08/02/21 - LDV NNR extension

As part of the World Wetlands Day celebrations last week, we were pleased to announce that Natural England has declared a further 22 parcels of land in the Lower Derwent Valley, as National Nature Reserve - increasing the NNR by almost one third from 466 hectares to 602 ha. This includes a total of 47.20 ha managed by Natural England and 96.30 ha managed by Carstairs Countryside Trust. This further safeguards the ownership and management of key areas for their special wildlife, from flower filled hay meadows, breeding waders and waterfowl, to the vast flocks of wintering swans, ducks, geese and wading birds that use the reserve each year. It also helps provide areas of quiet sanctuary against the effects of disturbance and increasing pressure, whilst allowing greater engagement, appreciation and appropriate access at other areas around the reserve. 

World Wetlands Day is celebrated annually on the 2^nd 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 2^nd 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. 

Following on from this exciting news, we are also delighted to inform our followers that The Friends of the LDV have also been successful in purchasing another parcel of hay meadow at Ellerton Ings, which follows an initial purchase of land at North Duffield Carrs last January, and brings the total now owned and managed by The Friends, to just over 11 acres. We are grateful to everybody who has supported The Friends in being able to make this a reality – whether it’s been via buying our cards, calendars or supporting our log sales, or by requesting walks and talks, fundraising and through kind individual donations. Although these parcels of land are now in conservation ownership for perpetuity, The Friends are now looking to build their land acquisition reserves back up, in order to respond quickly to any further opportunities. If you would like to contribute then please follow the link below to their Go Fund Me page in order to help with future acquisitions, thank you - Fundraiser by Lower Derwent Valley NNR : The Lower Derwent Valley NNR. 

02/12/20 - Thermal Imaging

Modern and more affordable technology has opened up new and exciting areas for researching our important bird populations over recent years. The use of thermal imaging cameras have helped us gain a further understanding of how birds move around and utilise the reserve after the cover of darkness – unveiling new important feeding and roosting areas, as well as observing new behaviours - all of which are important in helping us manage and conserve the reserve and its special interest.

However, it has also helped in the capture and ringing of several more nocturnal species that have been poorly studied in the past – birds are first located on the Ings with the thermal imager, before a torch is used to dazzle them into a hand net. Recently our team have been out after dark and have caught the first returning Woodcock back on the Ings grasslands, as well as Golden Plover and Jack Snipe in their night time feeding areas. A number of other farmland bird species have also been caught recently, with Fieldfares, Skylarks and Yellowhammers all recorded. The thermal imager is also proving to be a useful tool in monitoring our local mammals populations after dark. Many thanks to our team of volunteers for their efforts lately helping us to collect this valuable data.

25/11/20 - Mallard to Germany

Perhaps often overlooked and under-appreciated due to their relative abundance and widespread distribution, the drake Mallard is nevertheless a rather attractive duck and a child favourite - hand feeding them at a local park probably sparked a life-long interest in many duck enthusiasts.

Recently, we received a ringing recovery of an adult male, ringed at Wheldrake Ings on 28th April 2011, with only its ring and leg found (presumably left behind by a predator), at Adolfskooger-Sielzug, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, in September 2020. Whilst we’ve had 12 international movements from the 5000+ Mallards ringed to date in the Lower Derwent Valley over the last 30 years, this is the first since 2013, and our first to Germany since 2003.

Numbers of Mallards wintering in the UK have fallen sharply over recent decades, in part thought to be linked to climate change, with birds from further east in Europe now wintering in the Low Countries, rather than continuing into the UK in response to milder winters. Our fall in ringing exchanges between the reserve and the rest of Europe no doubt also supports that shift in winter range, but also demonstrates that there may be more than the eye can see in relationship to our ‘local resident’ Mallard.

 

10/11/20 - Pink-feet arrival

Over recent days we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of geese using the Lower Derwent Valley, especially at Bank Island where large flocks have been roosting - flying in at dusk and then leaving at first light. This has involved around 3000 of our more familiar Greylag Geese, although given the numbers involved (and previous ringing recoveries), not all of these will be of local origin, with birds from Iceland and Northern Europe known to have wintered on the reserve in previous years. There has also been a large number of Pink-footed Geese recorded in the area. This species often flies in larger, more compact skeins, with their high pitched musical calls being very distinctive as they pass overhead. These smaller geese - visitors from Iceland and Greenland during the winter, are a dark chocolate brown with pink legs and a small pink patch on their bill. Up to 2000 have been seen at North Duffield Carrs recently – thanks local patch birder Duncan Bye for the use of his image taken recently in North Duffield, and thanks also to those who shared videos and images on social media.

01/11/20 - Norfolk Marsh Harriers

The story of the Marsh Harrier is a real conservation success - once very rare and confined to a handful of pairs in East Anglia, and now, over recent decades, it has spread from its stronghold to other parts of the country where its preferred reedbed habitat can be found. Now resident in the LDV throughout the year, up to 10 birds have been present on the reserve in recent weeks, with individuals roosting at Bank Island, Wheldrake, Aughton and North Duffield Carrs – at least four of these birds have been marked elsewhere, with wing tags allowing their movements to be tracked. At least two of the four have been ringed as chicks in the nest in Norfolk – one from a brood at Holkham NNR on the North Norfolk coast - many thanks to the ringing team for sending us the images below of the birds being ringed.

Similar in size to a Common Buzzard, Marsh Harriers are longer winged and often fly with their wings held in a shallow ‘V’. Females and juvenile birds are a dark chocolate brown with a cream coloured head and shoulders, whilst the males are a mix of ginger brown and grey. Please do let us know if you see any and if you manage to record any of the wing tagged individuals, thank you. Thanks also to Matt Gowney and Joel Ireland for the use of their images, taken recently at Wheldrake Ings.