Evening folks! Here is the summary of birds seen at (or very near) Old Moor today…
It was great to see so many families and so many children around Old Moor today. The sun shone and there was – as ever – plenty to see (and hear).
There were at least two common and five green sandpipers around the reserve today. The latter seemed to be especially vocal. In fact, those high-pitched, piping calls are one of my favourite sounds of this part of the year. Listen out for them if you are at Wath Ings.
Two of the five green sandpiper today
Four little ringed plover were present on the Mere today. Best viewed from the Wader Scrape hide, these tiny birds fed around the eastern shores of the mere, well – when they weren’t being chased around by lapwing determined to be rid of them!
A young, little ringed plover on the Mere this afternoon
Some lucky visitors managed to see a bittern on the Field Pool today. I have no further details but with the number of bitterns on site in double figures, now is good time to see the odd bird as it flies from reedbed to reedbed.
Yet for sheer drama, it was hard to beat the spectacle that many visitors saw at Wath Ings. There a marsh harrier hunted down a gull and then proceeded to eat its catch on the shores of the main marsh.
Every now and again, the harrier would leave the catch and take a few steps down to the water’s edge to take a drink. Even then it would keep half an eye open for magpies, jackdaws or crows that might want to muscle in on its kill.
Marsh harrier astride what was left of its dinner!
After all that, maybe it’s time for a joke. And, with today being Yorkshire Day, I thought I’d sign-off with my favourite Yorkshire bird joke (admittedly, not a huge range of 'em). I’ll warn you now, this only works in a Yorkshire accent and I’m a southerner but I’ll try my best… er-hum…
Q: What’s Yorkshire’s smallest bird?
A: A hay-finch
Geddit? No? – Must be the way I tell ‘em!
Until next time.