03/03/25 - Black-tailed Godwit increase

A species which is now a highlight in the Lower Derwent Valley each spring is the Black-tailed Godwit, which has increased dramatically in recent years and now occurs earlier than previously. During the early 1990s spring passage flocks increased from 20–30 birds to flocks of up to 100, often appearing for just a day in late April and early May. However, since then, as the Icelandic breeding population has grown, numbers here have also increased, with peak counts now usually occurring in March. This year up to 200 have been present from early February with 543 recorded over the weekend at Wheldrake Ings, with further birds expected to arrive and build up over the coming weeks. These birds are usually best looked for at either Wheldrake Ings or North Duffield Carrs, with the spring passage flocks of summer plumaged birds a real spectacle – last year numbers peaked at 1,120 on the 20th March at Wheldrake Ings – certainly one to look out for on your next visit.

24/02/25 - Spring arrival

With temperatures rising over the weekend, it’s a time of change in the Lower Derwent Valley once again. Curlew numbers have jumped from 50 to 160+ over the last week with several pairs back on territory throughout the site - it's always a highlight of the year when the first singing and displaying birds are heard across the Ings.

Breeding Oystercatchers have also returned to the reserve, their arrival having moved forward over the last 40 years from mid-March to mid-January, although most arrive from early to mid-February. The now annual build up of Black-tailed Godwits has also started, with just over 200 at Wheldrake Ings during the last couple of weeks. Other signs of spring include breeding activity in the local heronry, the sudden return of Little Egrets, nest-building Mute Swans, singing Woodlarks on Skipwith Common NNR and the appearance of the first frogs. Whilst there is likely to be some cold and wintry weather still to come, it’s a great time of year to get out and about on the reserve and enjoy the changing seasons.

Thanks to local wildlife photographer Terry Weston for the use of his image.

16/02/25 - February WeBS

At the weekend several of the team carried out the monthly WeBS UK count of the LDV’s waterfowl, as part of the national ‘Wetland Bird Survey’. These surveys have taken place on the NNR since the 1960s, and with the use of standard methodology, allow trends in wildfowl and wader populations to be studied, both at a site level and across the county.

Of the 27,500 birds counted in the Lower Derwent this weekend 20,500 were swans, geese and ducks which included an impressive 1,092 Pintail. This represents the second highest count on record for the LDV following last winter’s record breaking 1,120 in February 2024. From looking at previous years WeBS data, we can see that the ten-year averages for winter peak counts show that numbers were in the range of 54-70 during the 1960s, 70s and 80s, with numbers then increasing to an average of 186 during the 1990s, and more dramatically to 468 during the 2000s. Peak counts during the 2000s passed 600 birds in four winter periods, with the largest count of that decade of 674 in 2007/08, being surpassed by a count of 716 ten years later in the 2017/18 winter period, before two counts of 800+ more recently as well as last year’s peak of 1,120. It’s great to see the value of these long-term monitoring schemes, and to see Pintail, such a stunning and eloquent duck, doing so well here, perhaps as they start to shift their range in response to climate. Many thanks to all of our counters who have helped to contribute to this data set.

03/02/25 - World Wetlands Day

With our World Wetlands Day celebration now over, Shaun is hitting the road again to help spread the Countryside Code message elsewhere, but we’re pleased to say that Saturday was a huge success thanks to Shaun and our fantastic team who were busy all day recruiting new volunteers and running activities including bird ringing, guided walks, nest box/bird feeder construction and owl pellet dissection. 

It was also great to see the local school children in Melbourne getting involved in learning about why wetlands like the #LDV are so important and what we can all do to help protect them. 

Shaun’s arrival in the #LDV last week also coincided with the delivery of our new responsible recreation signs as part of our ongoing trial. Look out for these going up around the reserve over the course of the next few weeks informing visitors of public access areas and viewing facilities, and how we can all do our bit to help look after our special wildlife.

22/01/25 - Woodcock

Around 100,000 breeding Woodcock in the UK increase to in excess of a million birds wintering here, as birds from Eastern Europe move west in search of milder conditions. These birds spend the nights feeding (largely on earthworms) on farmland, pasture and the Ings grasslands after dark, before then spending the daytime in dense cover in the undergrowth of hedgerows and woodlands. Here their cryptic camouflage comes into its own as they melt away into the leaf litter on the woodland floor. Although you’re unlikely to spot one on a visit to the reserve (unless you’re present at dusk when they can sometimes be seen flying around the Wheldrake car park area), they usually appear after dark and are found using our thermal camera’s which have helped us to understand their requirements and habitat use in the local area.

In December, prior to the floods, we caught and ringed a Woodcock and Jack Snipe on Wheldrake Ings, and just four days later we recaught both of those birds together over 5 km away on pasture fields near Elvington Airfield, having been displaced from the reserve due to the extensive flooding. Knowing just how birds might move round the landscape and surrounding fields in response to flooding and other conditions helps us better target conservation measures, to ensure other suitable and equally vital habitats are protected and managed for these rather secretive and previously poorly understood and under-recorded species.

19/01/25 - Smew arrival

Over the last week it has been fantastic to see two Smew arrive in the #LDV. A male first appeared at Wheldrake Ings where it was then joined by a female (red-head) over the weekend, with the pair spending time on both the pool and nearby Swantail Ings – make sure to visit soon to enjoy these stunning ducks if you can.

Smew are winter visitors to the UK, with most birds not arriving until at least December and leaving again by the middle of March, before spending the summer in the taiga forests of northern Scandinavia and Russia, where they nest around lakes, ponds, rivers and other water-logged places – ideally with plenty of trees where they nest in holes and cavities.

The number of Smew reaching the UK each winter has sadly decreased dramatically in recent decades, with them now considered a scarce visitor (over recent years not more than 100 individuals have wintered in the whole of Britain). This decrease has been attributed to the effects of climate change, with warmer winters reducing the distance they have to travel from their breeding grounds to escape freezing conditions. However, numbers/sightings across the reserve over the last decade have actually shown an increase in contrast to the national trend, which may reflect a shift in range from previous key sites in southern England. Other species possibly appearing as a result of the recent cold weather include several White-fronted Geese, two Tundra Beans, Hen Harrier, Scaup and a Short-eared Owl, so plenty to look out for as we head towards our World Wetlands Day celebrations at Melbourne Village Hall on Saturday 1st February. 

Thanks to #LDV volunteer and artist Dominique Vassie for the wonderful sketch.

07/01/25 - Date for your diary!

This year we are holding a World Wetlands Day celebration at Melbourne Village Hall on Saturday 1st February 10.30am-3.30pm – come along to what will we be an amazing family fun day and find out just how special the Lower Derwent Valley and its wildlife is, with opportunities to meet the team, try out some practical volunteering taster sessions, enjoy some children’s art exhibitions, guided walks and bird ringing demonstrations. There is also the chance to meet our special guest 😁 Shaun the Sheep is back and explaining how we can all enjoy our very special nature reserve responsibly using the Countryside Code.

World Wetlands Day is celebrated annually on the 2nd February, with the aim of raising global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and the planet. The day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on the 2nd February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea, and is the reason the #LDV is now a Ramsar site. The day celebrates all the benefits wetlands bring – from biodiversity, flood storage and reduction, food and jobs, clean water and access to health environments for recreation – definitely plenty to celebrate here, with this year’s theme ‘protecting wetlands for our common future’.

https://www.worldwetlandsday.org/display-event?p_p_id=eventDisplay&eventEntryId=1663016&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldwetlandsday.org%2Fevents%23event1663016&fbclid=IwY2xjawHswJtleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHXTFmZwyss-BmSObepj8YPJDQicMkkUQ5hmPZThB9uZxhGvp-OloonyJEg_aem_wOexjBCANL3_Yr0gQtHonQ