View from the Shed by Shaun Finnie - INTO THE VALLEY

INTO THE VALLEY

We've done some serious construction and remodelling at our Barnsley RSPB sites recently.

Firstly and most important to me personally, we have a lovely new shed at the entrance to Old Moor. That's where me and the other welcoming volunteers are located. Please come and have a chat next time you're passing. It's good to be able to take refuge from the weather again. It's been a soggy few weeks.

Also at Old Moor we've finally opened the new path overlooking the field pools. Jane Wilkinson wrote about this at length in Jane's Blog Number 5. The path looks great and it's good to have these new views of the reserve available at last. Just make sure you come dressed appropriately as it can be a little exposed out there.

When I talk about my local RSPB site I usually refer to it as 'Old Moor' but if you read some of the RSPB's documentation or other guide books you might find mention of 'the Dearne Valley'. Occasionally you might even see the two terms interchanged as if they were one and the same, just like how people confuse Great Britain and the United Kingdom. I've even been guilty of it myself. Sorry about that. I should know better. Consistency and accuracy are the proofreader's two biggest bugbears.

To clarify then, the main RSPB reserve within the Dearne Valley is indeed Old Moor; that's the big one with its reedbeds, woodland and scrape habitats. Don't forget the other major attractions of this site; the toilets, shop and cafe in our old farm buildings. Did I mention that we have warm, clean toilets behind our legendary Blue Door? These is becoming more of a prerequisite for comfortable birdwatching to me as I get older.

But for the more hardy amongst you (i.e. anyone who doesn't plan their day around caffeine intake and lavatorial outgoings) there are several other RSPB sites around the Dearne Valley. Our sites at Old Moor, Adwick Washlands, Bolton Ings, Gypsy Marsh, Wombwell Ings – along with other nature areas run by other groups – have all contributed to the Site of Special Scientific Interest status (SSSI) awarded to the entire valley last year. It's a great accolade and comes with a degree of environmental protection. That can't be bad.

All of these nature reserves have their own pros and cons but probably the best sightings over recent weeks have come from the recently renovated Wombwell Ings. This small reserve is approximately a mile away from Old Moor. There isn't much in the way of facilities there but it does have a decent viewing hide. Our staff and volunteers have worked hard here over the Autumn and Winter, including installing a perimeter fence to deter predators at the site. Predation has been a real problem over the last few years but hopefully the upcoming breeding season will be much more successful with this new protection in place. If that proves to be the case then you can feel proud that the money you spend on your monthly subscription, purchases from our shop and even coffee and cake has in a very real sense saved these young birds' lives. I know I keep mentioning things like this but it's important that people know where their donations are being spent. So thank you. Your next bun comes guilt-free.

From the Wombwell Ings hide there are great views across the main lagoon and, behind the hide, over Billing Dike to two new Fleet ponds. There have been great views of RINGED PLOVER, GREEN SANDPIPER, STONECHAT, GOLDEN PLOVER and WATER PIPET around the hide over the last week or so. Over on the other side of the reserve there's been a SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF hanging around for weeks too. Bagging that lot wouldn't be too bad for an hour or so's birding. If you're not sure what the Siberian Chiffy looks like, imagine a normal good old British Chiffchaff that's had a big fright. All the colour has drained from his face, and his chest and belly too. The lemon and olive colours that paint our home variety of bird are pretty much missing from the foreign visitor, it's much paler. That's my description anyhow. There's no wonder that I don't write bird guides. Come to think of it, I haven't managed to spot a bird matching my description either.

We include information from Wombwell Ings and our other satellite sites on our sightings board at Old Moor when there's something interesting to report. They're on the side of the shed but the current list of birds seen at Old Moor itself is as follows...