A chilly morning in the Dearne Valley eventually became another gloriously sunny afternoon. As ever, there was plenty going on. Here’s a summary of the birds seen at (and near to) Old Moor…
With the Wader Scrape being rotavated today to improve the supply of invertebrates, many of the birds had relocated to Wath Ings. Mind you, I did notice the juvenile shelduck standing its ground despite Jeff and the tractor.
Down at the Reedbed Hide, two juvenile water rail were seen while at least two, if not three kingfisher divided their time between the reedbeds and Wath Ings.
Wings up, beak down – a little egret hunting this afternoon
From Field Pool West, things were relatively quiet. - Well, as quiet as they can be when flocks of four hundred or so starling are picking over the grasses!
It was a perfect example of the benefits of feeding in a group. The flock of starling landed; birds fed for a few moments; and then a ‘ripple’ of birds toward the back of the flock, fluttered up and over the heads of the ones ahead of them. This was repeated as wave after wave of starlings took up their position at the front of the flock.
Invisible to watchers at that distance, what’s happening is a hunt. As the weight of the flock lands, any insects in its path hop it. This movement attracts the attention of the sharp-eyed starlings at the back who aren’t already feeding and… well, you get the idea.
A wave of starlings leapfrogging around the field pool
From Field Pool East and Wath Ings hides, dunlin, little ringed plover, ringed plover, godwits and snipe could all be found along with the pair of spotted redshank. Wigeon numbers are increasing and today there was a report of golden plover here too. Hopefully the first of many.
Dunlin makes a splash, juvenile LRP unimpressed
And that’s about it for this evening but I’ll finish up with one last picture. Snipe can be found all around the reserve but really close views can be had from Wath Ings hide. Here’s one taking care of that beautifully cryptic plumage.
Until next time.