Advertisement
Get your 2019 off to a flying start with a visit to one of these five marvellous nature reserves on New Year's Day
3 December 2018
White-tailed eagle by Ian McCarthy
(rspb-images.com)
2019 is rapidly approaching, and what better way to kick-off the new year and to get your 2019 species list up-and-running than with a visit to a RSPB nature reserve on New Year's Day.
To help you decide on which to visit, we have picked five of our favourites and highlighted some of the birding and walking treats in store for you.
Conwy, North Wales
Driven out of the reeds in search of food, water rails can be seen more easily at this time of year - even underneath the bird feeders! In early January 2018, brent geese, great white egret, jack snipe, water pipit and firecrest were seen at Conwy. On the water were displaying goldeneye, along with goosander and red-breasted merganser. This reserve also offers a special guided New Year’s Day walk - you can visit the website for details on how to book.
Loch Leven, Perthshire & Kinross
If it’s big wintering waterfowl you’re after, this is a great place to start. Around 6% of Scotland’s wintering whooper swans are here, all the way from Iceland. They're joined by thousands of pink-footed geese: did you know that most of the world’s population of this species will spend the winter in the UK? They’ll have flown in from Spitsbergen, Iceland and Greenland. Another big bird that might drop in is the majestic white-tailed eagle, a regular visitor at this time of year.
Fairburn Ings, West Yorkshire
Shaped by a long history of coal mining the reserve has a range of habitats including open water, wet grassland, reeds and wet woodland. It’s a good place to tick willow tit, which you can sometimes see on bird feeders next to the visitor centre. Siskin, redpoll and lesser redpoll feed in the trees. Winter also brings displaying goldeneye, goosander and smew, plus flocks of grazing wigeon. January 2018 highlights here also included great white egret and scaup.
Frampton Marsh, Lincolnshire
Want to walk in a wader wonderland? This is it. At one point in 2018 there were 23 wader species on site! Will the long-staying long-billed dowitcher overwinter? This is a great location to watch merlins and hen harriers in winter. In January 2018 highlights included Bewick’s and whooper swan, 5,000 golden plovers, spotted redshank and barnacle geese. Nearby Freiston Shore, also well worth a visit, hosted snow buntings, and numerous divers and grebes out on the sea.
Rainham Marshes, Essex
The former military firing range with its striking visitor centre hosts a cracking mix of birds over winter. It’s a good place to find rock pipits along the Thames foreshore. You may be lucky enough to see water pipits too: these birds will have travelled over 500 miles from the Alps to hunt for insects on the muddy edges of the reserve’s pools. In January 2018 waders on site included avocet, black-tailed godwit, golden plover, and ruff. There was also a good range of ducks on the marsh, including pintail and wigeon.
Details of opening times and facilities are listed on each nature reserve’s webpages.
rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events
To help you decide on which to visit, we have picked five of our favourites and highlighted some of the birding and walking treats in store for you.
Conwy, North Wales
Driven out of the reeds in search of food, water rails can be seen more easily at this time of year - even underneath the bird feeders! In early January 2018, brent geese, great white egret, jack snipe, water pipit and firecrest were seen at Conwy. On the water were displaying goldeneye, along with goosander and red-breasted merganser. This reserve also offers a special guided New Year’s Day walk - you can visit the website for details on how to book.
Loch Leven, Perthshire & Kinross
If it’s big wintering waterfowl you’re after, this is a great place to start. Around 6% of Scotland’s wintering whooper swans are here, all the way from Iceland. They're joined by thousands of pink-footed geese: did you know that most of the world’s population of this species will spend the winter in the UK? They’ll have flown in from Spitsbergen, Iceland and Greenland. Another big bird that might drop in is the majestic white-tailed eagle, a regular visitor at this time of year.
Fairburn Ings, West Yorkshire
Shaped by a long history of coal mining the reserve has a range of habitats including open water, wet grassland, reeds and wet woodland. It’s a good place to tick willow tit, which you can sometimes see on bird feeders next to the visitor centre. Siskin, redpoll and lesser redpoll feed in the trees. Winter also brings displaying goldeneye, goosander and smew, plus flocks of grazing wigeon. January 2018 highlights here also included great white egret and scaup.
Frampton Marsh, Lincolnshire
Want to walk in a wader wonderland? This is it. At one point in 2018 there were 23 wader species on site! Will the long-staying long-billed dowitcher overwinter? This is a great location to watch merlins and hen harriers in winter. In January 2018 highlights included Bewick’s and whooper swan, 5,000 golden plovers, spotted redshank and barnacle geese. Nearby Freiston Shore, also well worth a visit, hosted snow buntings, and numerous divers and grebes out on the sea.
Rainham Marshes, Essex
The former military firing range with its striking visitor centre hosts a cracking mix of birds over winter. It’s a good place to find rock pipits along the Thames foreshore. You may be lucky enough to see water pipits too: these birds will have travelled over 500 miles from the Alps to hunt for insects on the muddy edges of the reserve’s pools. In January 2018 waders on site included avocet, black-tailed godwit, golden plover, and ruff. There was also a good range of ducks on the marsh, including pintail and wigeon.
Details of opening times and facilities are listed on each nature reserve’s webpages.
rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events
OTHER POPULAR STORIES TO READ:
- Rescue effort saves rare Black-tailed Godwit eggs after Spring flooding
- Swarovski Optik releases PA-i8 adapter for iPhone 8 owners
- Seabirds on autumn passage: Little Gull in focus
- First ever Spoon-billed Sandpiper chick hatches in the wild by a hand-reared bird
- Field test: new Vanguard Endeavor ED II series 8x42 binoculars
- Rescue effort saves rare Black-tailed Godwit eggs after Spring flooding
- Swarovski Optik releases PA-i8 adapter for iPhone 8 owners
- Seabirds on autumn passage: Little Gull in focus
- First ever Spoon-billed Sandpiper chick hatches in the wild by a hand-reared bird
- Field test: new Vanguard Endeavor ED II series 8x42 binoculars