With so many reported sightings over the past couple of days we wanted to keep everyone up to date with what can be seen during a visit to Fairburn Ings.
The number of Grasshopper Warbler just keep increasing with 10 now being a cautious estimate, these little birds are now being heard, if not seen across the whole of the reserve. There have also been a number of cuckoo heard calling, at the moment they seem to be around the Main Bay tip and the stacks, the area to the left of Pickup hide. We also had an Osprey flying over the stacks today and a late report came in of an Osprey flying over Main Bay on Sunday.
There have been a range of duck and wader species across the reserve with amongst others Lapwing, Snipe, Ringed and Little Ringed Plover being seen today and Avocet, Mediterranean Gull, Black-tailed Godwit and Garganey, along with a single Goosander yesterday. There have also been 2 Little Gull on Village Bay for the last couple of days.
Four Wheatear have been seen by Lin Dike, with a Greenland Wheatear on Moat field yesterday as well, this subspecies is seen in the UK around the end of April stopping off on the way to its Northern breeding grounds.
Again the signs of spring are all around with 6 Great Crested Grebe making the most of the reserve teams man-made Willow island nests and a number of Buzzard were seen displaying.
There are still large numbers of Butterflies around, with 27 Orange Tip, 14 Speckled Wood and 10 Peacock seen yesterday.