The snow may have gone but the birds are still here! I visited RSPB Saltholme on Friday and was amazed to see that when I returned in the evening that the snow had all but melted. It is amazing what a couple of degrees rise in temperature can do! So only having been here for two weeks I was amazed to discover that there is actually grass and earth at Fairburn after all!
The snow was around for along time but it was great to get out and about on the reserve and see it looking very festive!
At the weekend we ran the first of our long-eared owl safaris to look at the roost in the Lin Dike area. We made two visits on Saturday and were successful both times. We got great views of one owl roosting in a bush just on the reed line. Fortunately it had obligingly positioned its self just behind a gap in the reeds and was nicely framed by the surrounding vegetation. Also on the walk we got good views of a water rail foraging on a patch of remaining ice. There were plenty of redwings and fieldfares flying from tree to tree and at least 20 cormorants were roosting on top of the electricity pylon alongside the Lin dike path. A kestrel is also a fixture on that part of the reserve and was looking very cold sitting on top of dead tree on Saturday afternoon.
A smew was reported on the village bay on Saturday and again curlews were seen flying over head.
Pickup hide is still great for the smaller birds and the long list includes treecreepers, redwings, fieldfares, bullfinches, lesser redpolls and a great spotted woodpecker. Apart from the birds this has been a great spot to get glimpses of weasels.
Hi,
You are lucky! - we still have the snow at nearby Blacktoft Sands. This is keeping the site closed at the moment. It appears that we have our very own climate over at Blacktoft Sands on the Humber