There are times when Nature makes my job easy and this was one such day.
Today the Dearne Valley was brimming with wildlife sightings and many of them very exciting indeed. I’ll start with the unexpected - an osprey flew over Old Moor at 17:47 and at first headed towards Broomhill Flash. It then turned south towards Wentworth and was lost to view around 18:20.
I don’t think anyone had predicted that one.
Next up, at least eight bitterns were seen around the reserve today. This included the three females that visitors have seen over the last few weeks, undertaking feeding flights, but also five juveniles. This figure probably doesn’t include any of the male birds on site who take no part in the rearing of bittern chicks.
Whilst this is a very exciting headline, hold those horses because ‘five juveniles’ is almost certainly not the final figure for 2018. The three nests on site are at different stages of development so just what this year’s final total of young bitterns will be, is still to be determined.
Still, not a bad start eh?
Not an archive shot but a female bittern photographed today from the Bittern Hide at 13:17
Time to take a breather from Old Moor for a moment and turn to Bolton Ings. Here John Seeviour reported: one mute swan, two little grebe, four great crested grebe and two young, five gadwall, eleven mallard and seven young, sixteen tufted duck, ten pochard and six young, two cormorant, one grey heron, one little egret, five chiffchaff, five willow warbler, five blackcap, two whitethroat, two common gull, three herring gull, one lesser black-backed gull, two song thrush and a jay. Thanks John.
At Edderthorpe – thanks to Graham Speight - there was an early returning green sandpiper, a ringed plover, one dunlin and ten little egret.
At the other end of the valley, at Adwick Washland, Gary Stones reported: three little egret, twenty avocet, twenty redshank and two young, three ringed plover, one oystercatcher, one pochard with four young, one male teal, a sparrowhawk, one yellow wagtail, one yellowhammer, two lesser whitethroat, three common whitethroat, two reed warbler and two sedge warbler. Thanks Gary.
An adult oystercatcher and chick on the Field Pool this afternoon
Right, back to Old Moor’s sightings. Now, I want you to brace yourselves for this next one. After months of not having one to report, in the Bird Garden at Old Moor today was a willow tit! Not that I’ve been worried you understand…
If you’ve read this far, you don’t really need me to tell you what was seen from the Bittern Hide. Yet, as well as those bittern, there were two oystercatcher, a pair of great crested grebe with three young and three or so reed bunting.
On the Field Pool, things were a bit unusual too. Here today were: seventeen teal (fourteen drakes), one garganey, a wigeon, three little egret, one grey heron, four oystercatcher (two adults and two young), one redshank, one little grebe and a pied wagtail as well as black-headed gull, shoveler, Canada geese, coot and moorhen.
A shelduckling on the Wader Scrape today
On the Mere, there was one Mediterranean gull with two chicks but on the Wader Scrape another ringed Med. gull spent most of the afternoon trying to sleep.
There were also eight herring gull on the Mere along with twenty-two lesser black-backed gull, two great crested grebe, one brood of six pochard chicks, tufted duck, pochard, gadwall, mallard, sand martin, swift, moorhen, coot and a pair of mute swan with six young.
The ‘Wader Scrape Med. gull’ this afternoon.
I’ve already mentioned the second Med. gull on the Wader Scrape (pictured above) but there were also: two ringed plover, two shelduck with eight young, one redshank, one oystercatcher, four common tern and a male teal as well as lapwing and a few black-headed gull.
Finally to Wath Ings where this afternoon there were: two cormorant, 117 greylag geese, one great crested grebe, thirteen mute swan, two oystercatcher and a singing reed warbler along with mallard and gadwall.
Often heard, seldom seen – a reed warbler in fine voice at Wath Ings today
Right, well I don’t know about you, but that’s a lot to digest from one day so I shall sign off with a timely plaudit from one of our younger visitors today who simply wrote in the margin of the sightings book, “This place is amazing!”
Who could disagree? Until next time.