24/04/26 - Wild bird crop

Three years ago, the Friends of the Lower Derwent Valley purchased an 11-acre arable field behind the hides at North Duffield Carrs, now called ‘New Meadow’ – turning half into a species-rich hay meadow and the other half into a wild bird crop, bordered by mixed hedgerows and fruit trees. The present wild bird crop has been down for two years now, and over that time has attracted large flocks of wintering finches, including Goldfinch and Linnet in good numbers, with smaller numbers of Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer, Brambling and up to 30 Corn Buntings. Over the last week we have resown this crop by rotavating the land and then sowing and harrowing the seed, which comprises species like linseed, sunflower, millet, quinoa, radish, mustard and cereals, which will provide a variety of food and cover throughout the winter months. 

The Friends have been able to carry out this work thanks to a kind donation from https://www.fawcett-maltsters.co.uk/ – a malting company working with us to help the Corn Bunting or ‘fat bird of the barley’ as it is otherwise known. We are also very grateful for other private donations received – all helping to fund this vital work, and in doing so helping our bird populations, but also adding to the enjoyment of visitors to the site – please do let us know which species you see in this area when visiting.

20/04/26 - Heronry visit

Last week our ringing team, assisted by expert tree climbers, visited the local heronry in order to colour-ring a sample of Grey Heron chicks. This heronry has been monitored since 1977 by Natural England and the Lower Derwent Valley team as part of the BTO’s annual heronry census, where an early nest count in April is followed by a second visit in early June. A total of 219 chicks have been ringed in the heronry over the years, with over 100 fitted with individual identifiable yellow numbered colour-rings. 

From the data collected during this time, it has shown that soon after fledging the young birds tend to disperse north into North Yorkshire, Cleveland and Northumberland, although one individual headed south into Derbyshire. In most years, the young leave the heronry and go straight onto Wheldrake Ings to feed before dispersing – so please keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks (the first large broods will be fledging in the coming days), and please leave any records of colour-ringed birds in the hide log books provided, or send us the details via our social media accounts, thank you.

More details and ringing recoveries/maps can be found in the new Birds of the Lower Derwent Valley book - to order yourself a copy please contact Lucy.Murgatroyd@naturalengland.org.uk

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/