Cupid will be hard at work this weekend and since 'tis the season, several of the staff here on the reserve have decided to share just what it is about Fairburn they love so much. Here is our Assistant Warden, Karen:
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I was going to write this blog about springtime at the Ings – I just love watching the reserve bursting back into life after the monochrome dormancy of winter. However, with a little more thought I’ve come to the conclusion that’s it’s not particularly spring I love at Fairburn Ings, it’s how the reserve changes through the seasons.
Snowdrops, taken by Karen
As winter comes to an end I love seeing the snowdrops appearing in their familiar spots around the reserve, and the hedges flushing with colour. It’s amazing to go out on a sunny spring morning and hear the birds singing again – I suddenly realise how much I’ve been missing listening them, and it’s great fun trying to stir your ears back into recognising who they all are.
But spring doesn’t last for long, and before you know it the Flag Iris’s are turning the view from Pickup Hide a beautiful yellow colour, the Coal Tips Trail is awash with Ox-eye Daisies, and the Discovery Trail is dancing cheerfully with butterflies and dragonflies.
Ox-eye daisies, taken by Karen
At some point summer blurs into autumn; I suddenly spot the spindle at the top of Redshale Road is covered in the most beautiful pink and orange berries, the Guelder Rose and Dogwood in the hedges near the Visitor Centre are beautiful shades of red, and there are fairytale-esque Fly Agaric toadstools popping up alongside the Riverbank Trail.
Which brings us to winter and the delight of being out on the Ings on cold, crisp days. The bare, twiggy trees and hedges become punctuated by splashes of colour as you catch sight of bullfinches and chattering parties of long-tailed tits methodically working their way through the hedgerows. Winter thrushes, waxwings, siskin, holly berries – I love winter walks at Fairburn!
Holly, taken by Karen
For me, the changing seasons don’t just shape the landscape at Fairburn, they mean my job as a warden is always changing; from survey work in the spring to scrub clearance in the winter, it’s great having a job that varies so much.
It’s been a strange winter this year; spring seems to have sprung early and I’m already watching the tree sparrows around the Visitor Centre collecting feathers for nesting. The ‘peckers are drumming, the bittern’s booming, and I’m looking out for my first butterfly of the year. How exciting!