Lucy Murg

Yesterdays sightings from North Duffield Carrs included a Raven, Great White Egret, Willow Tit and Merlin, with 65 Whooper Swans nearby at Ellerton Ings & 12 present on the floodwater at Bank Island this morning @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Yesterday our volunteer team were working hard at North Duffield Carrs managing the area which is viewable from the footbridge/path that leads down to the viewing platform, helping to improve the reedbeds, scrub and large veteran willow for the #LDV Willow Tit population - many thanks to all 👏

This week we've also been busy motus-tagging another two Jack Snipe as part of our joint project with @spurnbirdobs.bsky.social, looking at habitat selection, how birds respond to flooding/move through the site, and turnover rates. So much more to learn about this species @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Please keep an eye out for c/r Wigeon when visiting the site (both blue and green rings have been used so far this year) 👀

With an increase in wintering waterfowl recently the team took the first mixed cannon net catch of the season this week, which included a good sample of Wigeon - all colour-ringed as part of #ProjectPenelope @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Up to 1800 Wigeon, 1000+ Teal, 1000+ Lapwing and 1300 Golden Plover have also returned to the area, but are presently quite mobile across the site and surrounding area. Small numbers of Woodcock are now also returning to the Ings after dark @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Now that the site is slowly starting to wet up an increase in waterfowl numbers has been recorded in the wider area in recent days, with the first returning Ruff, Dunlin and Shelduck at North Duffield Carrs on Tuesday + a Great White Egret on the riverbank @yorkbirding.bsky.social

At the other end of the scale, a Lesser Redpoll ringed at Wheldrake Ings at 08:00 on the 18th October was recaught just four hours later at Thorganby - 2km to the south. The number of these birds passing through the area at present this year is just incredible 🐦

Our recent @btobirds.bsky.social ringing recoveries inc. a juvenile Willow Warbler (ringed at Wheldrake Ings on the 18/08/22), which was recaught by ringers at Yasmina, Merzouga, Morocco on the 6th April this year - 2,530 km south of the #LDV @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Earlier this week our team were over at #ForgeValleyWoods NNR talking to the Raincliffe Woods Community Enterprise group about upcoming woodland management across the site – fantastic to see all the autumnal colours and a bit of ‘leaf-art’ 🍂🍃🍁

Good to be back out dazzling on a rainy night in the #LDV this week with the thermal camera, and to see more Woodcock returning to the Ings with the first bird of the winter caught and ringed, along with another sample of Jack Snipe.

It's always nice to welcome a new corporate volunteering team to the #LDV, with staff from the @railandroad.bsky.social joining us for a day spent coppicing willow scrub on Wheldrake (to maintain open views) whilst a bird ringing display and a Long-eared Bat proved popular (thanks Jean) 🦇

Our team have also been present on #SkipwithCommon NNR this week, clearing some of the ditch lines, creating glades and making flight lines between areas of open heath. Nice to also see a flock of 400+ Lesser Redpoll on there as part of the large movement going on at present 🐦

Visitors to North Duffield Carrs may have also noted that we have been undertaking some tree work along the path between the hides, this is to improve view lines and reduce risks to visitors (associated with ash die back) whilst also reducing crow nesting opportunities.

This week our team have been busy in the #LDV removing more of the old fencing from North Duffield Carrs (to reduce the number of perches used by corvids to help reduce predation pressures on breeding wader populations), whilst also giving the site a much more open/natural feel. Many thanks to all 👏

Earlier this week our team were busy removing some old (and now unrequired) fencing from North Duffield Carrs – creating a larger/more open area with fewer perches that can be used by crows/other avian predators (to try and help the breeding success of our waders and waterfowl). Many thanks to all 👏

Now is a great time of year to visit our NNRs for some autumnal experiences – #SkipwithCommon NNR was looking particularly nice at the weekend with many families out and about enjoying the natural environment and some of our stunning fungi like this Fly Agaric 🍄

We’ve also received several recoveries of the Black-tailed Godwits ringed in the #LDV during spring. Some of these birds have been resighted on autumn passage at Snettisham in Norfolk, East Halton in Lincolnshire and Cork in Ireland, as well as in Merseyside and Essex @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Large numbers of Lesser Redpoll are currently on the move through the #LDV - one ringed at 5pm on the 6th October at #SkipwithCommon NNR was recaught by another ringer, 29 km away, at Thorpe Marsh at 11.30am the following morning @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Winter thrush arrival in the #LDV on Tuesday morning with 1,000+ Redwing recorded over Bank Island and a similar number following again yesterday morning, with additional birds heard calling overnight @yorkbirding.bsky.social Thanks to @teejay811.bsky.social for the image 📸

Whilst it is unfortunate news, it does help us understand the migration routes taken by these birds – it's also only the 15th recovery from BTO ringing outside of the UK and only the second to Spain @yorkbirding.bsky.social

We’ve also just received news (albeit rather unfortunate) that one of our Corncrakes (released at Bank Island on 27th June as a young male) was 'accidentially' shot in northern Spain on 23rd August – 1,271 km south of the #LDV on its way to the wintering grounds @yorkbirding.bsky.social

We're pleased to say it's been a bumper year for Chiffchaffs with good breeding productivity - one ringed in the #LDV on 11th August was recaught by ringers on its way south on 21st September, at Hornchurch, Greater London – 270 km to the SE @yorkbirding.bsky.social

At the weekend we hosted our first task with the Bubwith Community Action Group, who, having done a fantastic job during the summer removing balsam from the riverbanks around Bubwith Church and elsewhere through the parish, helped us with some willow management on the riverbank at North Duffield 👏

It’s beginning to feel and sound more autumnal on the Ings now - just need some more water! 💦 💧 🦆 @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 🦋

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

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) 👏👏

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.