It’s been a bit grey and rainy the last couple of days at Fairburn Ings and today there’s a thin blanket of snow everywhere. Hopefully spring is just around the corner though!
We’re now getting regular sightings of kingfishers around the reserve so I’m looking forward to seeing one soon! We’ve got a kingfisher screen especially for viewing these colourful birds with branches that hang out over the river for them to perch on.
On our feeders around the visitor centre we have the usual suspects of various tits and finches, as well as siskins, nuthatches, reed bunting, red wings and treecreepers. Both a green and great spotted woodpecker have been spotted by Pick-up hide along with a marsh harrier overhead. Elsewhere on the reserve there has been a sparrow hawk and yesterday a merlin was seen at Big Hole.
Bitterns are still being seen at Phalarope pool but still no booming. On the bays there are lots of birds to see including goosander, golden eye, shelduck, shovelers, oystercatchers, lapwing, gadwall and great crested grebes showing off their courtship dance.
But it’s not only birds here on the reserve, there have also been a few deer spotted along with a weasel and a stoat.
Even on a cold day like today you can enjoy watching our large number of birds visiting the feeders from the comfort of the visitor centre!