Honestly, I try not to start with a weather report but - finally, some warmth! Yes, after days of wintery weather, the sun finally came out and made for a very pleasant day’s watching indeed. Well, that and the fact that there were some really cracking birds out there!
It was great to see so many people enjoying Wombwell Ings today. And why not when there were: firecrest, yellow-browed warbler and chiffchaff along with two stonechat, two goosander, meadow pipit, skylark, reed bunting and twenty-nine whooper swans to be enjoyed?
Yellow-browed warbler at Wombwell still…
Very close by, at Broomhill Flash, that unbelievably reliable hawfinch was there once again. Later, after it had been picked up at Old Moor, a Mediterranean gull (probably our ‘usual’ returning ringed adult) was also reported.
At Adwick Washland, Gary Stones found: eight grey partridge, one pink-footed goose, eighty-nine greylag, two shelduck, seven shoveler, three tufted duck, 165 wigeon, seventy-three teal, seventy-five gadwall, three oystercatcher, six snipe, around 100 lapwing and eight common gull. Thanks Gary.
The firecrest from Justin Morey. Thanks Justin.
Meanwhile, at Bolton Ings, John Seeviour recorded: two mute swan, one great crested grebe, one little grebe, six mallard, eight gadwall, ten shoveler, two wigeon, eighteen tufted duck, six pochard, five goldeneye, one grey heron, two male goosander, one white-fronted goose, five common gull, six cormorant, two herring gull, 208 coot, three buzzard, one kestrel, one sparrowhawk, one willow tit and a marsh tit. Thanks John.
Two dunlin on Wath Ings today
All this before even getting to Old Moor itself! Today watchers there could enjoy fifty bird species. The highlights of these for many were: three green sandpiper, five oystercatcher, two dunlin, two snipe, four goosander (one female), one shelduck, one green woodpecker, four herring gull, seven common gull, two lesser black-backed gull, twenty-seven cormorant, one buzzard, two kestrel and the previously mentioned Med. gull that was seen for a while on Wath Ings. My thanks to Ian Morris for those numbers.
Two common gull argue over perching rights on the Mere
My small contribution to the day was to notice just how many nest boxes were being investigated at Old Moor. Tree sparrow, great tit, blue tit and dunnock were all seen taking nesting material into boxes today chiefly around the Tree Sparrow Farm. It seemed that they appreciated the change in the weather too.
Did I mention it was warm?