Winter’s chilly fingers reached across the Dearne Valley this morning and transformed several of its more shallow bodies of water to ice. In fact, much of Wath Ings ‘had a lid on it’ for most of the day which, for most birds, meant they had to go elsewhere to feed.
It was the sort of day that was testing to regular visitors to Old Moor and not just because of the low temperatures. The ice moved species away from the shallows and towards the deeper water. The Mere and reedbed pools were busier than usual and watchers couldn’t necessarily rely on finding birds in their ‘usual’ places.
I’d love to claim that is frost on the back of this blackbird but in fact this female is semi-leucistic (a partial loss of pigment)
There was a welcome return to Old Moor’s Early Birders this morning and the first report of the day was theirs. They found: eight little egret, forty-one cormorant, eight water rail, six bearded tit, three Cetti’s warblers, one chiffchaff, a peregrine and a lone green sandpiper. A brambling was also seen heading south over the reserve at 07:35.
As if that wasn’t enough, the next set of sightings also came from the ‘EB’s and gave details from the Reedbed Trail and a less well known area, Old Moor’s reservoir. Here today were: nine mute swan, three little grebe, seventy-one coot, twelve moorhen, thirty-six mallard, twenty-seven gadwall and 124 wigeon. There were also eight shoveler, two pochard, twenty teal and six tufted duck here today.
Finally, from the wardening team at least, the number of peregrines out there today was raised to two with two drake pintail on the Mere and another brambling in the Tree Sparrow Farm.
A peregrine tucks into a late breakfast on the Reedbed pylon this morning
On Wombwell Ings there was a single adult whooper swan and on ‘Warbler Way’ (the path between Old Moor and Bolton Ings) the recent marsh tit was still there, ‘showing erratically and briefly’ – about 250 meters west of the Bolton Hide. Here were also two Cetti’s warblers and a willow tit (Hooray!).
From Bolton Ings itself, watchers saw: ten mute swan, a pintail drake, sixteen mallard, fifty-four gadwall, thirty-two shoveler, eleven pochard, eleven teal, fifteen tufted duck, seven cormorant, five grey heron, 293 coot, two moorhen, one little grebe, one great crested grebe, three common gull and fifteen black-headed gull.
There were plenty of redwing around today like this one from Roland Rodgerson. Thanks Roland.
In Old Moor’s Bird Garden today were: great spotted woodpecker, wren, chaffinch, moorhen, blackbird, bullfinch, greenfinch, blue tit, great tit and long-tailed tit.
In the Tree Sparrow Farm there were also wren, bullfinch, long-tailed tit, three fieldfare, eight (or more) redwing and a brambling. With these were tree sparrow, blue tit, great tit, goldfinch and greenfinch.
On the Mere, as well as those two pintail, were five common gull, five lesser black-backed gull and eight herring gull. A little egret and a single grey heron could be found here along with one great crested grebe. Despite a fair amount of searching, I could find no trace of the recent goldeneye though I did see a buzzard in the ‘cuckoo tree’ at the back of the Mere.
Sunshine, rosehips and an inquisitive blue tit in the Tree Sparrow Farm today
Green Lane was busy with goldfinch, blue tit, robin and redwing. There was the odd song thrush here too but no peep from the goldcrests. Watchers who ventured into the Field Pool West Hide were rewarded for their trouble with a number of excellent kingfisher sightings.
On Wath Ings this afternoon the ice was still present and a solitary redshank waded (and occasionally skated) its way around the Willow Pool. It was watched by a female sparrowhawk for the best part of the afternoon as she sat on the fence to the rear of the spit. The only other sighting I have from here is of a single ruff.
Of course some birds seem better adapted to a cold snap than others and Old Moor’s robins today began their customary assault on the consciences of passers-by. Whilst many other species will head to the sunniest stretches of water (or the feeders), robins begin to rely more on their good looks and charm.
Their technique is simple and effective – sit in a sunny spot; wait for a human; chirrup and cock head to the side; repeat if necessary and then take your hand out!
Interestingly enough friends in Europe tell me the robins there don’t use this strategy and, by a wonderful coincidence this morning a friend in Estonia posted a short video of himself hand-feeding – of all things – a willow tit! Now that I would like to try.
Until next time.
‘Erm, I’ll have that one’ or ‘Phil fell for it!’