OLD MOOR SPOTLIGHT 2025-04-19

OLD MOOR SPOTLIGHT 2025-04-19

Old Moor’s Star Birds have been doing what we expect them to do at this time of year. The BITTERNS have still been booming although less frequently than a few weeks ago. They have also been seen a few times this week in flight. Look for that to increase over the next month as they (hopefully) need to fly more to find food for their newly hatched chicks. Our MARSH HARRIERS are paired up and mating. They have been seen every day, hunting and generally interacting together in the Harrier version of ‘hot dates’. And the BEARDED REEDLINGS (formerly known as BEARDED TITS) are secreted away in the depths of the reed beds, doing whatever they need to do to make their own eggs. They occasionally pop up in front of startled guests in the Bittern Hide, but we advise people to travel down there in hope rather than expectation. We’ve seen a pair of DUNLIN on the reserve too along with the rather shocking sight of visitors hand-feeding a RING-NECKED PARAKEET. I suspect this last bird was an escapee.

The real surprises have come from Wombwell Ings, just a little way down the Valley. There have been some beautiful birds seen down there including….   WHOOPER SWAN, AVOCET, COMMON SANDPIPER, LITTLE RINGED PLOVER, SANDMARTIN, SWALLOW, LITTLE OWL, YELLOW WAGTAIL, YELLOWHAMMER, GREY WAGTAIL, SPARROWHAWK and WHEATEAR. 

I’ll finish, as usual, with a few highlights from our EVENTS calendar. 

Continuing until 22 April - Dinosaur Egg Hunt.

April 29 - Dawn Chorus Walk with our Head Warden Dave.

May 1 - Bittern Breakfast with Site Manager Emma.

July 5 - ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, theatre on the lawn. It’s Shakespear as you’ve never seen it before.

To see the complete list, click the link below. 

https://events.rspb.org.uk/oldmoor