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Earlier this week we delivered our second talk of the autumn for the RSPB York Local Group on the Birds of the #LDV – great to see such a healthy turn out and much appreciated support of the work of Natural England and the #FriendsoftheLDV with several books sold along with many greetings cards 📖

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Recently our volunteers have also been busy in Naburn – returning to the Community Hall where we have helped in previous years to create a wildflower area for the local community, with the team strimming and raking off this year's growth followed by a top-up of wildflower seed #NatureRecovery…WeCan

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Our #LDV moth trap has been catching well at present – providing valuable data as well as being enjoyed by our Lithuanian visitors, inc. this hard to spot Green-brindled Crescent 🦋

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Great to use our new Hub to host our visitors & share presentations on the differences/similarities in approaches between the two countries, & nice to know copies of the ‘Birds of the LDV’ are on the way back to Lithuania – perhaps crossing paths with some of the waterfowl that visit the reserve 😄

It was a pleasure to welcome representatives from the State Service for Protected Areas and Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania earlier this week, with great discussions had inc. the sharing of ideas in managing protected sites, landscapes, heritage and #NatureRecovery

Another incredible effort by our team of #LDV volunteers on Tuesday resulted in our dipping pond being just about finished. It's great to see it looking so good already, and fantastic to watch as a Grey Wagtail flew in and used it shortly afterwards 🙂 Huge thanks to all 👏

Good to see a second cut taken at Bank Island yesterday – providing much needed grass for the local farming community, as well as creating the ideal short sward for our wintering wildfowl and waders when they return later in the year with the winter floods 🦆

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Some stunning autumnal mornings have been enjoyed recently by our #LDV ringing team, with a large movement of Chiffchaff noted through the site (total of 54 caught last week), and an increase in Reed Buntings, Robins, Dunnocks and Song Thrush.

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Last week our volunteer team also made a start helping us to improve the existing dipping pond at our #LDV NNR Base at Bank Island – clearing out the vegetation and replacing the liner before refilling (and carefully moving Common Swift larvae found amongst the vegetation).

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Great day last week welcoming some of the Natural England finance team to the #LDV to show them how their own work contributes to delivery on the ground. Nice to also be able to show them around our new NNR Community Hub before enjoying the contents of the moth trap and a bird ringing demonstration.

Recently our hardworking team of volunteers have continued to make progress with the revamp of our swan pipe (netting now starting to be attached which is always a challenge), with just the catching end then to finish, before we resume our #LDV duck ringing as numbers start to increase 🦆🦢

We’ve also been able to rotovate the scrapes at Bank Island recently – incorporating organic material back into the soil, which will result in a flush of invertebrate activity next summer and provide food for our wading bird species @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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Whilst the site remains dry we have been able to help out our partners @yorkswildlife.bsky.social with the de-silting of the scrape at Swantail Hide at Wheldrake Ings – still more to do but it's already looking good, and is now more likely to hold water next summer if another drought occurs.

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+ the first two Redwings of the autumn over Bank Island this morning and 150 Golden Plover on fields by Raker Lakes (near Wheldrake) yesterday @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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Duncan Bye @duncbye.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Recent sightings in the #LDV inc. small numbers of Pink-footed Geese (daily), 700 Teal, 4 Cetti’s Warblers, Ravens (Low Grounds, North Duffield Carrs, Wheldrake and Hemingbrough), several Stonechats, an Osprey and good numbers of Grey Partridge coveys (across the local area) @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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Bank Island 1 Raven W 1 Egyptian Goose W 280 Pink-footed Geese N 1 Marsh Harrier 1 Cetti's Warbler 12 Curlew Wheldrake Ings 3 Cetti's Warbler 1 Marsh Harrier 12 Chiffchaff North Duffield Carrs 4 Stonechat 1 Clouded Yellow Storwood 1 Little Grebe @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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LDV_NNR @ldvnnr.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Can visitors to #SkipwithCommon NNR please be aware of the habitat creation work to be carried out during the week of the 28th September – full details and alternative route below @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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eborbirder.bsky.social @eborbirder.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The Spotted Flycatcher at North Duffield Carrs this morning @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

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Duncan Bye @duncbye.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Bank Island 1 Hobby 9 Chiffchaff 8 Blackcap 1 Whitethroat 11 Jay Pink-footed Geese - skein heard Wheldrake Ings 1 Stonechat 12 Curlew 2 Marsh Harrier 1 Cetti's Warbler @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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Duncan Bye @duncbye.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

In the @ldvnnr.bsky.social Bank Island 30 Pink-footed Geese NW 5 Red Kite Wheldrake Ings 1 Great Egret 11 Curlew 4 Marsh Harrier 2 Cetti's Warbler 23 Chiffchaff North Duffield Carrs 2 Whinchat 7 Stonechat 250 Meadow Pipit 1 Little Egret Ellerton Landing 2 Egyptian Geese @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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New ringing recovery just in – a young male Wigeon (ringed at Bank Island on the 25/11/20) has just been recovered in Liminganlahti, Liminka, Oulu, Finland – 1913 km north-east of the #LDV. Only a handful of birds back on site at present but hopefully more to follow soon @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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Nice morning welcoming a group of landowners and farmers from the Lower Wharfe Valley to the #LDV – looking at some of our management work and sharing ideas between us on scrapes, ditching, stewardship schemes and wild bird mixes to name but a few. Great to be able to use the NNR in this way.

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Great evening at our new #LDV community hub on Thursday hosting the Wheldrake Allotment Society and the local community, for a talk on the work undertaken across the NNR – a nice way to say thank you for their support and patience during the construction period and a great use of our new building.

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It's been a good autumn so far for moth recording in the local traps around the #LDV, with several migrants recorded and a Clifden Nonpareil in Elvington last week (fourth record for the area with three of those coming in the last two years).

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Visitors to the #LDV please note that whilst most of the ponds, pools and scrapes remain dry, there is limited interest from the hides.

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Recent sightings in the #LDV inc. a ringtail Hen Harrier (seen over fields between Skipwith and North Duffield), notable passage of Pink-footed Geese and Meadow Pipits, and the return of 150 Teal @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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A first-year female Blackcap (ringed at Wheldrake Ings on the 09/09/25) has just been re-caught by ringers at Wymondham, Leicestershire – 125 km south of the #LDV – presumably on autumn passage. Good numbers are presently moving through the site with 100+ ringed recently @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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We’ve also just received a recovery of a Gadwall (ringed at Wheldrake Ings as a duckling in August 2012) further upstream along the Derwent near Settrington last week. The same individual was recorded (via its colour-rings) in the Netherlands back in 2018 on the 7th April @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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Following the recent recovery of one of our Teal to Finland, we've just heard about another to Denmark – originally ringed as a first-year female at Bank Island on the 12/01/26 and found in Spodsbjerg, Langeland, Fyn, last week on the 12th September – 768 km east of the #LDV @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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Duncan Bye @duncbye.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Thanks to #LDV birder Adam Firth for this sighting of one of our colour-ringed Ruff (ringed as an adult male at Bubwith Bridge back in February) – yet another movement of one of our ringed birds between here @rspbblacktoftsands.bsky.social and the Humber.

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At Wheldrake Ings this evening, 61 Pink-footed Geese south east, 2 Stonechat, 9 Chiffchaff, 2 Red Kite & 5 Marsh Harrier roosted @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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York Birding @yorkbirding.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

2 adult Yellow-legged Gull at Catterton A Grey Plover over Wheldrake heading towards York @nybirdnews.bsky.social @ldvnnr.bsky.social

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Ian Andrews @suillia.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Still nice variety of hoverflies outside the @ldvnnr.bsky.social centre at Bank Island yesterday. Cheilosia proxima, Dasysyrphus albostriatus, Dasysyrphus tricinctus and Syrphus ribesii. @ynuorg.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social #hoverflies #syrphidae

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Ian Andrews @suillia.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

It's that late summer time of year when parasitic tachinid flies are abundant...these all in numbers at the @ldvnnr.bsky.social centre at Bank Island yesterday. Tachina fera, Linnaemya picta, Phasia obesa and Voria ruralis...bugs and moths beware! @ynuorg.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

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Adam @ldvbirder.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

@rspbblacktoftsands.bsky.social a 4th spotted Redshank joined the three roosting on marshland. The 2 little stint still present. Ruff, avocet, Blackwit, snipe made it a nice afternoon. My highlight this Ruff likely ringed in the @ldvnnr.bsky.social area. Couldn't quite get the details on the ring.

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Duncan Bye @duncbye.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Bank Island 510 Swallow south 92 Meadow Pipit south 33 House Martin south 18 Sand Martin south 10 Jay (inc 5 south) 1 Great Egret south 4 Teal SW 1 Peregrine 5 Marsh Harrier 2 Red Kite 8 Chiffchaff 4 Blackcap 2 Whitethroat 1 Kingfisher @yorkbirding.bsky.social @ldvnnr.bsky.social

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With our thoughts turning to waterfowl returning to the #LDV and the first arrival of Teal, we’ve just had a ringing recovery come through of one ringed at Bank Island in January 2022 – found in Koninkaarre, Oulu, Finland on the 29th August this year @yorkbirding.bsky.social

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Whilst the lack of water has meant few birds of late, it does mean that we have been able to access hard to reach areas, so this week we've been busy on the tractor flailing the vegetation around the Wheldrake Ings scrape & pool – hopefully ahead of some digger work to re-scrape Swantail 🚜

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More ditch management works have been carried out across the #LDV this week – making sure water can move in and out of the site when required, as well as allowing the ditches to retain water in drought conditions and creating a more open water network for a range of wildlife.

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This week we've also been joined by staff from the Defra Finance team, who enjoyed a bird ringing demonstration and the checking of the moth trap, before tackling scrub on the riverbank – great to get so much done whilst showcasing the work and wildlife of the #LDV NNR.

Last week we enjoyed welcoming another team of staff from Drax to help us get through our autumnal work programme, with the day spent carrying out scrub management on the Low Grounds, following a morning exploring the contents of the moth trap. Huge thanks to all for their efforts on the day 👏

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