April 24th

Today I saw my first bluebells of the season along the Riverside Trail I also heard my first cuckoo of the year! Down at Charlie's hide four very active and extremely vocal common terns were putting on a real performance of aerial acrobatics. Plenty of sand martins too, some were either nesting or exploring the drainage holes in the railway bridge over the River Aire. Back at Charlie's a lovely grey heron arrived and promptly sat down! While "resting" in this position it kept picking up sticks and rearranging them on the floor--I'm guessing he's a non breeding bird possibly a juvenile who has been allowed to breed and still has the urge! Grebes, shellduck, oystercatchers,cormorants and a lovely little wren building a nest in the overgrown branches of a fallen tree to the right of the hide were all on display. We were joined by a little sandpiper out on the island edge-delightful little bird. The kingfisher flew past in a blur of metalic blue and orange quickly followed by a great spotted woodpecker. The kingfisher also turned up down by the sluice gates he saw some lads fishing in his flight path so did a 90 degree turn and flew to the river. Has anyone else noticed the abundance of blackcaps this year? I must have seen at least 6 on my walk out to Charie's today -one was practically in the hide with me ticking away before flying up to perform his lovely blackbird que song. Willow warblers, chiff chaffs, sedgewarblers, and a host of others accompanied me on my return walk-sadly the little chaffinch's nest with two eggs in at the side of the trail seems to have evaporated into space - eggs, nest everything as if it was never there! Enjoyed pointing out the avocets from Bob Dickens hide to a couple who hadn't spotted them amongst the throng of gulls! Every visit is different but rarely if ever do I come home without some wonderful memories to mull on -till my next visit to Fairburn Ings