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Recent sightings

• 23 January 2012

  What's about at Fairburn Ings?

  Thank you to everyone who's contributed to the sightings book today; it's looking jam-packed and we can only let others know what's been seen if you come and tell us about it.

  Just outside the Visitor Centre, we've seen a male Bullfinch, a Coal Tit, a group of Red-legged Partridge, and Long-tailed Tits. Heading out a bit further, on the way to Pickup Hide, we've had two Brambling.

  

  Going along the Riverbank Trail, three Goldeneye have been seen in Village Bay, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker has been seen in the woods along Cut Lane.

  A Treecreeper was spotted on the Lin Dike Link, as well as two Green Woodpeckers and a Meadow Pipit. On the other side of Lin Dike, on The Moat, we've had over 25 Fieldfare and over 10 Starlings.

  The Taiga Bean Goose was spotted on Sunday behind Cedric's Pool.

  On the same day, a Peregrine flew over the Visitor Centre, and from Bob Dickens Hide were seen three Goosander, a Goldeneye, a Pochard, a Tufted Duck, and a Great Crested Grebe. Later on, a flock of Redpolls was seen around the Kingfisher Screen.

  Posted by Georgina

• 11 January 2012

  Another 'what's about at RSPB Fairburn Ings this week?'

  As of late we've had a Taiga Bean Goose causing quite a stir and it's still around by all accounts. One of our Main Bay Black Swans has been making its self known at the feeding platform in recent days and we still continue to see lots of fieldfare and redwing.

  Other birds around are,

  Coal tit, willow tit, bullfinch, red legged partridge, redpoll, mealy redpoll, goldeneye, little egret, tree creepers, pintail, several female smew, goosander and 300+ lapwing.

  A sparrowhawk is also a regular visitor to the visitor car park, as is a female kestrel and numerous tree sparrows.

   

   

   

   

  Posted by KathrynN

• 28 December 2011

  Fairburn's Christmas presents

  Hi all, I hope you've all had a fantastic few days over Christmas opening your presents and eating your turkey. As for birds you won't be eating, there have been a fair few around in the last couple of days here at RSPB Fairburn Ings! As the visitor centre was closed over Christmas Day and Boxing Day we don't have any reported sightings for those days so if you were about, please let us know what you saw as a comment at the end of this post for our records.

  Yesterday there were 2 smews seen in the Main Bay and Spoonbill Flash (the main flash you can see from Lin Dike hide). Have you ever seen such a cool looking bird? I always think they look like they should be in an 80's glam-rock band... There's also been a load of pinkfoot geese flying over the visitor centre and feeding at the new flash. Other geese and ducks include the red-crested pochard on Main Bay and about 10 barnacle geese on the moat.

  Around the visitor centre there have been lesser redpoll and brambling seen at the feeders and the wildlife garden, a red kite over the plantation opposite the visitor centre, and a great spotted woodpecker at the feeder screen. There was also a kingfisher showing at the screen today, coming right up close to the screen for some lovely sights of it.

  Finally, there were 2 pairs of reed buntings seen at Lin Dike yesterday. Phew! As I say, if you were about on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, it would be great if you could either add a comment here on this page with your sightings, or pop into the visitor centre and let us know what you saw. Thanks and see you soon!

  Posted by Angela

• 21 December 2011

  What's been about this week?

  We haven’t done a ‘what’s about at RSPB Fairburn Ings?’ for a week or so, and I decided it was time for a catch up. We are still seeing the kingfisher(s) daily, both a male and female were seen today and we also continue have sightings of 200+ fieldfares and redwing across the reserve.

   

  On Thursday of last week we had reports of the Long Eared Owls at Lin Dike, a Peregrine Falcon outside the visitor centre and 20+ Red Legged Partridge in the New Field Plantation.

   

  The Peregrine Falcon showed itself again on Friday morning as it was being mobbed by guls over Bob Dicken’s Hide.

   

  Other constant visitors of late have been the flocks of long tailed tits. A good place to see them has been on the visitor centre feeders and along the board walk on the Discovery Trail.

   

  During the weekend and yesterday we had several reports of 20+ Barnacle Geese in the Moat Field and yesterday also gave us sightings of Redpoll, Goldcrest, Shelduck and 30+ Goosander on the tips.

   

  And finally, our highlights today were a female Smew on New Flash, plus Twite and Linnet near Pick Up Hide.

   

  Posted by KathrynN

• 4 December 2011

  I think Winter's arrived!

  The past couple of days have certainly made me feel like Christmas is fast approaching. The frosty starts and snow in the air have put an end to the surprisingly mild weather we've been having here, which I was reminded of just yesterday when I saw a duckling behind the Kingfisher Screen! Did anyone see the ducklings mentioned on Autumnwatch? I hope there aren't too many about! The unsettled weather we experienced yesterday did, however, result in a glorious rainbow in the afternoon (see photo below).

  

  The Kingfisher has been seen by plenty of visitors today, as well as being seen by loads of people on Saturday. We've also had lots of Lesser Redpoll around the boardwalk, some House Sparrows opposite the visitor centre, a Sparrowhawk flying over the visitor centre and both Red-legged and Grey Partridge opposite the visitor centre - all being reported today, within very convenient distance of the coffee machine. It's not looked especially tempting outside today, but the birds are putting us to shame and getting on with things whatever the weather.

  Slightly further afield, and all sighted today, a deer was seen from Pickup Hide, Long-tailed Tits are still all around the boardwalk area, and two Little Grebes were seen at the Kingfisher Screen. A Pintail was also seen from Village Bay Hide, and a Green-winged Teal was seen at Lin Dike. Teal are the smallest dabbling duck you can find, with beautiful markings - the female is brown with a gorgeous dash of fluorescent green on her wings.

  If you do come and visit us before Christmas, please let us know what you've seen - we love to hear about what's around (as well as seeing these things!). If you're as unprepared for Christmas as I am, I'd urge you to come and see us next Saturday (the 10th) and get the shopping done alongside special craft activities for the young ones, and with no blaring lights/repetitive music/traffic jams around! Between 4pm and 6pm we'll be having a Christmas Shopping Event, with a complimentary mulled wine and mince pie for the adults, and juice and biscuits for the kids. A much more relaxed experience than the norm!

  So after all my rambling on about how much I'm looking forward to winter, I think it's finally here. It's fantastic to be constantly learning new things here - just today, I've been swatting up on Green-winged Teal (which I'd never heard of before today) and I'm sure I'll be put to shame numerous times before Christmas, but I'm absolutely loving getting to know our wildlife. New things are cropping up all the time - and it's only the very beginning of the cold weather! Here's to winter...

   

  Posted by Georgina

• 1 December 2011

  A Burst of Colour

  This week has witnessed a Kingfisher being seen by visitors every day down at the Kingfisher Screen, an opportunity I couldn’t miss – and I was lucky enough to watch one for a good twenty minutes on a cold, grey day this week. A fairly dull day was suddenly brightened by its appearance, and it’s been seen frequently by our visitors today.

  
  We’ve had our first Waxwing today, at the Feeder Screen! Another glorious burst of colour. I’m really excited about the approach of winter after today, with the thought of all the different wildlife to be seen. Waxwings don’t breed in the UK, but they are winter visitors, in some years arriving in larger groups when the populations on breeding grounds become too big for the amount of food available, but we’ve yet to see what kind of a year this will be.

  
  On Tuesday two Marsh Harriers flew over the Visitor Centre, and on Monday a Merlin was seen from Pickup Hide.

  
  At the moment there seem to be quite a few Lesser Redpolls around the Discovery Trail and also around the Kingfisher Screen, as well as Long-tailed Tits pretty much everywhere! I can’t imagine ever seeing them without blathering on about how cute I find them!

  
  A Little Grebe was seen this morning, at the Kingfisher Screen, and yesterday we had sightings of a Brown Hare and a Roe Deer up at the North Flashes. At Pickup, a Snipe was seen yesterday, and Curlews were seen at Lin Dike both today and yesterday. Also seen at Lin Dike yesterday were Greylag Geese, a Little Egret, and a Peregrine.

  
  Plenty to get excited about in the coming weeks – if you’ve read my first post from November, you’ll be aware of how excited I am about winter this year! If you see me about the visitor centre on your next visit, I’d advise an escape plan before bringing up the approaching cold weather. I really think it’s fantastic how much wildlife we get in the winter – and it’s also a reminder that we aren’t in fact, as unlucky with the weather as we might sometimes feel!

  Posted by Georgina

• 16 November 2011

  Every Cloud...

  After last week’s post about the delights of winter, I think that the weatherman has decided to test me! The overcast and damp weather we’ve been having has not been brilliant, but it is, however, perfect for testing our binoculars and telescopes, which has got me well and truly in the mood for our upcoming Optics Day on the 27^th of this month.

  Our friendly staff will be available to offer you any advice you need about buying the perfect set of optics for you. RSPB Puffin binoculars are currently being offered with a free RSPB Pocket Guide to Birds book (normally £4.99), which is a great starter kit for the older kids or for adults who would like to start getting closer to nature.

  One thing we have been needing binoculars for in the last week, is all the geese which have been both flying over and visiting here. Today and yesterday I have seen great flocks of Pink-footed Geese flying over the reserve, sounding like so many yelping puppies! Over towards Lin Dyke, we’ve had a few conflicting reports about what geese have been seen there. We think that there have been four Bean Geese, one Pink-footed Goose, and two White-fronted Geese but we’ve had various combinations of one, two and all three of these kind of geese being reported by our visitors.

  An unmistakeable Red Kite was seen from the Visitor Centre on Saturday morning, allowing everyone to watch it for quite a while and coming rather close above us – fantastic. I cannot fail to be impressed by a raptor in flight, and the colours of a red kite are so beautiful I literally couldn’t tear my eyes away from it.

  So the excitement this week is about all of the wonderful geese that are around and about! Another reason to get really excited about winter (it’s like my very own Nature advent calendar) as more and more things come to stay with us. It would, of course, be great to see a huge flock of visitors around the reserve too as there are so many different things to see here at the moment. I also have a small request for when you do come to Fairburn Ings – come and talk to us! We love to hear about your visit, what you’ve seen, and any questions you have. I hope to see you soon.

  Posted by Georgina

• 8 November 2011

  New Perspectives

  After last week’s fantastic introduction from Jenni, I’d like to introduce myself as Fairburn’s new Trainee Visitor Officer. I’ll be working with Jenni to make your visit to RSPB Fairburn Ings so enjoyable that you’ll want to come and see us as often as possible, by delivering an exciting programme of events and activities for everyone.

  My love of nature comes from my love of walking. I grew up tramping the Pennine moors, and the Curlews, Meadow Pipits and Red Grouse I see in the hills really do feel like old friends (although I don’t talk to them - much). In my opinion, Meadow Pipits are one of the most beautiful birds to watch, however much of a Little Brown Bird they may be!

  The moors can seem pretty quiet in the winter, apart from the grouse telling me to ‘go back’ when I accidentally disturb them; and being here at Fairburn Ings I’m getting excited about winter for the first time in my life. I do love the moors in the winter, but the sightings of migrants here over the past month has really got me looking forward to seeing some of the birds which visit us for a while over the cold months. I’ve managed to catch a glimpse of a Redwing, lots of Long-Tailed Tits – which I can’t get enough of; some Wigeon, and also a few Whooper Swans. At the moment I can’t wait to see some Waxwings – being new to birdwatching, I’ve got a lot of birds to meet. I'm hearing about all sorts of birds I've only ever seen in books - Pink Footed Geese, Bramblings, Mistle Thrushes, for example - and I am absolutely loving reading up about them, just in case.

  Two Long-eared Owls were seen yesterday, between Lin Dyke and Hickson’s Flash, which I personally am incredibly excited about. I’d love to see a pair of dark orange eyes signalling one's prescence, and I intend to get down there as soon as I can. Seen from the Lin Dyke hide were some Shovelers, Pochards, Wigeon, Tufted Ducks, and Teals. Wigeon are one of my favourite ducks, partly due to their wonderful colouring of chestnut, yellow, pink, white and grey; and also because they were one of the first ducks (after Mallards) that I identified correctly!

  Over the weekend, a Sparrowhawk was seen from Pickup (Saturday), as well as a Marsh Harrier (Sunday); and, from the Kingfisher Screen, we’ve had groups of Fieldfares and Redwings (Sunday), as well as our fantastic Kingfisher.

  All these sightings are really cheering me up about the prospect of winter – and there are so many more things I’m looking forward to seeing. From the Visitor Centre, I can watch the cutest weasel scurrying about below (thankfully weasels do not hibernate); I can go to Lin Dyke to see all the wildfowl noted on Monday; and there are plenty of things to see going all the way along the Riverbank Trail, from the tiny Kingfisher to the not-so-tiny Whooper Swans. Winter does not seem so quiet, anymore.

  Posted by Georgina

• 16 October 2011

  Migration across the nation

  If you pay any attention to facebook or twitter you'll already know we've had several sightings of a great grey shrike down at Lin Dike hide today - SUCH a beautiful bird if you manage to catch a glimpse of it and well worth a look!

  There have been a pleasing number of things seen over the last few days at the reserve and definitely a sign that summer is out and winter is fast approaching with birds on the move! Shedloads of siskin and redpoll seen over the last few days; mostly along the riverbank trail and from the kingfisher screen in flocks reaching the 300 mark. Redwing and fieldfares have also been seen around Pickup hide and the boardwalks. Kingfisher has been spotted by Cut Lane, and a bar-tailed godwit has been seen fairly consistently at the Phaloarope Pool area down between the visitor centre and Lin Dike along Newton Lane.

  Birds of prey have also been about, including regular sightings of kestrel, hobby and marsh harrier over the last few days and great crested grebes have been seen down towards cut lane. A weasel at Pickup hide and 3 roe deer near Cedric's Flash. Also, my all-time favourite birds (and the first birds I correctly identified as a newly converted birdwatcher!)...long-tailed tits at the visitor centre feeders.

  There has also been an unconfirmed sighting of a red necked grebe but we don't know where it was seen or who saw it to be able to know for sure. If you do see something interesting please write it in the sightings book but if you do, please please please make sure you write the location and if it's something unusual put a way for us to contact you to be able to get more info on what you've seen. Thanks!

  Posted by Angela

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