The recent sightings book in the visitor centre is full of wonderful sightings, but alas, I have already written about many of the new and exciting arrivals! So, I thought it was probably about time we took a moment to appreciate some of the more common birds that are in the book on a regular basis.
Treecreepers are a little mouse-like in appearance and are never still, constantly moving up trees in search of food. They never move downwards and once they get too high up one tree they fly down to the base of another before beginning the process again. They're fascinating little birds that can be seen all year round across the reserve.
Goldcrest, Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)
At the moment Goldcrests are seen almost daily filling up on small insects, although they will eat small seeds, keep an eye out for them along the Riverbank Trail and Cut Lane. Goldcrests, and their rarer cousin firecrests, are the UK’s smallest bird and they have a voice to match! The call and song are both thin, high pitched sounds and are among the first bird songs to become inaudible as we age and our hearing in the higher register goes. Get out and listen to them while you can!
Long-tailed tit, John Bridges (rspb-images.com)
Lovely long-tailed tits are everywhere it seems, wherever I turn a flock appears and flits between the trees. Unmistakable for their long tails, which account for an incredible 9cm of their 14cm bodies, these tiny pink and black balls of fur are always a beautiful flurry of activity.
Barn owl, John Bridges (rspb-images.com)
Finally, I’ve snuck in an really exciting sighting...I won’t tell anyone if you don’t. On Tuesday evening a barn owl was seen flying near The Moat. After a particularly difficult year last year with all the wet weather, it’s great to have a sighting so close!
As always, keep letting us know what you’ve seen out on the reserve.