A day of (mostly) overcast skies and brisk north-westerly winds; yes autumn is finally taking hold. Here’s a summary of the birds seen today at Old Moor…
Autumn’s wilder days are some of the best days for watching wildlife. For us they may not be the warmest or the easiest but then, that’s what the big coat’s for!
Today the winds whipped around the reserve and every now and again the skies above Wath Ings were full of lapwings and golden plover and starlings.
Lapwings in an autumn sky
Perhaps even more miraculous than the plovers, the recent grey phalarope was still there, feeding on the ‘back’ of the main marsh. It’s been eleven days now and this incredibly tough little bird is still spinning and feeding and getting ready to carry on its migration.
Grey phalarope at Wath Ings
I only saw two, but apparently there were five black-tailed godwits counted this evening. These stately waders can be seen feeding from either Wath Ings or Field Pool East hides at the moment.
A black-tailed godwit just at the wrong moment, or the right one. Not sure.
But it’s the golden plovers that draw the eye as their burnished plumage shines against the greys of autumn.
This afternoon these birds were disturbed from their roost by a passing buzzard. As the latter cruised overhead the goldies took flight, wheeling high into the skies. Luckily the local crows had also spotted the buzzard and encouraged it to look elsewhere for a meal.
Crows versus a single buzzard – no contest really
Meanwhile, many of the other birds of the marsh waited for the hubbub to die down. Snipe froze and tilted their heads to check the crows’ progress.
Only when the danger had passed, did the goldies return to the safety of the mudflats.
A few of the 236 golden plovers this afternoon
And throughout it all, that plucky little phalarope spun backwards and forwards, round and round, working up a meal.
Until next time