This is a question I find myself asking lots of visitors to our Aire Valley sites at this time of year. Sadly, cuckoo numbers have declined by 40% since the early 1980’s - so much so, that many of our visitors have yet to experience the enigmatic call that for so many generations has heralded the start of spring.

Mercifully here in Yorkshire there are still excellent places to hear and, on occasion - for they are…

As we progress through the roadmap and the weather starts to warm up a bit more (fingers crossed!) please see below for full details of what is now open in the Aire Valley.

We’re excited to be able to welcome more of you back to our sites, and want everyone who is able to visit us to be able to do so safely and comfortably. Please follow all current Government guidance around face coverings, social distancing, group sizes…

As we move into Spring and some lockdown restrictions ease, we’re pleased to have some visitor facilities open again in the Aire Valley.

Both Fairburn Ings and St Aidan’s are open for local exercise and recreation, in line with current guidelines – please continue to avoid unnecessary travel, and enjoy your local nature reserves and green spaces.

We want everyone who is able to visit us to be able to…

Nostalgia for a Pre-pandemic Time! - A Winter’s Day at Fairburn Ings in 2020

10^th January

A Friday at Fairburn and forecast for a lovely bright day, although only 3 degrees this morning. Lily the dog and I are at the reserve ‘Rangering’, chatting to people and seeing what’s about. There are ‘swarms’ of tits on the feeders at the visitor centre, momentarily disturbed as visitors pass, then they’re back again in a…

Today is International Women’s Day – and what better opportunity to celebrate some of the wonderful women who work and volunteer in the Aire Valley? Undertaking a wide range of roles, their commitment and achievements are crucial to making our sites the amazing places they are. Let’s meet a few of them!

Maddy – Reserve Assistant volunteer

My role focuses on ‘hands on’ conservation, helping to…

Winter is finally upon us; the days are shorter and there has been a biting nip to the air and some of us have even seen snow. However, it always begs the question where do the birds go when it gets dark.  During this two-part blog we will delve into the winter roosts that we are lucky enough to get here at Fairburn Ings. Lots of birds flock together both during the day and on an evening, this is primarily for safety in…

We’re excited to be able to re-open some of our facilities for you as of 3 December!  

Both sites are in Tier 3, so here's a summary of what’s available in the Aire Valley.  

Fairburn Ings

 (Photo credit: Andy Hay)

At Fairburn Ings our visitor centre and shop offering take away refreshments will be open Monday- Tuesday, Friday- Sunday, 10am- 4pm as of Friday 4 December. The visitor centre and shop will be

Autumn Rainbow in the Aire Valley- Green

We hope this blog finds you all safe and well, and enjoying what nature has to offer during this second lockdown.

As we turn to look at the gorgeous greens present in the Aire Valley at this time of year, it reminds us just how much the previous colours red, orange and yellow hold sway in Autumn. But there’s still some great greens to be seen!

Read on to find out more…

Here in the Aire Valley we hope you are all keeping well during this second lockdown. We're here to bring you round 3 of our Aire Valley Autumn rainbow, this week of course is yellow!

So grab a cuppa and read on to be transported to our lovely sites.                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 (Silver birch…

We carry on with our Aire Valley autumn rainbow blogs- this week looking at all the gorgeous oranges to be seen while out and about. If you missed our first blog on all things red, have a read on our community blogs page! 

Let's kick off with an Aire Valley staple- the sunset. 

It turns out that sunsets at this time of year are actually better than during warmer months and here's why. 

At sunset, it is harder for…

We know that for many of you, Fairburn Ings and St Aidan’s provide enjoyment and solace in the natural world throughout these challenging times.

In line with Government guidance on essential, daily exercise outdoors, during Second Lockdown this is what is open to you in the Aire Valley as of Thursday 5 November: 

Photo credit: Andy Hay. 

Fairburn Ings

At Fairburn Ings our car park will be open daily during lockdown…

I'm sure there are many of you out there who feel a sense of sadness now that the clocks have gone back and evenings are getting darker, especially with the changes that will come into place at the end of the week. But here in the Aire Valley we want to share the joys of Autumn with you, both for those who can't get out onto our sites just yet, and to remind us that it's not all doom and gloom. And what better way…

We know many of you have been missing our delicious bird-friendly coffee or grabbing a bite to eat when visiting our beautiful Aire Valley sites and we have some great news! We now have a take away catering offer available at both of our sites, and our shop at Fairburn Ings is open for business.

From Monday 2 November, we are temporarily changing the opening hours of our shop and catering offer, due to limited staff capacity…

As the weather begins to change and summer turns into autumn, leaves on some trees are starting to turn and more fungi is being seen. One bird species that will soon be departing, as water levels rise ready for the arrival of winter wildfowl, is the spatula-faced spoonbill. This year has increased dramatically for spoonbill nests with 5-7 in the heronry which is up from 3 nests last year. Sadly only 5 juveniles have fledged…

We know many of you have been missing our delicious bird-friendly coffee or grabbing a bite to eat when visiting our beautiful Aire Valley sites and we have some great news! We now have a take away catering offer available at both of our sites, and our shop at Fairburn Ings is open for business.

So what's now available to you at our Aire Valley sites? 

Fairburn Ings

We have re-opened our trails and car park, but…

Volunteering at RSPB Fairburn Ings- Meet Ella

I am the youngest volunteer in retail at Fairburn, and at first, I was worried people may not get on with me as well as they do; everyone who I have worked with at Fairburn has been lovely, so kind and considerate, and genuinely in love with what they do, and how much conservation helps this planet. 

The role was not as I expected – I honestly enjoy it even more than I…

Here in the Aire Valley we have a great range of roles, and volunteers who do them! From bird surveyors to bloggers, all of our volunteers bring with them a wide variety of skills and knowledge, and we love to be able to use these very specific skill sets. Sometimes it even means creating a new role! 

We’ve been lucky enough to talk to two such volunteers as part of Volunteers Week 2020. 

Chris- Volunteer Programme…

As part of our week-long celebration of Volunteers Week 2020, one of our St Aidan's volunteer Rangers Charlie spoke to us about her first year as part of our volunteering team. 

"I first started volunteering with the RSPB exactly a year ago this week after seeing similar blogs from volunteers during Volunteers Week 2019. At the time I was between jobs after returning from travelling overseas but I have always worked…

We had a chat with some of our lovely Aire Valley volunteers as part of Volunteers Week 2020 to find out a bit more about their roles, and what they enjoy about volunteering with the RSPB. Enjoy! 

Volunteer Ranger- Mel 

Where do you volunteer? 

RSPB St Aidan’s.

Describe your role in three words: Champion for Nature!

What’s been your best wildlife moment during your time as a volunteer? 

Standing with like…

Nathaniel’s Story

“I’ve been interested in wildlife from a very young age courtesy of my parents, I was actually born an RSPB member and that’s never changed. I first got more involved with the RSPB at school, when I did my work experience at a reserve. From there I became an RSPB volunteer aged 14, and aged 16 I became part of the RSPB’s national youth council. My time with the RSPB was paused when I left for…

Sarah

My volunteering story started around a decade ago with a couple of different organisations. I’ve found it a good way to use my free time and give something back to others. I came to the RSPB in summer 2019 to complete a 150 hours work placement as part of my foundation degree at University Centre Askham Bryan in York which I started in 2018 as a mature student. As you can imagine I started this career path in a…

I love moths. About 5 years ago I was only familiar with the wee brown ones that would be drawn to the lights in the house, not able to find their way out again. When I was first asked if I'd be interested in moth trapping, I didn't really know what to say. What? I had no idea how beautiful and diverse their size, colour and shape. A secret world that you have to enter to discover them. Right now it's getting into peak…

Hello bloggers,

I hope you are all well and staying safe. The incredible weather I see has come just as we are all housebound, so I thought it may be an idea to take you on an imaginary trip, with the help of our Aire Valley volunteer Karen Nicklin. This contribution should hopefully provide some inspiration for us all to cherish the outdoor world even more so once we are allowed back to our normal lives. Below is Karen…