14/04/26 - Return of the Cuckoo

Spring brings many wildlife delights and things to look out for, but one of the most anticipated sounds must be the call of a returning Cuckoo, usually around mid-April. 

Although numbers of this iconic summer visitor have sadly fallen in many parts of the UK (thought in part to be linked to the changes of abundance and distribution of prey), numbers in the Lower Derwent Valley are holding up. The new ‘Birds of the LDV’ lists one on the 2nd April 1995 as the earliest to have been recorded, followed by others on the 6th and 9th April 1996, 10th April 2000 and 12th April 2014. However, the main influx still occurs in late April and early May. 

The first calling birds were heard at Wheldrake Ings last week on the 10th April (making them the joint fourth earliest to have been recorded). Another individual then appeared this week at Melbourne on the 14th, with more expected to follow in the coming days, so please do let us know if you’re fortunate enough to hear one. The section of the Pocklington Canal in Melbourne is a particularly favoured haunt, along with the pool at Wheldrake Ings, with both areas being a good place to listen out for the distinctive ‘Cuckoo’ call of the male, and the less frequently heard ‘bubbling’ call of the female.

06/04/26 - Garganey arrival

The Lower Derwent Valley NNR has long been known as an important site for breeding Garganey (a duck species which is a summer visitor only). The first birds usually arrive back into the UK in mid-March, and stay for the summer, before departing again during August and September, spending the winter months in tropical Africa.

Not only is the LDV important for holding significant numbers of this rare breeding duck, but also in some years it can provide birders with one of the best chances to have a close encounter with this beautiful species. 

The first individual for the year appeared at Wheldrake Ings on the 21st March, with the next (a pair) seen at North Duffield Carrs on the 3rd April (from Garganey Hide) – aptly named 😃 The hides at both Bank Island and Wheldrake Ings have in recent years proved popular locations from which to see this species, often given away by their football rattle-like calls. The reserve is also very important for breeding Garganey, and most years one or two pairs are seen with broods of ducklings, some of which have been caught and colour-ringed over the years, so it’s always worth keeping an eye out for any colour-ringed individuals when visiting the site – thank you. 

Thank you to Christopher Bell for the use of his superb image - taken in the Lower Derwent Valley in a previous year 📸

02/04/26 - GCN training

During the last couple of weeks we’ve been hosting Froglife at our NNR base at Bank Island as part of their Great Crested Newt training courses. Each two-day course involves a classroom session on the first the day, followed by an evening spent on Skipwith Common NNR, with the second day spent returning to the Common for an early morning fieldwork session. 

These courses have been running for several years between both NNRs, and have resulted in numerous trained and licenced surveyors, and not just with Great Crested Newts, but also resulting in an increased awareness of surveying and habitat use, and the management and legal protection of a range of amphibians. 

If this is something you might be interested in to help further your career in conservation, have a look at the Froglife website for more details.

https://www.froglife.org/

22/03/26 - Humberhead Peatlands NNR task

Recently our team of LDV NNR volunteers travelled away from the Lower Derwent and over towards Doncaster, where they joined up with staff from the ‘Life’ project at Humberhead Peatlands NNR at Thorne Moors, to help the team with a planting task and to enjoy working on a different site for the day. 

The task involved the planting of over 7,000 cotton grass plugs on areas of bare peat as part of the first stage of peatland restoration, where cotton grass is used to plug bare, wet, or previously drained peatlands. The cotton grass plugs are planted in a diamond pattern which will in time see sphagnum plugs planted in the centre, which will be sheltered by the cotton grass. These root systems help stabilise loose, bare peat surfaces, thus reducing further erosion, as well as creating suitable habitats for insects (e.g. caterpillars of the Large Heath butterfly) and nesting birds, whilst encouraging the return of bog-forming vegetation, and in doing so turning carbon-emitting bare peat back into a carbon-capturing sink and in storing more water, and generally in helping in the second phase of peatland restoration, after water tables have been raised by blocking drainage ditches and grips. 

Many thanks as ever to our ‘LDV super team’ who can turn their hand to anything and always bring plenty of enthusiasm and good humour to the day. Looking forward to doing more of this going forward and returning to Humberhead Peatlands NNR in the autumn to help with the sphagnum planting.

If you'd like to lend a hand and join our volunteer group, or work for an organisation that offers corporate volunteering days, please contact us via: Lucy.Murgatroyd@naturalengland.org.uk

16/03/26 - Blackcap arrival

Along with the other signs of spring that we’ve enjoyed during the warmth of the last week or so, have been the first singing Chiffchaffs and Blackcap of the year 🎶

The melodic song of the male, with its black ‘cap’ (rather than the reddish brown of the female and juveniles) is a common sight and sound in spring, and is increasing across Britain & Ireland through the breeding season, as well as now being increasingly encountered throughout the winter months 🐦

Thank you to everyone who has reported wintering Blackcaps in and around the reserve and York area recently, following our last post on here, and thank you to Stuart Masheder for this superb image of a male in his York garden 📸

Small numbers of returning birds are likely to arrive this month, with larger numbers following from early April – please do keep us posted with your migrant arrivals or other signs of spring 😎