RSPB St Aidans is where today’s blog begins. Shortly after arriving I was greeted with the loud hum of grasshoppers which, along with an abundance of other insect species, are clearly thriving within the long grass and wildflower meadows. My ears were then drawn to the sounds of the sky as I heard the distinct chirp of a Kestrel before it flew over my head and perched on top of a standing log within the pastures. I stopped to observe it then fly over the hillside and begin to hover, its eyes locked onto its next victim. Finally, it made its move and dropped out of the sky, disappearing into the grass before again emerging with what looked like a vole clutched in its talons. Not long later, several recently fledged Kestrel chicks also took to the skies and treated me to a wonderful aerobatic display as they dive-bombed one another.
Happy to have already seen so much despite only just arriving, I continued down the hill to then turn right down the path between the pastures and ridge & furrow. I often make the mistake of restricting my focus to the distant fields, trees, and the sky above as I scan the landscape for mammals and birds, ignorant to the tremendous amount of insect diversity by my feet. Once my eyes had been opened to this new world, I couldn’t stop noticing new species which I admittedly couldn’t yet identify. There was an abundance of butterflies and bumblebees busy pollinating the flowers along the path while large dragonflies bolted through the air, too fast to capture a photo. In particular, I managed to observe a great deal of gatekeeper and meadow brown butterflies. Once I reached Fleakingley reservoir, I managed to photograph a beautiful reed warbler as it was perched in a perfect position before it darted further into the reedbeds.
I continued walking until I reached Astley lake where I sat on the bench overlooking lapwings, gulls, geese, and plenty of ducks. To my surprise, a Bittern then flew straight past me and into the reeds making it my first ever bittern sighting! In the excitement and suddenness of its appearance, I missed an inflight photo however I managed to capture a picture of it sat in the reedbeds before it disappeared as quickly as it arrived. It’s not perfect but its proof! Whilst walking along the path through the reedbeds, I managed to also see a grey heron and a little egret which are both also part of the heron family. After leaving the reedbeds, I made my way to the causeway where I was approached by several mute swans who looked as if they were still deciding on whether I should be granted entry or not. There was also a stunning looking great crested grebe on main lake which kept diving into the water every few minutes keeping me on my toes trying to capture a photo! These elegant birds are rather common nowadays however they were once almost wiped out due to being persecuted for their beautiful feathers. I decided to turn around and instead head towards the ridge and furrow (not because I was fended off by the swans – I promise!) where I hoped to see the newly introduced Carneddau pony herd.
While walking, I managed to see a gaggle of greylag geese as well as some swan cygnets splashing about in the water and bathing. Swans have a gland at the base of their tail that produces an oil which they’ll then spread throughout their feathers to keep them waterproof. This involves a great deal of wriggling and splashing about! It didn’t take long until I could see the majestic herd of ponies grazing in the distance. They were all happily galloping around and displaying some really impressive wild behaviours as they lifted their hooves into the air, almost tackling one another. These ponies make a wonderful addition to the site, adding a bit of drama to the landscape. One of their purposes it to naturally maintain the grassland in hope to further improve the habitat for wildlife as well as enhance the flood management taking place here. I enjoyed watching the ponies for quite a while, captivated by how their presence has completely changed the ecosystem and almost acted as an insight into how our countryside once looked when large mammals roamed our land.
Satisfied with my time here at RSPB St Aidans, I made my way back up towards the dragline (AKA my map) and into the little owl café to enjoy some well-deserved lunch after such a long walk. I enjoyed a tasty toastie, a refreshing can of Coca-Cola, as well as a chunky slice of cake to finish off while making the most of the picturesque view from my seat. Before I left, I made sure to have a look in the visitor centre sightings book to see what else has been seen this month.
Here is a list of what has been out and about at RSPB St Aidans this July:
With it already being early afternoon, I wasted no time after arriving at RSPB Fairburn Ings and headed straight down the discovery trail and to the first hide of the day. There wasn’t too much activity besides a moorhen and a red kite soaring through the sky above. With red kites being a fairly common sight nowadays, I like many others have just become accustomed to seeing these impressive birds. For as long as I can remember, red kites have dominated the sky and had caught my young self’s interest on many occasions. I remember in particular getting constantly distracted by the kites soaring past my school assembly hall tall windows, although my teachers probably didn’t appreciate this fascination at the time. Having grown up with their abundant population though, I have to admit that I’ve become so used to their presence that I sometimes forget how remarkable they are. These gorgeous birds were saved from a national extinction by one of the world’s longest running protection programmes and now have a UK breeding population of approximately 4,400 pairs. So the next time you see that distinctive forked tail in the distance above your head, don’t forgot how lucky we are to still have them in our skies.
I continued down towards the bird feeding station where I made a quick stop and saw a robin, several great tits, and a wood pigeon. I then made my way towards the kingfisher viewpoint where I stopped for around half an hour however my luck seemed to have run out for the day as I didn’t manage to see one of these elusive but attractive birds.
As I passed ‘big hole’, I saw plenty of gulls as well as some corvids before I made my way down the riverbank trail. Eventually making it to ‘bob dickens hide’, I had a great view over main bay where I saw countless species including great crested grebes, pochards and tufted ducks. As well as providing excellent views, this hide also has a story to tell with it being named after one of the volunteers who made the site a nature reserve. There are a row of signs along the top of the hide explaining the fascinating history of RSPB Fairburn Ings.
I decided to then head back towards the visitor centre, happy with how the day had unfolded. Just like at RSPB St Aidan's, I checked the sightings book to see what other people have seen around RSPB Fairburn Ings throughout the duration of July:
Don't forget to tag us in your photos and videos on Twitter and facebook, and to pop into the little owl cafe or visitor centre to tell us what you've seen!
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Writing and photos: Reece Smith, social media volunteer