LDV_NNR

Whilst it was a long weekend (day and night) in torrential rain back in February, it was perfect conditions for what the team wanted to pull off – make sure to tune in for this new series and see if you can spot our local NNRs like you won't have seen them before 👀📺

👀📺This Sunday on BBC 1 Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles series is starting, looking at some of the more hidden, elusive & hard to see wildlife - it was a pleasure working with Hamza & the crew earlier in the year to capture footage of some of the more elusive species present in the #LDV.

Thanks to Trevor Walton for the superb image 📸
@teejay811.bsky.social

15 Marsh Harriers roosted in front of Tower Hide at Wheldrake Ings over the weekend (2nd highest count on record following 17 there in late September 2023). Numbers tend to peak in the #LDV in September/October, so they may well increase yet. Nice to see two adults males present.

Green Sandpiper

Raven

Stonechat

Swallow

Wheldrake Ings
1 Raven
1 Great Egret
3 Stonechat
3 Green Sandpiper
1 Marsh Harrier
12 Swallow
8 Chiffchaff
20 Teal
1 Cetti's Warbler
73 Golden Plover W

Bank Island
8 Red Kite
7 Buzzard
159 Golden Plover W
2 Little Egret
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Wheldrake Ings this morning. 3 Green Sandpiper, 6 Teal, 1 GW Egret, Sparrowhawk chasing the Swallows at Tower Hide, Marsh Harrier and Red Kite having an argument, 2 Willow Emerald Damselflies, and plenty of Hornets near the river bridge @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

15 Marsh Harrier into roost at Wheldrake Ings this evening. Also 5 Red Kite, 3 Green Sandpiper, 2 Water Rail, a Barn Owl & a Wheatear
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

It's still an interesting time for moth trapping in the #LDV with two new species recorded this week – Scarce Bordered Straw and Four-spotted Footman (both migrants and new for the reserve). Also nice to see Merveille du Jour with five trapped over recent days 🦋

Can visitors to the #LDV please be aware that our car park at Bank Island will be closed from Tuesday 7th October for a week due to carriageway works in the entranceway. Traffic lights will be in operation but with no access to the car park. Apologies for any inconvenience @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Work to extend and upgrade Cheesecake Hide at Bank Island is now complete (hopefully with a bit flooding to follow, to bring in some returning wintering waterfowl 🦆🦢). Many thanks to AdAstra, our amazing team of #LDV volunteers & staff from Natural England Yorks/Lincs @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Our new Reserve Manager Ben has been busy on the #PocklingtonCanal recently taking water samples from a range of locations along its length - this important monitoring work is carried out each month in order to health check the canal & target measures to improve water quality 💧

The female Scaup still at Heslington East this morning.

At North Duffield Carrs a Rock Pipit flew south over the viewing platform

@ldvnnr.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Recently we have also enjoyed hosting task days for @lloydsbankinggroup.bsky.social & Defra staff - we really couldn't manage without this extra corporate help, so a huge thank you to all of the groups who have helped out so far this year, & if you haven't yet but would like to - pls get in touch 😀

Always nice to welcome a team from Drax Group to the #LDV, and with so many extra pairs of hands and plenty of hard work, the team did an outstanding job helping us tackle willow growth in the reedbed (reducing the height/density of cover to benefit a range of species) 👏👏

This species has had an amazing change in status over the last 25 years, with 20 seen along the Pocklington Canal last Tuesday and another 20+ recorded in the Bank Island/Wheldrake area @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Thanks to local wildlife photographer Terry Weston for this recent image of a Common Buzzard - one of seven feeding over the hay making operations at Bank Island last week @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Wheldrake Ings
1 Great Egret
2 Green Sandpiper
1 Corn Bunting
12 Pink-footed Geese SE
1 Willow Tit
1 Blackcap
20 Lesser Redpoll
1 Kingfisher
2 Marsh Harrier
2 Stonechat
2 Cetti's Warbler
9 Goldcrest
14 Chiffchaff
Swallow pair feeding juvs under tower hide
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

A Water Pipit briefly at Bank Island this morning left west calling. New for #PWC2025
Also a Marsh Harrier, 2 Snipe & 22 Golden Plover

At Wheldrake Ings, 2 Stonechat, 2 Green Sandpiper & 200 Teal

30 Wigeon & 6 Stonechat at North Duffield Carrs
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Whinchat

1 of the 4 Green Sandpipers

Red kites over one of the fields that was being cut

A couple of hours @ldvnnr.bsky.social Wheldrake ings
Highlights of the 26 species
Buzzard
3-4 Red kites
Sparrow hawk
2 Kestrels
Whinchat
Kingfisher
Nuthatch (heard)
4 Green Sandpipers
2 Reed buntings
Little egret
2 Bullfinchs
@yorkbirding.bsky.social

324 Pink-footed Geese SE over Bank Island/Wheldrake Ings

Bank Island
250 Golden Plover
6 Egyptian Geese N
1 Great Egret NW
1 Little Egret NW
8 Red Kite

Wheldrake Ings
4 Green Sandpiper
1 Whinchat
1 Hobby
3 Water Rail
1 dead Water Shrew
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Footage from Wednesday night (17/09/25) at Wheldrake Ings of some of the estimated 12000 Swallow the majority of which passed south, with 3-4000 staying to roost.
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social @ollie333.bsky.social

Wheldrake Ings this morning. 100 Pink-feet over, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Cetti's Warbler.
Kestrel and Carrion crow having a tussle which went on for over 15mins. Migrant Hawker, Red Admiral and at least somebody likes Balsam!! @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Fantastic to see how one of our Corncrakes has migrated out of the #LDV – in line with what we would expect for wild Scottish chicks. Great use of the Motus network, which alongside our joint Jack Snipe project, shows the potential of how this tracking system can deliver new knowledge of migration.

These chicks (from Deepdale Conservation Trust in Norfolk) have been held in pre-release pens in the #LDV from day 14 to day 34, before being released onto the site here (having fixed on the night sky and hopefully now knowing the Lower Derwent Valley as 'home') 🐥

We are hoping this will give us a natural return rate of seven-eight singing males on the reserve next year, to mix with our one or two wild birds that turn up most years. Huge thanks to all involved for their efforts in making this fantastic project happen 👏👏

Over the last five and a half months our team have been busy delivering an English Corncrake reintroduction scheme in the #LDV, with the project now over until next year, as the last of the 74 chicks were released onto the site this week 🤩

Time was also spent carrying out more willow management in the reedbed at Wheldrake Ings for @yorkswildlife.bsky.social, but the highlight of the day was checking the moth trap with the group and finding a Clifden Nonpareil (our second of the year following the first a couple of weeks ago) 😄

Yesterday we were also joined by the northwest geographic YorksNLincs team of @naturalengland.bsky.social, who helped to finish off the improvements to the newly extended Cheesecake Hide at Bank Island, which involved treating the hide & adding screening to prevent any undue disturbance on approach.

The task involved working to create low bushy willows for breeding warblers to use, with the aim of also trying to maintain an open landscape/views and to prevent the reedbed from drying out - looking forward to this hard working group returning next year 😃

Great day welcoming our partners from @avivauk.bsky.social back to the #LDV for a corporate volunteering task managing willow scrub in the reedbed at @yorkswildlife.bsky.social Wheldrake Ings - huge thanks to everyone involved for their efforts on the day with a fantastic amount of work achieved 👏