Lizzie normally does our recent sightings blog and what a good job she does, her attention to detail really brings the Fairburn blog to life, today Julie has written the sightings blog.
So I’ve been looking through our recent sightings book and can’t help but notice the number of raptors listed, Thursday 6 Feb a peregrine was seen over the visitor centre, a buzzard at Pick up hide, a sparrowhawk over the car park and by the visitor centre (they often zoom in over the feeders) and we’ve been getting regular sightings of a merlin (often over the moat) probably over wintering here before moving back to the upland moors to breed. I’ve always loved raptors and owls and they’re probably a big reason for my interest in wildlife and conservation. Birds of prey act as a really good indicator species; eating smaller birds and mammals, they won’t hang about if there’s no food around and the smaller birds and mammals need suitable homes to live in. If the local habitat is poor and doesn’t support wildlife this food chain doesn’t work.
From one top predator to another the bittern, this elusive bird looks to me almost like a prehistoric creature and we’ve had our first reports of male bitterns both at Fairburn (near the moat) and at St Aidan’s booming. Keep your ears and eyes open on warm sunny days as these amazing birds start to declare they’re territory with that unmistakable “Boom.”
Looking back at Lizzie’s blog she’s already mentioned the snowdrops coming up at Fairburn! There are signs all around of plants springing back into life keep your eyes open when you’re out walking for crocus and bluebells starting to come up.
Image by Ben Hall rspb-images.com