Following the latest flooding we have acquired a new reed bed on the reserve. See the picture below. Maybe other Authorities could consider this environmentally sensitive approach to traffic calming?

 

Sightings wise things have been a bit quiet as you might imagine. There were 100 Pink-footed Geese flying west yesterday, several Grey Wagtails have passed through, a few Pintail have returned to spend the winter with…

So that's flood No.4 on it's way down again! The latest round of flooding was the worst so far this year but even so water levels are falling quickly. All roads to the reserve are now open with the exception of the road along the flashes between the visitor centre and Barnsdale Road. Cut Hide is now accessible as is Bob Dickens as we have opened the workyard gates to allow access through whilst the waters fall around…

We put out our trail cam most evenings at various locations on the reserve. Often we get shots of wood mice, sometimes grey squirrels, occasionally a fox and even once a pair of labradors! Last night however we hit the jackpot!!! Imagine our surprise and joy this morning when we downloaded the images to find this superb shot of a dog OTTER!!

We have found spraints (poo) and seen foot prints in the snow before, so we…

Autumn migration continues to trickle through the reserve with a variety of waders and passerines seen in the last couple of days. Waders have included Green and Common Sandpipers, Snipe, Spotted Redshank and Dunlin. There have been a number of Yellow Wagtails seen, Spotted Flycatchers and a Whinchat. There are at least 3 Peregrines hunting over the reserve most days and male and female Marsh Harriers and Red Kites have…

As promised yesterday here is the superb picture of the Osprey taken by Keith Bowyer as it flew low over the flashes.

Nothing as exciting to report today but at least four Garganey still around the New Flash area. If you fancy an ID challenge then most species of warbler can still be found down the Lin Dike path including the more tricky juvenilles.

....actually it wasn't. You know those times when you glimpse something unfamiliar and your immediate reaction is to think it must be the rarest thing ever? Well you won't be surprised to hear that the large flying creature with vivid red underwings that I flushed from a fence post this morning wasn't actually a Wallcreeper (we can all dream). Turns out it wasn't even a hawkmoth...so apologies to those people who I told…

At least three Garganey have been showing well on New Flash and Cedric's this morning. A few Ruff are still present in the same area with Yellow Wagtails keeping them company around the flashes. Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler have been seen today along with a Peregrine and several Common Buzzards. The sunshine has prompted a late flourish of butterflies with our first sighting of Painted Lady…

The past week has seen lots of passage migrants moving through the reserve. Several Turnstones have been the pick of wader passage which has also included Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ruff and Little Ringed Plovers. Migrant passerines have included several Redstarts, Whinchats, Yellow Wagtails and Spotted Flycatchers. Raptors are still very much in evedence with daily sightings of Hobby, Red Kite and Marsh…

A Sacred Ibis was reported yesterday flying west up the River Aire. By my reckoning that makes the reserve list stand at 292 species. Of these 12 fall into the same dodgy ducks and probable escapees as yesterdays visitor. With large bird collections close by at Lotherton Hall and Harewood House we are well served in this regard. The moth trap continues to attract some spectacular visitors with a beautiful Northern…

Despite another flood last weekend its not all bad news here at Fairburn. Much to everyones surprise a Bittern was heard booming on Wednesday. The last time the enigmatic mating call echoed across the ings was more than 50 years ago. Lets hope we dont have to wait as long for a repeat performance. In addition to the surprise vochalisations the bird has also been ssen on a daily basis from Pickup Hide and the duck feeding…

A male Red-crested Pochard made a colourful addition to the wildfowl on Village Bay on Monday. A pair of Ruddy Shelduck put in a good show earlier in the week and a large party of Black-tailed Godwits stopped off briefly at the weekend. Several recent sightings of Bittern perhaps hint at a possible nesting attempt on the reserve. Raptors have been showing well in the past day with a female Marsh Harrier seen from Pickup…

Once again we are basking in the aftermath of the fantastic British summer! The reserve flooded again on Saturday and it looks as though the impact on ground and low nesting breeding birds has been pretty devastating. We will be continuing to monitor and assess the impact as the flood waters start to recede, which thankfully they now are. As usual there will be lots of flood debris to clear up and paths to repair. The…

The superb adult White-winged Black Tern is still showing well from Lin Dike hide this morning. There has been no sign of the Ruddy Shelduck so far today but a Garganey has been seen at Pickup and an Arctic Tern on Main Bay

Another busy week in the garden all the rain has caused the launch of everything green and pretty!

 When gardening for wildlife, the best spaces are often the untouched areas. So in the garden you will notice we have left longer areas of grass, certain areas of nettles and other wild plants.

 These au naturale areas, are brilliant for our wildlife as they allow them to remain un-disturbed.

This is also a great indication…

It looks as though the occupancy in the Sand Martin bank is approaching 30. We might have to consider building an extension at this rate!

A Little Egret has been showing well most of the day from Pickup hide which has now been modified to make it more 'user friendly'.

Elsewhere on the reserve Kingfishers, Cuckoos, Little Ringed Plover and Garganey ahve all been seen today.

 

Hello World!

We have been a bit quiet on our blog recently here at Fairburn but we are back. We will endeavour to keep people up to date with recent sightings, great pictures, news about events and stories from the reserve via the blog in a more "timely fashion" from now on.

My name is Chris Woolner. I'm the new Visitor Experience Manager at Fairburn Ings. Anything do with people at the reserve is my thing…

It has been such a busy few weeks down in the wildlife garden at RSPB Fairburn Ings that we hardly know where to begin!

 Lets start with the plants. Our aim was always to create a haven for wildlife and people alike.

We hoped to achieve this through planting a variety of wildlife friendly plants, preferably native, that would provide food, shelter and interest the whole year through. We’ve therefore used plants such…

Our Highland Cows are finding this weather far to hot and some of them have been choosing to sit waist deep in the water.

Last night was the first time we have put our new moth trap out and we came up trumps!

First of all we were delighted to see that we had trapped an Eyed Hawkmoth

... and then we spotted a Chinese Character

The other moths that were in the trap this morning

Narrow-winged pug

Pine Beauty

Shuttle-shaped dart

 

 

Today we were treated to a visit from a female pheasant and her newly hatched brood of 5 chicks. The small family were making short work of any bird seed that happened to be on the floor under the bird feeders and the mother was encouraging the chicks to forage for worms and insects that could be found among the undergrowth. Here are some pictures we managed to take before the mother called the brood to her and then sat…

On Friday 27th April, our site manager is offering an exclusive behind-the-scenes guided walk around the reserve. You can find out about the work we've been carrying out, and if you have any questions about the history of the reserve, or the wildlife we get here, then ask away!

We do ask that people book in advance for this walk, as it is expected to be very popular - give us a call on 01977 628191 to reserve your…

Spring is certainly here by the sounds of all the wildlife sightings our visitors have been reporting - Avocets have been reported on Hicksons Pool, to the west of Lin Dike, and our Ranger Alan had a fantastic experience this morning when he saw a Skylark (which was also singing), a Willow Warbler and a Yellowhammer all at once!

We had some great sightings yesterday, too - a Swallow was seen flying over Big Hole (the…

Today the symbol of the RSPB, the Avocet, has been seen on Hicksons Pool (the body of water to the west of the old railway line at Lin Dike) - well, 24 of them, actually! But how many people know why the Avocet is the emblem of the RSPB? Well, gather round, and I'll tell you a story...

Avocets used to breed along our coastline from Sussex to Yorkshire, but disappeared as a breeding bird from Britain in 1842. Adults…

We've had a flurry of sightings in the past few days, so for all of you out there who like to keep up-to-date with our feathered friends, here's what our lovely visitors have reported recently...

Today, we've seen a Green Sandpiper from Charlie's Hide, and a Mediterranean Gull flying west over the visitor centre (a Mediterranean Gull was mentioned in detail in my last recent sightings blogpost!). A Kingfisher…