Wrens and swallows in flight at North Duffield Carrs. @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Mixing indoor and outdoor door sessions is helping our course participants @yorkscoastnature.bsky.social gain confidence in their new birding skills . Today’s visit to @yorkswildlife.bsky.social #strensallcommon gave great views of woodland species @yorkbirding.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

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

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

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

Buzzing to have 5 pristine wheatear
on the new Community Woodland near Rufforth. First ones there, so really pleased. Lesser whitethroats are back too. Starting to become a nice little site @yorkbirding.bsky.social @northyorksbirds.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

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

A chilly early morning at Wheldrake Ings with a crossover in seasons, lots of singing Sedge Warblers & 5 Pinkfeet @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Record shot of female Common Scoter at Newburgh Priory this afternoon @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social @northyorksbirds.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

My first singing & displaying Tree Pipit of the year today. Distant, in a very quiet corner of Yearsley Moor wood.
@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

Fab morning in the York area, with an Osprey fishing along the Pocklington Canal at East Cottingwith, two showy Cuckoos, two Whimbrels and two Common Sandpipers, all new for the year. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Sparsely wooded slopes in bright spring sunshine on edge of the Yorkshire Wolds

Almost exactly one year on and I managed to find redstarts again at the same spot. Several singing frequently but just passing through, I think.
@yorkbirding.bsky.social

A pair of cuckoo near the pool at Wheldrake Ings this morning @yorkbirding.bsky.social

A Female Common Scoter still at Newburgh Priory Lake & a single Heslington East today

@nybirdnews.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

Female Common Scoter on Newburgh Priory Lake today
@nybirdnews.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

1st @bbs-birds.bsky.social completed today at Menethorpe.
Notables 9 Oycs (4,3,2) in different transects, a Nuthatch calling in flight, 10 Sand Martins through direct on mig, 4 Kites(2,1,1) in diff transects & 110 Common Gulls in one flock SW along Derwent at 0820hrs.
@yorkbirding.bsky.social

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