Well spring has definitely sprung here at Fairburn in the last couple of weeks. The Skylarks are whizzing up high and singing their hearts out mid-flutter, queen bees have woken up from their winter slumber and are buzzing about, and the little white flowers have sprouted from the Blackthorn in the hedgerows.
Bumblebee on Teasel - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
So, with things all starting to kick off, we will be surveying the reserve for lots of wildlife to see just how brilliant Fairburn is (and to prove all our hard work this winter has paid off!). Some of you may already know that we have Bittern booming on site for the last few weeks now which is absolutely fantastic news as Bittern’s have never bred at Fairburn before. So keep all of your fingers and toes crossed for the year of the Bittern! Both staff and volunteers have been helping out to watch and listen for bitterns in the mornings and evenings on calm mild days when they are most likely to practice a bit of booming. If anyone on the reserve see’s a bittern soaring through the sky, or hears one booming from a patch of reeds, please do come into the visitor center and let us know, it’s really helpful for us to know exactly where they are so we can keep an eye on them so you guys lending us a hand (or ear) would be wonderful.
Bittern gliding across reedbed - John Bridges (rspb-images.com)
After the recent discovery that the lovely little Willow Tits are one of the UK’s fastest declining species we’re also carrying out surveys to see just how many we have here. We know we have a good steady population and they are regularly seen on our feeders outside the visitor centre.
We would absolutely love to hear from you if you have anything exciting to share. If you hear a bittern boom or a willow tit shout, or you see a tree sparrow take some nesting material into one of our boxes, please add your ears and eyes to ours and let us know what nature is making Fairburn its home.
Meadow Pipit carrying nest material - Tom Marshall (rspb-images.com)