Sometimes the rewards of this job are self-evident. Take today for example, I was wandering Adwick Washland and fell into conversation with a visitor who said,
“I’ve never been here before, but I’d read about it being good so thought I’d try it.”
And was ever the right day to ‘try it’!
Near ‘the mound’ at the back of reserve was the place to see what Pete Walsh later described as ‘the great chat show’ (wish I’d thought of that one Pete!). Here, inside the fence near the wooden stumps, were at least six wheatear along with a dapper male whinchat.
Whinchat near 'the mound' this morning at Adwick
Amongst the fifty or so species at the remarkable Adwick Washland today, there were sightings of: twenty-five avocet, the aforementioned whinchat, six (or more) wheatear, two whitethroat, skylark, meadow pipit, three pink-footed geese, oystercatcher, green woodpecker, lesser whitethroat, water rail, reed warbler, willow warbler, one black-tailed godwit, two ringed plover, a pair of garganey, one little egret, four grey partridge, two common sandpiper and a cuckoo.
A wheatear at Adwick showing how it got its name!
This morning at Broomhill Flash there were: one cormorant, eight buzzard, nine pochard, two lesser black-backed gull, one herring gull, two shelduck, one dunlin, two mute swan, one red-legged partridge and a hobby that flew west at 08:25.
On Wombwell Ings were: four mute swan, twenty-four tufted duck, one blackcap, two wheatear, one Mediterranean gull, one redshank, one common sandpiper, one pink-footed goose, two swift, one great crested grebe, one grey heron and one little egret. There were also plenty of skylark, at least one pied wagtail and a greenshank on the ‘far side, opposite the hide’.
Close up views could be had of a black-tailed godwit at Adwick today
All of which takes us to Old Moor itself. In the Bird Garden and Tree Sparrow Farm there were good numbers of bullfinch and at least one male yellowhammer along with tree sparrow, long-tailed tit, greenfinch, great tit, blue tit, robin, dunnock, stock dove and mallard.
From the Reedbed Trail came the sound of a male bittern booming with another being picked up calling simultaneously at Bolton Ings. Also a hobby was seen flying between both places early this morning.
Near the Family Hide were: four pochard and two reed warbler. On the Mere were: seven lesser black-backed gull, one herring gull, two Mediterranean gull, one great crested grebe, one common sandpiper, one buzzard, one green sandpiper and four oystercatcher along with swallow, house martin, sand martin, tufted duck, Canada geese and greylag.
An avocet against a darkening sky
On the Field Pool today were reports of: three pink-footed geese and two more oystercatcher along with pochard, shoveler, gadwall, little grebe, mute swan, mallard, lapwing and wren.
The Wader Scrape provided views of two shelduck, a common tern a peregrine and a brown hare. Overhead swift were feeding in amongst the martins.
On Wath Ings watchers saw one redshank, one kestrel, two swallow and five sand martin. Nearby, on Green Lane, linnet were singing together with bullfinch, blackbird, willow warbler and dunnock.
I’ll finish up tonight with a final image from Adwick this afternoon. On the pool to the right of the path that leads to the central ‘hide’, the pair of garganey were feeding. Well, that was until they decided to head to the west of the reserve.
Until next time
The pair of garganey at Adwick this afternoon