March saw the arrival of more of our spring and summer migrants. This included some of our star species, such as the Spoonbill at RSPB Fairburn Ings as well as Black-headed Gulls and Black-necked Grebe at RSPB St Aidan’s. We also have had a few birds that have been migrating through, including some Common Crane, Common Scoter and an Osprey.
The Spoonbill that nest at Fairburn Ings were the first to nest in Yorkshire for 400 years! While they do regularly nest at Fairburn Ings, they are still a very rare bird to see in the UK and so are listed as a Schedule 1 bird on the Wildlife and Countryside Act. They arrive at RSPB Fairburn Ings after wintering in Southern and Western Europe and will stay in the area until they migrate again in the early autumn. Another rare breeder in the UK are Cattle Egret and RSPB Fairburn Ings has welcomed 5 birds which are now in their breeding plumage.
The Black-headed Gulls form one of the largest inland colonies of Black-headed Gulls in the UK and can be heard over most of RSPB St Aidan’s Nature Park. While the gulls are common across the UK they are one of our star species both because of their numbers but also because they are used by many other species as an early alarm and give protection to them. Black-headed Gulls will mob any large bird or predator in the area and their numbers mean that they’re usually the first to notice. Therefore, this gives a layer of protection to the rarer species on site, which is what attracts the Black-necked Grebe to the area.
Across the UK there were 54 breeding pairs of Black-necked Grebe in 2023 and 18 of them were at RSPB St Aidan’s with 12 chicks successfully fledging! By the end of March this year 34 of the grebes had been recorded and hopefully the numbers will continue to increase throughout April. Every Friday in April the RSPB St Aidan’s Warden team will be running Specialised Black-necked Grebe Experiences, where they will lead groups to try and spot some of the rare birds as well as talk them through how we survey them and what we do on the Nature Park to provide the correct habitat for them and answer questions. You can find out more here: https://events.rspb.org.uk/browse?filter[schedule]=3819
The top 10 birds spotted at RSPB Fairburn Ings in March
The top 10 birds spotted at RSPB St Aidan’s in March
What's been your favourite sighting this month? Don't forget to share your sightings with us either in the sightings book at both our reserves or on social media!
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Written by: Peggy Cook
Images: Peggy Cook, Karen Speight