbler: Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Reed Warbler, Black Cap, White Throat, Lesser Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler. 3 Buzzard were seen flying over as well as a Green Woodpecker. Also seen on the walk was Reed Bunting, Skylark, Meadow Pipit and Jay. For a chance to see and hear all these fantastic birds then join us on our sell out Dawn Chorus walk next Sunday (10th May) Booking is essential as places are filling up fast! The walk starts at 5.30am and will last approximately 2 hours with bacon sandwiches and coffee at the visitor centre afterwards. Also around on the reserve over the past few days has been Garganey, Swift, Cuckoo, Mediterranean Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Goosander, Redshank, Little Ringed Plover, Arctic Tern, Red Kite, Avocet and Wheatear.
Saturday, 18 April 2009We've had quite a few spring migrants seen here at Fairburn over the past week, these including Sand Martin, House Martin, Swallow and Swift. There have also been sightings off all the various warblers that breed here on the reserve which include Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Chiffchaff. Today there has been a male Garganey which is proving elusive at Village Bay hide. Also seen early last week was 2 Common Scoter and 2 Red-breasted Merganser from Village Bay hide, 2 or 3 different Little Gulls and Arctic Tern and a Common Tern. Also a Mediterranean Gull returned to the gull colony and was seen displaying to the Black-headed Gulls. There have also been some passage waders seen on the reserve such as 12 Black-tailed Godwits, a Whimbrel, 3 Green Sandpiper and several Little Ringed Plover. The site manager's behind the scenes walk is proving very popular, the next one is Thursday 30th April so book now to avoid disappointment. On the route of this walk there is a good chance of seeing 8 or 9 different types of warbler on the day. The Blue Tit is still bringing nesting material into the nest box, it can be seen every day in the box on the TV screens in the Visitor Centre but hasn't yet laid any eggs.
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Common toad, Conwy - RSPB Images - Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)
Visitors at Fairburn Ings RSPB reserve - RSPB Images - Jesper Mattias (rspb-images.com, Ref: 1029538)
Bird illustrations by Mike Langman (RSPB)