Watchers rubbed their eyes this morning - but it was too early for a mirage. Sure enough, at 09:59 today an osprey circled high above Old Moor’s Mere.
Here’s a summary of what else was seen at Old Moor today…
Sadly, the osprey did not hang around and may not have been spotted but for the fact that the gulls on the Mere shot off towards it.
And talking of gulls, whilst watchers in Sheffield try to pick up that Audouin’s gull, at Old Moor there are regular sightings of three uncommon members of the gull family. For starters, today there were six Mediterranean gulls on the Mere (two adults, three juveniles and one second summer bird).
With them, were a first summer yellow-legged gull and a first summer Caspian gull. The latter is a particularly imposing bird with long legs, a fearsome bill and an elongated head. Once seen, it’s hard to ignore. Look for both it and the yellow-legged gull on the Mere, in among the many lesser black-back and herring gulls that call this area home at present.
A Caspian gull between two lesser black-backs
From the Bittern Hide today there were (of course) sightings of bittern with one bird landing extremely close to the hide this afternoon! There was also a little grebe feeding its chick, two great crested grebe and two juveniles, one snipe, a marsh harrier, three reed warbler, one common tern and a grey heron seen here today.
Nearby, behind the ‘Wildlife Pond Pylon’ those juvenile kestrel could be seen sunning themselves on the roof of their nest box.
A great crested grebe feeding its demanding offspring in front of the Bittern Hide today
From the Family Hide, as well as the gulls mentioned above, watchers saw: one buzzard, two common sandpiper and two little egret.
Another egret could be found on the Field Pool along with two oystercatcher and three wigeon.
Two common tern occasionally made an appearance on the Wader Scrape along with a little ringed plover and two shelduck with their five young.
A common sandpiper on the Mere this afternoon
Meanwhile on Wath Ings, along with the sedge warbler and the cormorant, keen-eyed watchers could see glimpses of this year’s barn owl chicks as they ventured out of the owl box there.
In fact, tot up all today’s sightings and I can tell you that there were over sixty species of bird seen around the reserve today. Not a bad haul at all!
Until next time.