It’s been a busy week down at Fairburn Ings; the reserve is just buzzing with life. The arrival of swifts now, added with the sand martins and swallows that were already here, have really added to the buzz. I stood on the duck feeding platform yesterday and the air was thick with a fog of flitting and fly catching, swooping over the heads of the six avocets dabbling in the shallows. Shelducks paddled in the background as well as a few yellow wagtails gathered in the shrubbery to the left. And it was only five minutes spent down there!
Avocet thanks to Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)
The coots are still entertaining everyone from the pond dipping platform. There are eight chicks altogether, but not all seen at the same time usually. You can hearing them “peeping” to each other from the reeds. Four chicks and both adults were out really close to the platform yesterday with the adults diving down and bringing up food for the chicks – a really magical thing to watch so close up.
Coot thanks to Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)
There are SO MANY blackcaps this year. If you can’t see them amongst the fresh leaves on the trees, you can certainly hear their rich, enthusiastic song. Whitethroat were spotted around big hole, and there was a kestrel spending a lot of time there yesterday. It swooped low and, angled to the sun, the gorgeous sandy red colour was illuminated in the sunshine, and then it hovered in the sky – gorgeous!
Lots of flashes of yellow have been spotted with yellowhammer, yellow wagtail and brimstone butterflies all spotted fluttering around.
Romance and dancing is in the air, with plenty of courting behaviours being seen. The iconic dancing of the great crested grebes has been seen, as well as courting great spotted woodpeckers and robins feeding their partners.
Peacock butterfly thanks to Grahame Madge (rspb-images.com)
It’s not just been birds spotted this week either, mammals have been making an appearance too. Weasels have been spotted a number of times right across the reserve, as well as bank vole appearing in the wildlife garden. Peacock, orange tip and brimstone butterflies have been seen a lot still and we can add speckled wood to the butterfly list too.