It’s been a little while since our last sightings report so we plenty to tell you about. A pair of Egyptian geese paid us a brief visit on the 18^th but haven’t been seen since. A pair of smew have been seen most days but can give observers the run around as they flit from one end of the reserve to the other.

A pair of tawny owls have been roosting along the Riverbank Trail and have been providing great views…

What goes on behind the scenes at Fairburn? There is a busy team of staff and volunteers who dedicate their time to keeping the reserve an incredible place for birds and wildlife.

Karen is the assistant warden at Fairburn and here is a little about the work she does.

 How long have you been here?

“I volunteered here for six months back in 2007 and joined the staff team in 2008.”

 What does a typical work…

That red-headed smew is still causing havoc, especially now she has a partner in crime. The drake was first seen on Sunday 8^th and since then the trixy pair have been up and down the reserve. They have been switching between Main Bay and Village bay a few times a day, with occasional jaunts down to the Cut and Lin Dike.

Male and female smew, Mike Langman (rspb-images.com)

The other big excitement this week has been…

That red-headed smew has been giving us quite the run around the past couple of weeks. Each time someone asks where it is we have to run and check the book because it switches between Lin Dike and Village Bay every other day it seems. It has been most recently seen on Village Bay, so if you’re heading down at the weekend that’s the probably the first port of call.

Water rail have also been popping up all…