A great few days at the reserve with 2 Red Crested Pochard seen on bank holiday Monday, this is a rarity for the reserve as they are usually seen in Southern and Eastern England.
The nice weather has brought out a number of raptors including Hobby, Red Kite, Buzzard, a Peregrine and I had a rare wildlife moment when I saw a Sparrowhawk take a dive for the bird feeders outside the visitor centre- I think they all managed to escape!!
From Pickup hide our visitors have reported Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, Ruff, Jay, Dunlin, 2 Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Flycatcher, Water Rail, Female Whitethroat, Male Blackcap and Ringed Plover. Kingfishers are seen daily from Pickup hide aswell as the Kingfisher screen.
From Lin Dike we've had sightings of Little Egret, Curlew, Snipe, a Female Stonechat and 2 Buzzard.
On the flashes over the past couple of days we've had 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Ruff, Hobby, Dunlin, Greenshank, 5 Buzzard, Black Tailed Godwit, a Yellow Wagtail and 2 Redstart at the back of Phalarope Pool.
Around and about the visitor centre we've seen Great Spotted Woodpecker, 12 Swallows flying over, loads of garden birds including Bullfinch, Robin, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Willow Tit and Tree Sparrow. There are also lots of baby birds flitting around in the trees and coming to the feeders.
A Fox has been seen on a regular basis from Pickup hide, which has been a a treat for those sat in the hide watching. Also around basking in the sun are lots of butterflies and dragonflies including Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Emerald Dragonfly and Common Darter.
The Wildflower meadows are blooming into colour at the side of the visitor centre with flowers such as Chicory, Viper's Bugloss, Wild Carrot and Lady's Bedstraw.
If you'd like to know more about birds and wildlife then come along to a special guided walk with the Fairburn Ings advisory group this Sunday 11am-1pm!