Still a handful of whoopers at North Duffield Carrs this morning along with a lot of herons and a pair of pintail. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

On arrival at North Duffield Carrs this morning I was serenaded by a song thrush, escorted in by a pair of red legged partridge, watched by the mute swan on the nest and checked out by the hare. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Last week our team made a brief visit to the local heronry where we have been monitoring nests since 1977. Only four young were ringed (brood sizes small this year) and several nests were found with very small young, although others will be fledging in the coming days @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Can visitors to the #LDV please be aware that there will be further disruption to our car park at Bank Island this week as resurfacing work continues, with no access & single file traffic management on the road. Completion of the new build is still expected by mid-June @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Other sightings have also come in recently from
@rspb.bsky.social Blacktoft_Sands, Nosterfield LNR, Cambridgeshire and Cork. Thank you to everyone who has sent in sightings and photographs, helping us to monitor this rapidly expanding species in the #LDV @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Although Black-tailed Godwit numbers are falling quickly now as birds move through the #LDV earlier each year, we've had a run of resightings inc. a bird ringed last April (then wintered on the Humber before appearing at North Cave in December) until it reappeared back in the #LDV from 04/01.

Our ringing team had a small but successful catch of waders in the #LDV recently, with 2 Curlew & 2 Black-tailed Godwits colour-ringed, with time beforehand spent monitoring the daytime feeding fields used by the first returning Whimbrel following our recent soil analysis @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Nice to welcome members of RSPB Harrogate District to the reserve on Saturday, following our talk there earlier in the week - a great day on the reserve started with exploring the moth trap (first Swallow and Lesser Swallow Prominent of the year & a rather smart Herald) 🦋 Thanks to all 🙂

If you're free on the 9th or 23rd May, join us for a walk along the canal to listen out for bubbling Curlew, drumming Snipe, calling Cuckoos & reeling Grasshopper Warblers, with the sight of Spotted Flycatchers also a possibility. Booking details below (numbers limited) @yorkbirding.bsky.social

We're pleased to say that #LDV volunteer & local birder Neil Cooper is once again leading guided walks along the Pocklington Canal and Melbourne/Thornton Ings (on behalf of PCAS & the Friends of the Lower Derwent Valley) – booking is essential (details in the poster below) @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Image courtesy of Trevor Walton 📸 @teejay811.bsky.social

Another good weekend in the #LDV inc. an Osprey, 8 Whooper Swans, drake Garganey, drake Green-winged Teal and several Cuckoos, amongst a general arrival of summer migrants and ongoing departure of winter visitors - 62 Black-tailed Godwits remain & up to 6 Great White Egrets @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Very distant Cuckoo

Great white egret

1 of 3 Whooper swans

Another fabulous patch tick this morning with a male Whinchat. I've not seen one here in the past 25+years.✅️
And then a couple of hrs @ldvnnr.bsky.social Wheldrake ings. Where are very distant Cuckoo was calling, Sedge and Reed warblers also NFY
@yorkbirding.bsky.social

Wheldrake Ings
2 Cuckoo new for #PWC2026
1 Corn Bunting
2 Ruff
3 Whooper Swan
1 Great Egret
4 Pintail
female Goldeneye
1 Great Crested Grebe
2 Reed Warbler
3 Cetti's Warbler
@yorkbirding.bsky.social @ldvnnr.bsky.social

Wheldrake Ings
drake Green-winged Teal
2 Great Egret
62 Black-tailed Godwit
3 Whooper Swan
2 Pintail
2 Reed Warbler
12 Sedge Warbler
2 Whitethroat
25 Willow Warbler
8 Blackcap
500 Sand Martin

Bank Island
1 Lesser Whitethroat
3 Whitethroat
2 Pintail
@yorkbirding.bsky.social @ldvnnr.bsky.social

Wheldrake Ings this morning, plenty of warblers singing including 1 Cetti's, 3 Reed and Whitethroat, 2 very obliging Great White Egret and Small Tortoiseshell (not seen many this year) @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Great White Egret

Nice morning at Wheldrake Ings. 46 species inc. 1 m Garganey ( flew up river towards the bridge ) 2xGW Egrets and 3xWhooper Swans @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social
#birds #birding #birdsSeenin2026 🪶
#wildlife #photography #naturephotography

A drake Green-winged Teal at Wheldrake Ings with the Teal flock. Also 2 Reed Warbler. A Lesser Whitethroat at Bank Island. All new #PWC2026
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Next week on Monday 20th April Senior Reserve Manager Craig Ralston will be at Bubwith All Saints Church to give a talk on the #LDV NNR and wider #NatureRecovery in our local parishes 🐦🐝🦋🌿To book yourself a free place please contact Lucy.Murgatroyd@naturalengland.org.uk @yorkbirding.bsky.social

These Sand Martins, sheltering from the wind at Wheldrake Ings, give me that #FridayFeeling @yorkbirding.bsky.social @ldvnnr.bsky.social

Whilst working on Wheldrake Ings this week it was also nice to spend a few minutes in the meadow counting the Snake's-head Fritillaries (non native sp. - appearing 15 years ago, but seemingly doing well and spreading). Greater Burnet, Pepper Saxifrage & Lady's Smock also recorded 🌿

This week our team of volunteers have also been busy on Wheldrake Ings – helping @yorkswildlife.bsky.social manage their part of the NNR, with jobs involving mowing the paths, cleaning the signs & roping off the reedbed (to keep the path clear when the reeds start to put on more growth).

Recently our team have been busy carrying out more fencing and hide repairs at North Duffield Carrs (now that the floodwater in the #LDV has receded). There's still more to do, but hopefully accessing the path and hides will now be a bit easier for our visitors 🥾🥾

Thank you to Rochdale Field Nats & RSPB Harrogate District for hosting us recently - great to be able to support the work of the Friends of the #LDV thanks to more sales and kind donations made, all helping to deliver even more on the ground. Looking forward to Ryedale Field Nats next week 🙂

Several more Cuckoo’s have arrived in the #LDV over the last few days, with the first Grasshopper Warbler also heard reeling at Melbourne on Tuesday. The first returning Whimbrel, Greenshank & 2 Green Sandpipers (Wheldrake/Bank Island) suggest a bit of wader passage @yorkbirding.bsky.social

1 of the (4) Egrets tried to take an MA duckling, hovering over it. The female flew up successfully several times chest-bumping it away.
93 Godwits on Swantail.
nfy Lesser Whitethroat
2 GBBB's briefly dropped in.
Late Common Gulls moving N c.50
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Garganey Hide, North Duffield Carrs this morning. Not a soul about, deadly quiet apart from the calls of Curlew, Redshank, Lapwing and Skylark - brilliant! . Also 5 Whooper Swan, 7 Black-tailed Godwit @yorkbirding.bsky.social @ldvnnr.bsky.social

A drake Garganey at Wheldrake Ings this morning & 5 Crane over Ellerton Ings at midday before gaining height
@ldvnnr.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Little egret and redshank in flight today at North Duffield Carrs today but not many whoopers left. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Blackcap, linnet, reed bunting and red kite at North Duffield Carrs today. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social