Did someone reset the calendar? It was pretty much the perfect summer’s day in the Dearne Valley today, one of brilliant sunshine and temperatures around twenty-one degrees. Like everyone else I met, I had to keep reminding myself that this was mid-October and mid-autumn - not midsummer!
Old Moor’s Early Birders, perhaps inspired by the summery day ahead, were in fine form this morning. They found: one curlew sandpiper, a spotted redshank, six Cetti’s warblers, seven bearded tit, a stonechat and a rock pipit.
Kestrel on Green Lane
At Edderthorpe, John Clarkson provided the details there. He saw: forty-seven wigeon, 221 golden plover, ten dunlin, seven ruff, a pintail and a goosander. Thanks John!
On Manvers Lake today were thirty-two tufted duck, one grey heron and twelve great crested grebe.
Meanwhile, in Old Moor’s Bird Garden, the finches (green, chaff, gold and bull) were joined by collared dove, blue tit, great tit, wren, coal tit, magpie and a great spotted woodpecker.
‘Time for Take Off’ from John Wyles. Thanks John!
On my visit to Old Moor today, I headed straight for the reedbeds, keen to see the new view in front of the Reedbed Screen. In case you haven’t been that way recently, a day’s worth of digger action has cleared the channel of all the overgrowth. Now the reed edge is visible along with a muddy bank and channel of water. Top work and perfect for views of water rail, bittern, kingfisher and whatever else turns up!
In the Reedbeds today were: blue tit, Cetti’s, coot, moorhen, great tit, gadwall, wigeon, kestrel, sparrowhawk, mute swan, reed bunting, shoveler, four snipe, teal and kingfisher.
A wigeon on the Reedbed Trail
Next, to the Tree Sparrow Farm. Here, the atmosphere in the late morning was tense. Watchers pointed me towards a dark shape in the trees. I peered into the gloom and could barely see an outline then jumped as two eerie, amber headlamp-eyes turned to meet mine.
While the other watchers waited for the sparrowhawk to reveal himself, my attention was drawn by the sound of tapping. Yes, there at the very far end of the farm was a determined great spotted woodpecker!
Most visitors will have seen that the nest boxes around this area have small metal plates over the entrance holes. However, some do not and it was these that the woodpecker was attacking. Did I say nest boxes? To a woodpecker at this time of year these are ‘woodpecker feeders.’ Devoid of young birds, by now they contain all sorts of insect life that, to a woodpecker at least, is a conveniently packaged meal.
Woodpecker on her feeder
The sparrowhawk gave up trying to hide himself and flew to the roof of the hide then the whole length of the Farm, past the woodpecker and away towards Field Pool West. The woodpecker barely paused in her drumming and carried on opening her packed luck.
Sparrowhawk by Martin Dodd. Thanks Martin!
I have few sightings from either Mere or Wader Scrape today though one note was made in the sightings book. Two watchers saw two swallows here today which, given the weather and the amount of flying insects, does not look as odd as it should.
All the remaining sightings came from Wath Ings. Here today were: spotted redshank, curlew sandpiper, four green sandpiper, three ringed plover, five ruff, two stonechat and fifty-four lapwing. There were also three grey heron, two little egret, a kingfisher, a kestrel and a green woodpecker along with linnet, pied wagtail and long-tailed tit.
Sadly, that’s all I have for this evening. I shall leave you with one last image from the day. This one has always been a bit of a rarity at Old Moor but not, it seems, at the moment.
Until next time.
A cheery coal tit.