Lucy J Murgatroyd

Reserve Manager for Natural England in the LDV NNR Patch birder at Gristhorpe Bay, Cayton

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Whilst the site remains dry we have been able to help out our partners @YorksWildlife 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 🐦

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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, Oulu, Finland – 1913 km north-east of the #LDV. There are only a handful of birds back on site at present, but hopefully more to follow soon.

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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.

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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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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 in recent days.

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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 🇳🇱

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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.

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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 @Blacktoft_Sands and the Humber.

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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 🇫🇮

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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 – 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.

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Last week we enjoyed welcoming another team of staff from @DraxGroup 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 👏

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Nice to receive yet another Shelduck resighting (XP) from the Dee Estuary (originally ringed at North Duffield Carrs in February 2015). Thanks to all the c/r sightings submitted over the years we're slowly amassing quite a database of movements between the #LDV & the north-west.

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This week we’ve also been topping the hedgerows at Bank Island to maintain a more open landscape, whilst retaining a nice thick hedge for breeding birds (NB all the sides have been left to make sure there'll be plenty of berries when the winter thrushes arrive next month) 🐦

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Another great day in the #LDV with our incredible team of volunteers, once again hard at work tackling scrub & finishing clearing out an old pond (now ready for improvement) – nice to see another Clouded Yellow at Bank Island beforehand & a Bordered Straw in the moth trap 🦋

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This week our rotational ditching programme has moved to North Duffield Carrs, with management of the scrape in front of the Geoff Smith Hide already complete – hopefully it will encourage more waders whilst maintaining the important water beetle assemblage this scrape supports.

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With the last of this year's Corncrake releases finished we can finally catch our breath (it's been a long season since it all began again in May). We now have the shade/feeding tables to pack away & the last of the pens to strim/fertilise, & then it's all eyes/ears on next year!

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Thank you to Paul Murphy and the team at @looknorthBBC for putting together this short film about our Corncrake project - available to watch on @BBCiPlayer Look North East Yorkshire/Lincolnshire if you missed it! 📽️