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…

Snow? At the end of April! There has been every imaginable type of weather at Fairburn this week; rain, hail, sleet, snow, high winds, and a few rays of sunshine. There have also been some pretty nifty sightings, which is why we’re all here!

Swift, Mike Langman (rspb-images.com)

First off, because it’s the thing I am absolutely the most excited about, is the return of the swifts. I am yet to see one, but there…

More migrants have been arriving this week and the air is beginning to fill with a greater variety of song. Up on the Coal Tips trail it is impossible to miss the erratic ascent of skylarks and their high, trilling song.

Willow warbler, John Bridges (rspb-images.com)

Across the reserve there are blackcap and willow warblers singing, and chiffchaffs seem to be all over the place. There are smart male Reed buntings all…

Well, we may as well begin with the big sighting of the week; the osprey!  Our Assistant Warden, John, claims that he has spent the past two years giving every gull over Fairburn a shrewd assessment during the spring and summer. His diligence paid off on Wednesday when he spotted an osprey flying West over the visitor centre up towards the flashes.

Osprey, Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)

Ospreys are beautiful, fish…

What a busy week for sightings, spring is well and truly here. We have the migrants to prove it!

Sand martins are now becoming quite prolific in the sightings book, going from one or two, to twelve, to sixty, to around two hundred in the past couple of days. Keep an eye out for them over Main bay and Village bay.

Swallow, Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)

There was a wheatear and our first swallow spotted down at…

So it had to happen eventually, and even though I got to stay an extra three weeks, after seven months it’s now time to say goodbye to Fairburn and the RSPB internship. I have learned so much, seen so much, worked with loads of different people and am very sad to have to go.

I first became fond of the place when I visited for a pesticide course in spring last year. On my way in I walked along the riverside trail…

I thought last week’s blog would be difficult to follow given the incredible sightings across the reserve.  However, there has been a lot to see and while it may be not as unusual, it is definitely as exciting.

There have been a few firsts for the year including the first cormorant chick seen in a nest, the first peacock butterfly, first bumblebee AND the first sand martin.  Amazing what a bit of sunshine can do…

What a week at Fairburn! All the usual suspects are about, the feeders around the visitor centre have been heavy with tree sparrows, goldfinches, long-tailed tits and reed buntings. There is more birdsong in the air, willow tits are singings and woodpeckers are drumming.

The high winds across the country this week have also blown in a variety of interesting birds. Wednesday saw a raft of 30 male common scoter out on…