This spring isn’t half blowing hot and cold. And today in the Dearne Valley it was the latter, with chilly north easterly winds cooling things down for much of the day.
Not that this slowed the pace of the spring activities around the reserves. In fact for some newly arrived migrants, it was a chance to show off their superb aerial skills. From Old Moor’s Wath Ings Hide first thing this morning, visitors were able to watch a mixed flock of fifty or sixty swallow and house martin hawking for insects around the willows.
The sight was not only mesmerising but almost impossible to follow as bird after bird chased, turned and swooped inches above the willow pool.
Three swallows taking advantage of the feast of insects disturbed by the winds
The first news this morning came from the Mere at Old Moor where a little gull was spotted along with two bittern heard booming at either end of the reedbeds.
On Broomhill Flash there were: four mute swan, one barn owl, two oystercatcher, eight pochard (seven drakes), two herring gull, three buzzard, one peregrine, two kestrel, three lesser black-backed gull and a sparrowhawk. Later, a little gull was seen here, most probably the same bird from Old Moor earlier.
A little gull feeding at Broomhill today
On Wombwell Ings today were: two great crested grebe, one shelduck, two redshank, one greenshank, one white wagtail, one wood sandpiper, three lesser black-backed gull, two pink-footed geese, two mute swan, one little egret, one grey heron, two teal, one blackcap, two skylark and at least one yellow wagtail.
Wood sandpiper and BHG from Ian Morris.
Over at Bolton Ings, sightings included: three great crested grebe, two little grebe, two black-necked grebe, ten gadwall, seven tufted duck, five pochard, one common gull, four herring gull, six lesser black-backed gull, 518 black-headed gull, eighteen coot with ten young, five chiffchaff, three willow warbler, two blackcap, one sedge warbler and a whitethroat. My thanks to John Seeviour for those numbers.
Meanwhile, back at Old Moor, the day list was coming on nicely with fifty-three species of birds reported today.
Here the headlines were: two bittern booming together with three flights seen in quick succession. Those who saw these deduced that there were two birds flying with one being seen twice.
A barnacle goose was seen among the Canadas today and there were two common sandpiper, three cormorant, two great crested grebe, four oystercatcher, one buzzard, three herring gull, nine lesser black-backed gull, one redshank and five shelduck on or over the Mere and Wader Scrape.
Canada and barnacle from Ian Morris. Thanks Ian.
Also on the Mere, the pair of Mediterranean gull appear to be nesting on Island One.
As well as those hirundines (only just) over Wath Ings, a sedge warbler competed with the wind and was not only vocal today but quite mobile, travelling from one bramble to another in front of the hide in the hope of enticing a mate.
And that’s about it for this evening but, with the winds abating and a much warmer day forecast tomorrow, it'd be well worth an early start.