Thank you very much for the kind comments Colin and the great feedback – much appreciated, and great to see the links with your CES at Heslington too 🐦
I got my copy last week and can confirm that this is a brilliant book and a true bargain, for an incredibly detailed and informative work on an internationally important yet remarkably under appreciated local nature and birding site. Buy your copy now!
Another ten talks to go between now and the end of May, with Whitby and Bridlington up next 😎 If you're part of a group and are looking for a new speaker, please feel free to get in touch with Lucy.Murgatroyd@naturalengland.org.uk @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social
We're on the road again tonight with a talk for Airedale and Bradford RSPB group in Shipley, where Senior Reserve Manager Craig Ralston will be talking all things #LDV related, with copies of the 'Birds of the LDV' also on sale - looking forward to spreading the word about our unique reserve 🐦
Still plenty of work to be done first, but watch this space... 👀
Yesterday our team were working on a new site (gifted to Natural England) which includes two meadows and an old orchard off the Pocklington Canal. It's long been neglected, but has huge potential for #naturerecovery and opportunities for public access and engagement in the #LDV.
The @btobirds.bsky.social longevity record is nearly 15 and a half years old (set in 1937) – so a few more years to go yet 😁
On Tuesday evening our ringing team recaught a Woodcock on Wheldrake Ings after dark, and after checking our database, it turns out that we ringed this individual at the same site (as a first year) in January 2019 – so seven years after ringing and now almost eight years old @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Earlier this week regular patch birder @duncbye.bsky.social spotted one of our colour-ringed Oystercatchers back in the area at Storwood. This individual breeds in the #LDV (back for its fourth breeding season) and winters at Dawlish Warren in Devon – 402 km to the south @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Nocturnal passage of Common Scoter now also underway this week @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Images courtesy of Andy Massey 📸
Recent sightings in the #LDV inc. two Cattle Egrets and five Great White Egrets (present in the Storwood area yesterday,) and whilst goose numbers have reduced since the peak 10 days ago, 47 White-fronts and a single Tundra Bean remain at East Cottingwith @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Image courtesy of Vera Jortzick 📸
A Shelduck colour-ringed by our team (from a cannon-net catch at Bank Island on the 26th January this year) was photographed at Braunschweig, Germany last week – an interesting rapid easterly movement in contrast to most of our other resightings @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Thanks to your fantastic support and the sales, this money will help the Friends of the #LDV to deliver more for birds (and other wildlife) that use the reserve. If you're yet to purchase a copy but would still like one, please contact Lucy.Murgatroyd@naturalengland.org.uk 📖 @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Many thanks to everyone who has purchased a copy of our new book ‘Birds of the LDV’ and for all the fantastic feedback we have received, which we really appreciate thank you. 100% of the cost of this book (£25) goes directly back into conservation projects across the reserve @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Thanks to the efforts of local moth enthusiasts data is being collected from #ForgeValleyWoods NNR this spring, with a successful trapping night this week resulting in 198 moths of 21 species, inc. 73 Common Quaker, 33 Water Carpet, 8 Oak Beauty, 6 Satellite & a noteworthy Red Sword-grass 🦋
On Tuesday the rest of the team visited Applefields School in York to help plant over 400 saplings to improve the school grounds and help with our wider '#naturerecovery...we can’ project in the local parishes - huge thanks to our incredible team who are simply invaluable 🤩
Great day on Tuesday with our team working at #SkipwithCommon NNR to help the estates team from Escrick Park tidy up Sands Lane car park area and carry out the annual clean up of the cattle grids. Many thanks as always to our fantastic team for their efforts 👏👏👏👏
Image courtesy of Mark Breaks 📸
New sighting of a colour-ringed #LDV Shelduck just in – a first year male (ringed at Bank Island in March 2023) has moved north-west and has been seen at Grimsargh Wetland, Lancashire - yet another movement across to Lancashire and the west @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Recently we welcomed the Natural England leadership teams from the north of England to our NNR Base, which provided a great opportunity to showcase our work in the #LDV NNR and surrounding area, as well as looking at how our new Community Hub will further enable #NatureRecovery in the wider area 🐦
Whooper Swan spring passage continues through the #LDV with another large movement on Monday evening and Tuesday morning (a total of 1,200+ birds have now been recorded moving through the site since the 1st March) with flocks of Pink-feet also on the move north-west @yorkbirding.bsky.social
Bar-tailed Godwit in the morning mist at Ellerton Ings @ldvnnr.bsky.social, the highlight of a cracking day birding locally, with Cattle Egret, 860 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Scaup, 80 White-fronted Geese, 5 Great Egrets, Peregrine etc. @yorkbirding.bsky.social
A drove of hares at North Duffield Carrs this morning. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social
My weekly visit to North Duffield Carrs and Bubwith bridge on a murky Monday morning. Lone heron at the bridge. Treecreeper from Geoff Smith hide and wigeon and teal in the gloom. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social
A Cattle Egret at Hagg Bridge & a Bar tailed Godwit from Ellerton church
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social
Wheldrake Ings
178 Whooper Swan with 45 landing & the rest NW)
12 White-fronted Geese
780 Pink-footed Geese (inc 383 NW)
4 Great Egret
21 Little Egret
531 Black-tailed Godwit
238 Golden Plover
275 Pintail
161 Tufted Duck
17 Goldeneye
6 Chiffchaff
1 Otter
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social
A very grey morning at Wheldrake Ings, made photography difficult, but I was pleased with this long-distance shot taken right across the floodplain.
#WheldrakeIngs #YorkBirding
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social
2 Sand Martin at Bank Island this morning. New for ##PWC2026
@yorkbirding.bsky.social @ldvnnr.bsky.social
