Despite the biting cold and the fact that it is very much winter here at Fairburn Ings, wildlife sightings have not failed to disappoint

Andy Hay (rspb-images)

There have been a few sightings of vagrant birds, including a white fronted goose.

Ben Hall (rspb-images)

If you’re not so sure what a vagrant bird is (don't worry, I had no idea 'til yesterday morning), it’s a bird that strays far outside…

Fairburn is quite lucky to have a wonderful variety of garden birds feasting on its bird feeders, and this week has been no different - I saw a nuthatch for the first time ever  and it’s such a lovely, streamline little bird. He seemed perfectly at home alongside robins, greenfinches, goldfinches, tree sparrows, chaffinches, great, blue and coal tits. Other visitors have seen a siskin, 2 willow tits, a lesser redpoll,…

It was a grey and rainy start this week at Fairburn Ings, as a result a small flood made Lin Dike Hide and Arrow Lane inaccessible. However wildlife proved not to be put off by the rain, as 50+ curlews have turned up on New Flash and can be heard making their calls.


Curlew, Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

 The mini flood has now receded, so the Arrow Lane Trail and Link Dike hide can once again be enjoyed, where you can look…

Watching for starlings, Eleanor Bentall (rspb-images.com)

And the third pair were just right...

There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to binoculars and telescopes. You need to look through them, feel the weight and understand how they work to find the right pair for you.

Whether you’re after your first pair of binoculars or looking to replace your well worn ‘old faithfuls’, the RSPB is here…

You may have watched Countryfile this weekend and seen Matt Baker in the pond at Fairburn, digging in fresh pond plants. He was lending the warden team a hand and kicking off the exciting habitat improvements that are happening on the Discovery Trail at the moment.

Matt and the pond dippers, Pete Carr

What do the improvements involve?

Pond dipping runs from roughly March to October each year, depending on the weather…

The Kingfisher Screen has been alive with activity this week as the kingfishers are proving not to be easily deterred by the habitat improvement works. They can still be seen frequently throughout the day, attracted by the dense amounts of fish within the stream. During my short time at Fairburn I’ve been lucky enough to see the kingfishers at least once a week, and each time I am surprised by just how vibrant they really…

I’m almost a month into my internship here at Fairburn already, and how quickly the scenery has turned since I first arrived. The temperature has dropped and each morning, frost covers surrounding fields, but the early mornings are worth it for the sight of mist lifting over the main lake. The first of this season’s snowfall has given us a taste of winter, whilst the warden team begin to make preparations for exciting…

Hello again, I’m going to have another go at a recent sightings blog...

A few things remain the same; bearded tits and green woodpecker can still be heard/seen along Coal Tips trail and goldeneye on the Main Bay, pink footed geese can be seen in the sky, as they head to the coast.

Green woodpecker, Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

Everyone has been enjoying the winter migrants, redwings are starting to get here in…

I’m the new visitor experience intern at Fairburn Ings but I also happen to be quite a bird novice.  To help bring myself up to speed I’ve taken the past few weeks highlights from the sightings book and had a little read up about each species – so here goes!

It’s well into autumn here, and these past few weeks have seen pink footed geese flying overhead in their hundreds, as they make their yearly migration…

It’s been a while since I wrote a blog, the lovely Rachel and Kate have been keeping this page fresh over the last few months and as this is the first summer I’ve spent at Fairburn I’m at a bit of a loss where to begin. Having now seen the reserve through a full cycle of seasons there is so much I could talk about.

It’s been wonderful to see everything turn green and fill with birdsong, to see the Coal…

Autumn is coming!  There's dew on the grass in the mornings, the berries are ripening on trees and shrubs, and leaves are starting to drop.  That lovely, distinctive, earthy, "wet leaves warming in autumn sunshine" smell is up too.  I've been breathing it in deeply as I've walked around the Discovery trail this week, making the most of it.

I've really enjoyed admiring all the lush berries this week…

It's been quite a corker of a week for sightings this week; particularly for raptors.  We've had up to four marsh harrier, at least three red kites, buzzards, a fairly regular hobby, and peregrine, plus kestrel and a little owl! Lots of people have spotted an osprey (I have missed them every time, and everyone who has seen it, has enjoyed rubbing it in!)

Osprey thanks to Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com).

How quickly the past six months have come around! I have absolutely loved my time here at Fairburn Ings, and my experience at the reserve has been amazing. I have learned so much from the team, and am completely humbled by their dedication, enthusiasm, and passion for their work. If you’re thinking of pursuing a career in conservation, I would recommend the internship as a great way to kick start your career.

Butterfly season is now in full swing! The Discovery Trail and the Lin Dike link are great places to spot brightly coloured insects on the wing as they dance above wildflowers in the sunshine. 

 Purple hairstreak, Chris Shields (rspb-images.com)

We have some very dedicated volunteers who monitor the insect life here at Fairburn, and they have clocked up some impressive sightings this week. Have you spotted many butterflies…

Hi everyone!

We’ve had an exciting new visitor join us at Fairburn Ings this week. A juvenile spotted fly catcher was spotted flitting around the pond dipping platform this Sunday. Perhaps he was considering hiring his own pond dipping kit... 

The woodpeckers have been especially active this summer; we’ve had some lovely sightings of green woodpecker over at Lin Dike.

Never to be outdone by its…

With the summer holidays in full swing, the team at Fairburn Ings have been recovering nicely from last weekend’s Big Wild Sleepout.

 I had a cosy night’s sleep in my one man tent, waking up to voices in deep discussion of whether you could in fact fit a human in such a small space.

The activity trail was a hit, with visitors mapping out lots of sounds heard throughout the reserve. Even a bear was heard…

The bats have been pretty active at Fairburn Ings this week! We managed to capture some rare footage of both zubat and golbat flying over the visitor centre balcony.

 Golbat can be identified as slightly larger than its lesser zubat form, with a more powerful jaw and increased strength!

A rare sighting of Jynx also took place in the shrubbery.

The Pokemon Gym has also been active, with the blue team now…

It's been a great week for insect sightings with lots of moths, dragonflies, and butterflies out on the reserve. Our Assistant warden, John, managed to capture this great photograph of a five spot burnet resting on a flower this week. The colourful contrast of the knapweed made for an excellent shot!

We had a wonderful selection of moths in the moth trap on Friday, including, as our might have noticed from the…

For the last three months I have been the Warden Intern at Fairburn Ings, living close to the reserve in Fairburn village. One of the perks of being a residential volunteer is being able to spend time on the reserve when things are quiet, early in the mornings and in the long summer evenings.

As I cycle through the reserve on my way home at the end a busy day, I stop off at Charlie’s hide and sit for a while, it’s the…

With summer arriving in full bloom, we’ve had another great week of recent sightings at Fairburn.  From snipe to redshank, sandpiper to goosander, the wildlife at Fairburn has been in full bloom.

Green sandpiper, Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)

There have been both common sandpiper and green sandpiper; seeing them has taught me that green sandpiper can be identified by their slightly darker upper body and less…

WOW! What a couple of weeks at Fairburn Ings. We have had a great mix of species about, including three cuckoos, one very elusive spoonbill, and a black tern!

Black tern, Mike Langman (rspb-images.com)

The swifts have been displaying nicely on the coal tips, showing off their aerial acrobatics and swooping low overhead. I discovered last week that they spend almost their entire lives on the wing, even while sleeping…

What a fantastic week of sightings we've had at Fairburn Ings this week! Personally, I've seen three new bird species this week; cuckoo (I've only ever heard them before but was treated to a calling fly over by a cuckoo as I stood on the balcony of the visitor centre), black tern and spoonbill (I kept missing the one that appeared last summer, but patience served me well and I saw it this time!)

I had fantastic…

Today, we have suspended pond dipping at the reserve.  This is because over the last 24 hours, a visible patch of algae has appeared at one of the pond dipping platforms.  The water at the pond dipping areas was originally tested and given the all clear but this bit of algae has appeared now.  As blue green algae is present elsewhere on site, we have decided to halt pond dipping as a precaution.

At Fairburn Ings we take…

After a weekend of gorgeous heat and sunshine, ice creams and tank tops, the return of the damp weather has had us all piling the layers back on top of our new tans. Unfortunately the heat wave has also resulted in blooms of algae out on the reserve.

There have been many reports across social media about blue-green algae in the water at Fairburn Ings and after testing by the Environment Agency, we can confirm its presence…

Well well well! This May's Dawn chorus got off to a flying start with 56 different species seen and heard throughout the reserve. For those bold enough to brave the early start, the walk was a fantastic opportunity for people such as myself to brush up on their bird song!

The walk began with some great sounds, including a very boisterous pheasant, wood pigeons, wrens, robins, skylark, and of course, the distinctive…