October is very much a month of migration and movement. Looking to the skies you can observe passage of many birds that may be migrating into or out of the UK. However, there can be huge numbers of birds that are moving within the UK. Some will be resident birds, some migrants and some a mix.
Obvious migrants into the UK are Whooper Swans and Pink Footed Geese. Being in the Aire Valley corridor they can be frequently observed in ‘skeins’ flying overhead, and occasionally settling on the reserve.
Pink Footed Geese are often seen in the mornings as they move from the East to West Coast, often in their hundreds. Generally, they will be flying in a loose ‘V’ formation at a higher altitude than the local Greylag and Canada Geese. They also have a less harsh ‘wink-wink’ call.
Skylark is another bird that can be observed on the move in the skies above RSPB Fairburn Ings. There can also be huge flocks (‘droppings’!) of Wood Pigeons moving through. On separate occasions during the month counts of 6,000 +, 8,000+ and 10,000+ moving through were noted. That is a lot of Wood Pigeons!
Another migratory bird is the Starling, and it is during the month of October that the numbers coming to roost in the reed beds increase significantly. As dusk approaches the best viewing points are likely to be on the Roy Taylor Trail by the South and North lagoons, i.e. looking west wards. On 26th October for example around 3,000 Starlings roosted by South lagoon.
During the month the numbers of Spoonbills decreased, though on the 5 October three individuals could be viewed from Village Bay hide. On the same day a magnificent total of 7 Great White Egrets were noted across the reserve.
Cattle Egrets remain on the reserve, best viewed from Lin Dike Hide; the cattle are usually in the Spoonbill Flash area. On the 12 October two Swallows were seen over the flashes, where three Marsh Harriers were also seen. Better still. On the 23 October two Hen Harriers were spotted flying south over the lagoons.
A bird that has practically disappeared from RSPB Fairburn Ings is Tree Sparrow. Prior to Covid this bird had regularly bred for several years in the boxes attached to the Visitor Centre. However, possibly because the feeding stations were not replenished, they disappeared from the reserve (and maybe the nearby farmland). However, on the 25 October a Tree Sparrow was observed at a bird feeder behind the Visitor Centre by Karen, our reserve Head Warden. Hopefully this is a positive sign and that this popular bird may be making a comeback.
(In the current RSPB magazine, in response to a reader’s question about ‘disappearing’ Tree Sparrows, it is said that the birds do move away from areas for a few years, but return later. Let us hope that’s the case for RSPB Fairburn Ings Tree Sparrows).
Other sightings:
Barn Owl – Flashes
Fieldfare – Flashes
Redwing – Various locations
Kingfisher – Kingfisher Screen; Bob Dickens Hide; Charlie’s Hide.
Curlew – Spoonbill Flash
Meadow Pipit – Flashes
Stonechat – Flashes
Bearded Reedlings – Lagoons (Roy Taylor Trail)
Willow Tit – Lin Dike; Boardwalk feeder
Bittern – West Lagoon
Green Woodpecker – Roy Taylor Trail
Fox – Roy Taylor Trail
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Written By: G. Royston
Images: BC photography