Due to the ongoing drought and heatwave the pool at Wheldrake Ings has now virtually dried up, so our team have taken the opportunity to cut the surrounding vegetation ready for the returning waterfowl next month (assuming we get a top-up of water in the #LDV before then!) 🦆🌧️💧

Interesting to catch a ringed Whinchat at North Duffield Carrs yesterday (ringed by our team at the same site almost a year to the day) – another example of how site faithful some bird species can be, even on passage 🐦 @yorkbirding.bsky.social

We're pleased to say it's been a good year for Barn Owls around the #LDV (many pairs have raised two or more young) and most have now fledged with much late evening hunting observed at present. Thanks to Neil Cooper for sharing his image (taken recently in Melbourne) 📸

Spotted Flycatchers are sadly now scarce in the area, so it was great to hear that a pair have once again fledged a brood at the Melbourne Arm on the Pocklington Canal (in a Swallow nest cup!). Thank you to #LDV volunteer Phil Harrison for the superb images 📸

@birdguides.bsky.social

York Birding@yorkbirding.bsky.social · 15h ago

The Dartford Warbler still at Strensall Common today. Use Lords Moor Lane car park YO62 7QZ. Follow main path for 2km. Keep to paths. MOD land, usually no access between 0730-1600 everyday except Friday. No access when red flag flying. @nybirdnews.bsky.social maps.app.goo.gl/Z8fRuuN16N9K...

The Dartford Warbler still at Strensall Common today. Use Lords Moor Lane car park YO62 7QZ. Follow main path for 2km. Keep to paths. MOD land, usually no access between 0730-1600 everyday except Friday. No access when red flag flying. @nybirdnews.bsky.social maps.app.goo.gl/Z8fRuuN16N9K...

A Male Redstart at Acaster Airfield in hawthorns next to cowfield not far from entrance @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Great Egret showing nicely at Castle Howard this morning @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Wheldrake Ings 6 Green Sandpiper 3 Snipe 18 Little Egret 1 male Marsh Harrier 26 Curlew 1 Common Tern 1 Tufted Duck 1 Water Rail 1 Cetti's Warbler Bank Island 2 Grey Partridge North Duffield Carrs 1 Whinchat 1 Stonechat @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

A smart darker backed presumably “intermedius” Lesser Black-backed Gull amongst the “graellssii” south of York today @yorkbirding.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Keeping an eye out for its next meal to arrive! @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Fairly quiet on patch but our Swifts are still feeding young, no idea how many though? @yorkbirding.bsky.social

@birdguides.bsky.social

York Birding@yorkbirding.bsky.social · 5d ago

The Dartford Warbler still at Strensall Common today. Use Lords Moor Lane car park YO62 7QZ. Follow main path for 2km. Keep to paths. MOD land, usually no access between 0730-1600 everyday except Friday. No access when red flag flying. @nybirdnews.bsky.social maps.app.goo.gl/Z8fRuuN16N9K...

The Dartford Warbler still at Strensall Common today. Use Lords Moor Lane car park YO62 7QZ. Follow main path for 2km. Keep to paths. MOD land, usually no access between 0730-1600 everyday except Friday. No access when red flag flying. @nybirdnews.bsky.social maps.app.goo.gl/Z8fRuuN16N9K...

Today at N Duffield carrs dry fields with bales in the sun. Hardly recognisable in contrast to the winter floods. @ldvnnr.bsky.social

Two recent walks on Strensall Common led to, amongst other things, a close encounter with a young Cuckoo, a juv Yellow Wagtail, Tree Pipits, a Marbled White butterfly and 3 Clouded Yellows in a field full of flowers. If only I had a camera with me! @bcyorkshire.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Great views of Easingwold's peregrine perched at top of electric pylon this morning. Kestrel 2/3 of the way down and size difference was glaring. Good view of face, underparts buff and streaked so I think juvenile, noisy calling that fitted the bill, too.

Trip to North Duffield Carrs this morning. Female bullfinch, linnet and pheasant making use of one of the many hay bales. @yorkbirding.bsky.social @ldvnnr.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Amazing views of the Dartford Warbler at Strensall Common this morning @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Fantastic to see such a positive review of the Birds of the #LDV (shared recently by @birdguides.bsky.social) leading to a flurry of orders, with sales now approaching £10,000 & 100% of each sale going directly into the Friends of the LDV charity to help further conservation projects in the area.

BirdGuides@birdguides.bsky.social · 2w ago

Birds of the Lower Derwent Valley review This is a truly wonderful book dedicated to an area rich in birdlife, says Josh Jones: https://bit.ly/4vAh81f

Castle Howard Lake. Always nice to get a new record on one of your regular patches. Black-t-Godwit this morning at the northern end. @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Wheldrake Ings 7 Green Sandpiper 15 Little Egret 3 Marsh Harrier 9 Snipe 6 Curlew 1 Kingfisher 1 Cetti's Warbler @ldvnnr.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social

The Dartford Warbler still at Strensall Common this morning. Use Lords Moor Lane car park YO62 7QZ. Follow main path for 2km. Keep to paths. No troop training today. Usually no access 0730-1600 except Fridays. No access when red flag flying. @nybirdnews.bsky.social maps.app.goo.gl/Z8fRuuN16N9K...

Green Sand, Little Egret & Water Shrew from a quiet but pleasant evening at Wheldrake Ings @yorkbirding.bsky.social

Delighted to see the @yorkbirding.bsky.social recording area Dartford Warbler this morning. Too fast for my digiscoping skills so here is one of the Stonechat family that it has been associating with. Into its known 3rd week now on this Yorkshire common.

York Birding@yorkbirding.bsky.social · 4w ago

News of a singing male Dartford warbler on Strensall Common, first for York! But it's in an MOD live firing range, near sensitive species, and difficult to find. Follow instructions below to be safe. @nybirdnews.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

The Dartford Warbler still at Strensall Common this evening. Use Lords Moor Lane car park YO62 7QZ. Follow main path for 2km. Keep to paths. MOD land, usually no access between 0730-1600 everyday except Friday. No access when red flag flying. @nybirdnews.bsky.social maps.app.goo.gl/Z8fRuuN16N9K...

A Cattle Egret still from the platform at North Duffield Carrs with the cows on the riverbank. Also a Whinchat here yesterday evening @ldvnnr.bsky.social @nybirdnews.bsky.social

Castle Howard Lakes. 49 species this morning @birdtrack.bsky.social including this South Lake & the Dairy Ponds. 5th record of 2026 for Common Sandpiper today. Dabchick, Coot & Gadwall prefer to breed on the these smaller lakes rather than the Great Lake. 49 species @yorkbirding.bsky.social

The Dartford Warbler still at Strensall Common this evening. Use Lords Moor Lane car park YO62 7QZ. Follow main path for 2km. Keep to paths. MOD land, usually no access between 0730-1600 everyday except Friday. No access when red flag flying. @nybirdnews.bsky.social maps.app.goo.gl/Z8fRuuN16N9K...

Still scarce in the York area so good to catch up with the Cattle Egret at North Duffield Carrs which had been found earlier in the day. Stayed distant along the riverbank feeding among cattle @yorkbirding.bsky.social