Twenty-one degrees Celsius, sunny and with only a light breeze: today felt like summer had returned to the Dearne Valley. Here’s a summary of what was seen at Old Moor and Bolton Ings today…
Amazingly, for the sixth day, the grey phalarope is still on Wath Ings! Although it is mostly keeping its distance and feeding in the far ‘right-hand corner’, most visitors are still able to get good views on this fantastic bird. The very latest news is that it was still there at dusk this evening.
Sadly, there was no news today on the recent spotted crake though the other headline bird, the great white egret, is also still around. The latter seems to be spending its day on Bolton Ings and then coming in to roost at Old Moor. Tonight, thanks to Chris Harris’ tweet (@WathBirder) I know it roosted at 18:46.
Starlings bathing in the September sunshine this afternoon
Also of interest, today’s peak count of golden plover was 168. It was great to see them but also to hear their small, piping calls as they congregated on Wath Ings.
In the Bird Garden, ‘that’ male sparrowhawk once again dominated. Showing no signs of being bothered by conversation or cameras, this bird is a bold one and doesn’t seem to stray far from its food source!
The ‘Tree sparrow farm sparrowhawk’ – needs a better name really. Any suggestions?
On the Field Pool, eighteen wigeon grazed alongside the Canada geese and some lucky visitors had terrific views of another of Old Moor’s star autumn birds! Yes, we are nearing the unofficial peak of kingfisher sightings which seems as good an excuse as any for a last pic…
Until next time