24/11/25 - Firecrest

Whilst working at the office last week we decided to open our mist nets so that Ben (new reserve manager/trainee bird ringer), could get the chance to have more experience of extracting, handling and ringing some of the local Blue and Long-tailed Tits often present around our NNR Base, so it was somewhat of a surprise to then find a Firecrest during one of the net rounds!

Whilst a total of 18 individuals have now been recorded in the wider Lower Derwent area, this one was the first since 2021, with records in 2016 and 2013 prior to that, making this species a difficult bird to connect with in the local area. Over half of all the records have fallen in the months of October and November, and as the new forthcoming ‘Birds of the Lower Derwent Valley’ states – the careful checking of riverside tit flocks in late October and early November would seem the best chance in locating one of these colourful gems’.

Did you know - Regulus ignicapilla (scientific name) translates roughly as the ‘fire-capped little king’ – a reference to the beautiful orange crown of the male, well it’s safe to say that this bird (young male) was indeed a little stunner!

10/11/25 - Autumn work programme

If you’re interested in what our team have been up to across the NNR recently please read on to find out – we honestly couldn’t manage without our fantastic team of volunteers, who help us day in, day out, to manage the four National Nature Reserves across our area. If you’re reading this and are thinking you might also like to lend a hand, please feel free get in touch for more details – our team is made up of a mix of all ages and all abilities, all with the same thing in common – a love for nature and the outdoors. If this appeals to you and you'd like to mix with like-minded people to help manage a National Nature Reserve, we’d love to hear from you.

🍂 Autumn Action Across the Valley & Common 🍂

With the winter floods edging ever closer, our brilliant team of volunteers have been making the most of the dry autumn weather — each week feeling like a gift, allowing us to tick off more vital habitat management tasks across the reserves.

So, what’s been keeping us busy?

🧹 Scrub Clearance for Waders

Across the Lower Derwent Valley, we’ve been focusing on removing willow scrub from key meadow areas. These open habitats are essential for red and amber-listed wading birds like Curlew and Snipe, who rely on clear sightlines to spot danger while nesting in spring and summer. Thanks to our volunteers — armed with loppers and bowsaws — these meadows are kept open and ready to welcome back our breeding birds.

🪵 Out with the Old Fencing

Redundant fencing has also been removed. Not only can it interfere with machinery, but the old posts offer perfect perches for crows — a threat to ground-nesting birds. By clearing these out, we’re giving Curlew and Snipe a safer space to raise their young.

🌱 Birch Clearance at Skipwith Common

Meanwhile, at Skipwith Common, work continues to clear young birch from a ditch — allowing light to reach the food plant of the orange tip butterfly. Come spring, this same ditch will be alive with fluttering wings and buzzing life, all thanks to the efforts of our volunteers.

🌳 Creating Glades for Invertebrates & Nightjars

We’ve also been cutting glades into the birch rows, helping invertebrates move more freely between habitat blocks. This connectivity is key — not just for moths, but for the Nightjars that spend their summers here, hunting across the heath.

🙏 A Huge Thank You

This is just a snapshot of the incredible work our volunteers have done over the past few months. Their dedication makes all the difference — without them, the wildlife we treasure simply wouldn’t thrive in the same way. Here’s to every bow saw wielded, every fence post pulled, and every moment spent making space for nature.

29/10/25 - Whooper Swans

The first herd of returning Whooper Swans (herd of eight) passed through the LDV on the way back from their Icelandic breeding grounds on the 22nd September. Several passage herds have been noted since and twelve have been present in the usual fields at North Duffield Carrs this week, with more likely to arrive in the coming days and weeks as birds depart Iceland (where they breed in marshes, lakes and small tundra pools). Around 40,000 now winter in the UK with the majority being found in the northern half of the country, with large numbers gathering at the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust centres such as Martin Mere, Caerlaverock and Welney.

Numbers in the LDV usually build up from mid-October and reach between 100-150 birds, with North Duffield Carrs and the fields by Bubwith Bridge being favoured areas. The trumpeting herds passing over the reserve as they head to the Cambridgeshire Fens are a truly welcome sight and sound of autumn. Please do let us know if you see (or hear) any flocks passing over the area. 

20/10/25 - Autumn arrivals

Over the last few days we have seen the arrival of the first of our winter thrushes, with Redwings the first to appear in small numbers from Scandinavia, often from the first week in October. Their high-pitched calls can be heard overhead during the hours of darkness as they migrate westwards, and tired and hungry flocks can often be seen and heard chattering as they search hedgerows for berry-laden bushes on which they feed.

There are only a small number of birds around at the moment, but as the weather turns colder and the supply of fruit and berries becomes depleted, larger numbers will return once again to the Ings to feed on the edge of the damp meadows, taking advantage of the high numbers of earthworms and other invertebrate prey.

Mid-September also saw the first arrivals of Pink-footed Geese in the UK and several skeins moved through the Lower Derwent Valley, as they began to arrive into the country from their Icelandic and Greenland breeding grounds. Flocks of these migrating geese often fly high and produce an almost excited medley of high-pitched honking calls, and being particularly vocal in flight makes them a sight and sound so indicative of autumn. As we move towards the end of October birds are still arriving in the LDV with two or three hundred birds now ‘resident’ around the reserve.

Almost 300,000 Pink-footed Geese winter in the UK each year with large concentrations in Scotland, around the Wash and in the north-west, particularly Martin Mere WWT. Flocks passing through the reserve at this time of year are all heading south-east and are probably on passage to the Wash or Humber Estuary. Birds then return north-west again in January and February as they start to return to the north-west coasts before making the spring migration back to their breeding grounds. Small numbers sometimes remain throughout the winter and join up with the larger semi-resident Greylag flocks. Pink-footed Geese can be separated from the similar Greylag quite easily – look for a small, dainty dark chocolate brown head and a small dark bill with a band of pink (if seen well) – also take note of the pink legs as opposed to the more orangey-pink legs of the larger/greyer Greylag. No doubt more flocks will follow over the next few weeks so please do let us know if you see (or hear) any.

14/10/25 - Hamza's Wild Isles ft. the LDV

Over a long weekend back in February some of our team spent several days working alongside wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin (of Strictly Come Dancing fame!) and the rest of the crew in filming a feature for the forthcoming ‘Wild Isles’ series that started on BBC One at the weekend.

This series covers yet more of the amazing wildlife spectacles that we are lucky enough to support in our ‘wild isles’, but focuses on the more hidden, hard to see, elusive and surprising wildlife experiences our countryside supports. We don’t want to give the game away, but make sure you keep a look out for the National Nature Reserves at Lower Derwent Valley and Skipwith Common as we track down one special visitor, who, having travelled thousands of miles to get here, often remains elusive and hard to see. Whilst we have been studying this species for a few years now, it’s great to be able to share this work, along with the amazing footage with a wider audience – so make sure you tune in on Sunday evenings for the next few weeks, or watch all of the episodes on BBC iPlayer.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p0l07b2y/hamzas-hidden-wild-isles?seriesId=p0l07b2y-structural-1-m0029sy6