Dearne Valley

It may have been cold in the Dearne Valley this morning but what the low winter sun lacked in warmth, it make up for in brilliance.

Here’s the summary of sightings from today…

It was good to see the Tree Sparrow Farm full of birds this morning, not least because of that field of teasels which was attracting a flock of thirty or so goldfinch. A smaller flock of long-tailed tits also provided great, close…

Just a quick blog tonight, though today's sightings show a terrific mix of birds, especially for January!

It was good to see the mealy redpoll and fifteen 'lessers' were back at Old Moor again and also great to see 'Red' (ringed peregrine 'PAA') gracing the reserve with her presence. Mind you, I doubt other birds felt the same!

Here's the summary...

Bright but with blustery, reed-flattening winds out there today! Here’s the summary…

At Edderthorpe today, John Clarkson reported: thirteen shelduck, 113 shoveler, three male pintail, a male goldeneye and a buzzard among other birds. Thanks John.

Paul Dennis added peregrine to that list at Edderthorpe – and subtracted one from the total of lapwing seen! Thanks Paul.

A pair of very handsome common…

I thought it was about time that I got down to writing about what we’ve been up to as it’s been a while since I wrote the last one!

New Signs.

I’m sure you will have noticed the updated signs on the roadside outside the reserve. Very smart and colourful!

… and also the new information signs at Adwick.

These were put up last July, so you should have noticed by now!

Scrub Clearance.

The lush…

Plenty of flopwing around Old Moor today… No? How about ‘peewit’? ‘Green plover’? – Oh alright, ‘lapwing’ if you must. And among them one that caught everyone’s eye. But first the summary….

John Seeviour’s report from Bolton Ings today included: two mute swan, sixteen mallard, four gadwall, four tufted duck, six pochard, two male goldeneye, ten goosander…

Tapping the glass on the Old Moor ‘Species-o-meter’ this evening produced a reading of 48 bird species and one terrific mammal! Here’s the summary…

Once again, bearded tits were seen (and heard) around the Reedbed Trail along with two marsh harriers, a Cetti’s warbler and - well, the peregrine was taken as ‘Red’.

The peregrine in question from Paul Peters via our Facebook Page…

Brilliant, blue skies meant today felt more like early spring and less like midwinter. Here’s the summary of birds seen during the day…

The Reedbed Trail was definitely one of the reserve ‘hotspots’ today and if you were lucky, there were five great birds to see over and above the supporting cast of wildfowl and reed buntings.

It was here that most visitors saw our semi-resident peregrine – left…

Regular visitors to Old Moor know that, as the season changes, so does the ‘mix’ of birds seen. Although I didn’t see all of them myself, today for example I reckon there were around 45 species of bird seen on the reserve. Here’s the summary…

But there is one small bird that I haven’t recorded on the sightings for some months now and I admit I’m getting a bit worried. So my question to…

Back from my Christmas break (very nice, thanks for asking) and ready to see out the year! In a moment, a look back at some of the highlights of 2018 and another remarkable year of sightings in the Dearne Valley.

But before all that, here’s the summary of birds seen today at Old Moor…

I’m bound to miss something from the year, but that’s because – wonderfully - there is so much to remember. – And, before…

Sadly those beardies were elusive today, though fellow volunteer and all-round good egg Rob Robinson did spot a male bird near the Reedbed Screen this morning.

Here’s a summary of the birds seen at Old Moor today…

Seen briefly today were three goosander heading from Bolton Ings towards the river; a lesser redpoll that seemed not to have stopped on the reserve; and – just up the road, at Wombwell I…

Hello again. Last Saturday our WEX group held their last meeting of the year. Unsurprisingly they had a Christmas party! Freddie was there and here is his report. Thanks very much Freddie for all your blogs this year and a thank you to Evelyn too.

This month at WEX we had our WEXMAS PARTY!!! Every Christmas at WEX we all gather together to do fun activities with…

In wintery conditions, the hardy watchers at Old Moor still managed to compile a creditable list of forty or so bird species today. Not at all bad - for mid-December. Now to dry off those notebooks!

Here’s the summary…

Paul Dennis visited Edderthorpe Flash and reported: five pochard, four shelduck, eighty or so lapwing, eleven mute swan, two common gull, four grey heron and three cormorant. Thanks Paul.

Mild, bright, still. Perfect for a walk down to the reedbeds where – well, you never know your luck do you?

Here’s the summary…

While many tried their luck with the beardies, there was another turn up and not that far away. Over at The Garganey Trust’s, Broomhill Flash (a short walk down the Trans Pennine Trail) four Egyptian goose were spotted.

Now we have had multiple Egyptian geese in the…

Evening Folks! It was another beautiful winter’s day in the Dearne Valley with plenty of sun - even if the big coats were finally getting some use.

First, the summary of the day’s sightings…

In the reedbeds today, along with that singing Cetti’s were (yet again) ‘pinging’ beardies. I’d almost given up hope of seeing them today when their calls alerted listeners to a location about 30m north of ‘Bittern…

For the third day in a row now, a small group of bearded tit have provided some exceptional views for visitors to Old Moor. Further details on that in a moment, but first the summary of sightings from today…

Not to take away the forty or so other bird species at Old Moor right now, but today the highlight for most visitors were those incredible beardies.

So, if you are a person who has yet to see these birds in…

What more could you want from Old Moor in December? - A (fairly) mild day with beautiful, clear sunshine; some brilliant bird sightings; and even a concert band playing carols!

Here’s the summary of sightings…

It was the perfect day for a saunter down to the reedbeds. After watching a kingfisher flashing along the channel in front of the Reedbed Screen; and a buzzard sunbathing; a Cetti’s warbler made us…

Sunshine may have been in short supply but it was mild at least and dry and there were an impressive fifty or more bird species at Old Moor today! Here’s the quick summary…

At Bolton Ings, John Seeviour reported: two mute swan, one great crested grebe, twelve mallard, three shoveler, three gadwall, four wigeon, twelve tufted duck, nine pochard, nine cormorant and two grey heron. There were also five common…

Turned out, it was a day of surprises at Old Moor today. Crisp frost and sunshine lasted for the best part of the morning with much of the action taking place against a blue, winter sky.

Here’s the summary…

Now the map above provides headlines for those that want just that, but today’s sightings book contained far more detail than I could fit beside it.

For example, in the Bird Garden, watchers saw…

It was great to see so many folk ignoring the pull of seasonal shopping in order to take in the delights of Old Moor today.

Here’s a summary of the birds seen…

And it was a surprisingly mild one with temperatures up around 13°C. It is true that the day was mostly overcast but, when the sun did break through, it was all the more welcome.

A cormorant on the Mere enjoying the winter sun

As well as four…

It was like a scene from a film. This afternoon the storm abated and the skies cleared. Not only were there rainbows, but a male hen harrier flew past watchers at Bolton Ings!

If anyone there spoke, it was probably to say, ‘Blimey! Look at that!’ ( -or something similar).

Here is today’s summary from Old Moor…

As I’ve already mentioned Bolton Ings, John Seeviour reported: three mute swan…

Though the morning was dry, this afternoon was so damp animals started to pair up! - Still that’s what hides and good boots are for. Here is today’s summary of birds seen at Old Moor…

News from elsewhere in the valley starts with a report from David Bamforth at Broomhill Flash. He recorded: three black-tailed godwit; a jack snipe; one dunlin and twenty-six shoveler. Thanks David.

Alan Stonier provided…

Hi Folks! Here’s the summary of birds seen today at Old Moor…

At Adwick Washland today, Nigel Smith reported: 7 grey heron, 1 little egret, 95 greylag goose, 190 Canada goose, 1 bean goose, 5 pink-footed goose (plus another 26 west), 15 mallard, 35 teal, 8 gadwall, 244 wigeon, 4 shelduck, 3 coot, 3 lapwing, 10 snipe and 2 buzzard. Thanks Nigel.

At Broomhill Flash, three white-fronted geese were reported…

Morning everybody, let's hope that this mist lifts before long today but in the meantime, I have a lovely read for you. It's from Freddie and it's the latest instalment of our fabulous WEX blog. 

Thanks very much Freddie & over to him... :) 

WEX BLOG

This time at WEX we did all about environmental issues and recycling. Firstly I got a big piece of brown paper and I drew different animal and bird tracks…

Hello there, it's time for those sightings once again. The Dearne Valley today has been full of fog and then mist. By the time I got there this afternoon it was misty,and a big improvement on this morning I was told!

I thought of it as 'atmospheric'...

Here's the sightings summary from Old Moor with the addition of the Tundra Bean Goose at Wombwell today. Clicking on the image will give a much better view…

Is there anything finer than coming in to the warm on a cold and wet day, after being out seeing some incredible birds? Luckily in the Dearne Valley today, you could do both!

Here’s the summary from Old Moor…

In among the yellowing leaves of Old Moor’s Bird Garden, a grey wagtail has now become a regular sight. Cyril Turner managed to catch him mid-strut. Thanks Cyril.

Grey wagtail on a better day…