LDV_NNR

An unseen raptor flushed the gulls through the rainbow at Wheldrake this afternoon @yorkswildlife.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

24 Tundra Bean Geese & 50 White-fronted Geese from the viewing platform at Thorganby village hall
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Please respect these new signs by keeping to public footpaths and not entering sensitive wildlife areas - all clearly signposted 'no public access beyond this point' ⛔️ Thank you for helping to protect and conserve the wildlife that have chosen to make the #LDV their 'home' 🐦🦆

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 🦆

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 🪚🔨🪛

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

Fantastic image courtesy of @tjebirder.bsky.social 📸👏

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 📸

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 🐦

If you're fortunate enough to come across a basking snake, please try not to disturb it and enjoy from a distance - thank you 🙂

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 🐍

First Common Frog of the year at the NNR Base yesterday too 🐸

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 🐝

Several skeins of Pink-footed Geese then followed on Wednesday morning @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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

A few more from my visit to @ldvnnr.bsky.social North Duffield Carrs and Bubwith bridge this week. Treecreeper, Meadow pipit, Skylark and a pair of Oystercatchers. @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

A Turnstone & a Spotted Redshank still at North Duffield Ings along river (south of Bubwith Bridge).
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Image courtesy of Susan Brench 📸

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 🥾🥾

Image courtesy of Terry Weston 📸

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

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

Image courtesy of Phil Harrison 📸

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

Image courtesy of Stuart Campbell 📸