Hello there, it’s blog time again. I don’t have the sightings from the book at Old Moor today, but I do have sightings from both Adwick and Bolton via Twitter. Both are great places to visit and easily includable in a visit if indeed you are thinking of visiting Old Moor this weekend.
I’m quite sure however that there will have been sightings of bitterns around the reserve. If you have never seen one, then now is the best time. The Bittern Bus Stop, the Bittern Hide, the Family Hide and the Wader Scrape are probably your best bet for trying to spot one, probably in flight. Bitterns have also seen flying from the hide at Wath Ings.
So if you are thinking you might visit and have never been, then what else might you see? Our wild flowers are glorious, especially the meadow to the left of the Bittern Bus Stop – it’s the meadow next to the reedbed path which is currently closed to visitors.
If the sun is out then we have many recently emerged damselflies and dragonflies, butterfly sightings are good on a sunny day all around the reserve. We have shelducks with chicks, lots of noisy black headed gulls which can be entertaining to watch and also quite a spectacular sight and sound when they all take to the air ‘screaming.’ This is usually because of either a lesser black backed gull or a bird of prey trying to catch one of their chicks.
We have 2 med gulls with 2 chicks – you can see these from the Family Hide…you ask somebody where they are and I’m sure you will soon find them.
There are many singing reed warblers and sedge warblers around Old Moor. Sedge warblers in particular can be heard and seen from the hide at Wath Ings. The Bittern Hide might give you sightings of great crested and also little grebes with stripey chicks and there is always a chance of a kingfisher sighting from here. You might get a glimpse of a common tern or a little egret or even, as last weekend, a bearded tit!
Our café is great and does a selection of hot meals and sandwiches as well as a fab cuppa and full breakfast.
From last year around this time, a juvenile robin seen in the Tree Sparrow Farm.
So to the sightings that I do have. First from John Seeviour who was at Bolton Ings today (just down the path on the TPT – ask in the Visitor Centre for directions).
John saw the following – 2 mute swans with 8 young, 3 adult great crested grebes with 2 young, 7 mallards with 4 young, 5 gadwall, 22 tufted ducks, 6 pochard which included 1 female, a cormorant, a common gull, 2 lesser black backed gulls, 1 oystercatcher, 49 coot which had 26 young, 4 chiffchaff, 6 willow warbler, 6 blackcap, 2 whitethroat, a sedge warbler, a green woodpecker, 3 linnets, 3 male reed bunting and a bullfinch.
Definitely worth a walk down the TPT to Bolton I think!
Thank you John.
Also from last year around this time, a male linnet seen near the Field Pool East Hide.
Nigel Smith was at Adwick Washland this morning . He gave us the following sightings – 2 reed warbler, 1 sedge warbler, 1 lesser whitethroat, 4 whitethroat, 2 blackcap, 2 willow warbler, 1 chiffchaff, 5 little egret, 1 garganey, 4 drake teal, 17 shovelor with many young, 2 gadwall with 17 young, a pochard with 4 young, 22 avocet, 3 ringed plover, 20+ redshank, 1 water rail, 2 kestrel and a sparrowhawk. Thank you Nigel!
Again, definitely worth including Adwick to your visit this weekend. Just ask for directions in the Visitor Centre is you don’t know how to get there and you would like to.
That's it so have a great weekend. :)