Incredibly, the 1993 influx peaked on the 5th March (just a day later), so it may be that birds are concentrating together before departing back to the continent. Numbers in 1993 quickly declined after the peak, with the last 27 remaining on the 15th. Interesting to see what happens next... 👀
Amazing movement or concentration of White-fronted Geese in the #LDV yesterday afternoon, with 1,310 in or over the East Cottingwith area (840 on the deck and 470 over) at 17:00, whilst 500+ (a conservative count) were present at the same time at North Duffield Carrs @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Our team also enjoyed a visit from Jean today and were fortunate to get a glimpse of an orphaned badger cub who is presently in rehab with Jean, until it is weaned, when it will then move to a specialist badger centre, before being released back into the wild later in the year 🦡🤩
The first two Avocets of the year were present at North Duffield Carrs on Tuesday, bringing the total number of bird species recorded around the #LDV to a rather impressive 141 since the turn of the year - thank you as always to everyone who sends in records and counts 🐦 @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Incredible numbers of Whooper Swans present in the #LDV today with 527 recorded this morning + the two Bewick’s Swans lingering from yesterday. Still 500+ White-fronted Geese and 24+ Tundra Beans also present (best looked for from the viewing platform in Thorganby) 🪶 @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Great to be able to get back on to Wheldrake Ings now that water levels have dropped. Absolute wader fest, with 60 Black-tailed Godwits, 200 Dunlin, 9 Ruff, 500 Lapwings and 100 Golden Plovers. A male Merlin zipped through, Chiffchaff singing and two Coot back on the ings. @yorkbirding.bsky.social
This week new signs have been installed around the #LDV by our Responsible Recreation Officer, & with large numbers of wintering birds present & many breeding birds returning, keeping to the Public Rights of Way, controlling dogs & respecting sensitive areas is very important 🦆
Fantastic day on Tuesday with our team of volunteers who were hard at work in the #LDV putting the finishing touches to our new Corncrake pens - huge thank you to our incredible team for all the effort put in to this task, & all the others - helping to make the site as good as it is 👏
We're pleased to say that our new #LDV NNR Volunteer, Community & Nature Recovery Science Hub is coming along nicely now, ahead of completion (June all being well), & the view from the new viewing area on the roof is simply fantastic (& includes a wet weather covered area 😎) @yorkbirding.bsky.social
This week our volunteer team have also been busy removing some of the boardwalk around the NNR Base Garden as we upgrade the access to a new surfaced path (ahead of the new access path opening from the car park to the new NNR Base) - apologies for any short-term disruption 🪚🔨🪛
Treecreepers have been showing well around the hedgerows at North Duffield Carrs (between the hides and around the car park area) recently, and whilst the wintering waterfowl will always be the key attraction, it's also nice to enjoy the antics of this species and others from the bird hides 📸
It's also been a good winter for both Siskin and Redpoll in the local area, especially the lowland heath and birch woodland of #SkipwithCommon NNR and the canal side alders along the Pocklington Canal. Thanks to Andrew Woodcock for these lovely images taken last week in his Wheldrake garden 📸
Interesting to hear several overwintering Blackcaps are still present around the #LDV and surrounding area, but these will no doubt be moving off soon as we get ready to see the first returning summer migrants arrive next month. Thanks to @stuartmash.bsky.social for the fantastic image 📸
Over the last couple of days we’ve seen the start of the annual spring return migration of Whoopers Swans commence in the #LDV - no doubt in response to the milder temperatures, with three herds (totalling 127 birds) passing over the NNR Base on Tuesday @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Spring is on the way... exciting to get a record from one of our volunteers of the first male Brimstone on the wing at #SkipwithCommon NNR on Monday morning (six days earlier than last year) with a White-tailed Bumblebee also seen there 🐝
Following a record of a Brimstone on Monday, the first Adder for the year was recorded by our team on #SkipwithCommon NNR on Tuesday (one of our earliest sightings) - great news given an apparent decline at this site over recent years 🐍
Thanks to @ollie333.bsky.social for his help in organising this demonstration, with the evening then finishing with catching and colour-ringing two Dunlin at Bubwith Bridge. Great to also hear the first four chipping Snipe of the year and the first drumming individual @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Nice to host a group of Bishop Burton students yesterday afternoon/into the evening – looking at our ringing and tracking projects to help understand and inform site management and functionally linked land, and which delivery tools to use where in helping #NatureRecovery 🐦
Great WeBS_UK count at the weekend throughout the #LDV with 25,500 wildfowl and 12,000 waders recorded, inc. incredible numbers of geese (6,423 Pink-feet, 679 White-fronts, 42 Tundra Beans and 11 Barnacles) + 208 Whooper Swans @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Quieter for ducks on our WeBS_UK count at the weekend (due to a large reduction in Teal to just 5,000), with 10,000 Wigeon, 140 Pochard and 700 Pintail all noteworthy, & it was nice to see the long-staying drake Scaup lingering (present at Aughton during the count) @yorkbirding.bsky.social
It's been a great winter for Lapwing throughout the #LDV (10,024 present at the weekend during our WeBS_UK count), & whilst a Turnstone was a bit of a surprise, 595 Black-tailed Godwits follows the recent trend for rapidly expanding numbers in early spring @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Whilst the #LDV remains extensively flooded, we're pleased to report water levels are now starting to recede (dropped over a foot in the last week), with Wheldrake Ings to Tower Hide almost passable in wellies, and access to Bank Island is likely to be possible later in the week 🥾🥾
Good to see numbers of returning Curlew increasing across the #LDV, with up to 73 recorded at the weekend during the WeBS_UK count - including plenty of display noted @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Thank you very much for the kinds words Andy 😊
We had a great evening speaking to @rspbleedslocalgr.bsky.social on Wednesday, and it was fantastic to have so much support for what we are trying to achieve - & we're always happy to talk to local groups around Yorkshire, so please do get in touch 📩
Another great job by our #LDV volunteer team on Thursday, with fantastic progress made on our new Corncrake pre-release pens - there's a bit more to do next week, but at least the vegetation cover can start to develop ahead of any birds arriving - exciting times 🤩 @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Thanks to @debalmer.bsky.social for the sighting of a c/r Shelduck at @wwtworldwide.bsky.social Martin Mere earlier this week - yet another movement between the #LDV & this site/the NW region - we're really starting to build-up a picture of movements now thanks to all the c/r-readers out there.
We’ve also just received news that an adult male Wigeon ringed in the #LDV at North Duffield Carrs in December 2019 has been recovered at Findhorn Bay, Moray, Scotland earlier this week – 2,262 days since ringing and 456 km to the north of the reserve @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Thanks Mark - very kind 😊 We hope you enjoy reading it and looking at the incredible artwork and design by @niqvassie.bsky.social - it's been a pleasure to work with Dominique and showcase the local talent present in and around the #LDV.
Thank you for the kind comments Trevor 📖 It took a real team effort to finally get this mammoth project complete and 'out there', and thank you for allowing us to use some of your fantastic images taken around the #LDV, especially the Goldeneye tail - definitely a favourite 😀
It also turned out that this individual was ringed by our team as a nestling (from a brood of four) in a box near Melbourne in 2014 - making it 11/half years old. This is the oldest bird we’ve recorded from our study around the #LDV (from the 1,349 ringed here since 1989)🦉 @yorkbirding.bsky.social
