The bright and blustery autumnal conditions continued in the Dearne Valley today which made life a bit difficult for some of the smaller waders. The rough count – sorry, ruff count – was twenty-nine birds today and those twenty-five mph gusts of wind caused them a few problems in particular.
Ruff weigh something like 180g. That’s about the same as a small packet of biscuits (any flavour). They forage for invertebrates on the soft mud at the water’s edge and the trouble is, sometimes this mud is pretty sticky. Of course, ruff have found a way to deal with this. They simply raise their wings and attempt a take-off.
The problem today was that any bird that raised its wings was effectively hoisting a sail!
The wind caught these little sails and, yes, freed the bird from the mud but often pushed it over backwards in the process. Yes, there was quite a bit of ruff and tumble out there today! Watchers around Wath Ings quietly chuckled when a ruff fell over completely or moonwalked against a sudden gust of wind. You had to feel sorry for the poor birds but it was also very funny.
A ruff battles with the wind at Wath Ings
Old Moor’s famous Early Birders seemed to have slept in this morning but Alan Whitehouse, over at Wombwell Ings, didn’t. He recorded: eight-nine Canada geese, one pink-footed goose, forty-two teal, twenty-one shoveler, sixteen wigeon, four gadwall, two grey heron, 318 lapwing, four ruff, three golden plover, a kestrel, seventy-eight black-headed gull and two lesser black-backed gull. Thanks Alan!
A beautiful snipe from Ian Morris. Thanks Ian!
In Old Moor’s Bird Garden today the news was of green, gold, bull and chaff. Finches of course.
On the Mere were two pintail, two black-tailed godwit and a single garganey. Twenty-two cormorant could also be found here today and a kestrel. Later, those godwit relocated to Wath Ings, on the right side of the main marsh.
A jay by the Willow Pool willow
Elsewhere from Wath Ings, watchers found: twenty-nine ruff, five green sandpiper, one greenshank, eleven ringed plover, two snipe, four little egret and eight grey heron. There were also two dunlin, two jay, a cream-crowned marsh harrier, a buzzard, a sparrowhawk and a peregrine falcon seen here today.
Stunning starlings in the sun from Ian Morris. Thanks again Ian!
Today’s oddities were two hybrid geese and an avocet. The avocet flew over the reserve mid-morning. The geese were mingled in with a large group of Canada ones and were markedly smaller and paler than their companions.
Of course, some birds did seem to relish the strong winds today. To finish here’s another view of a peregrine over the main marsh.
Until next time.