It was a cold overnight frost that greeted us first thing this morning, I love mornings like this, the air is crisp and dry, there is a slight mist rising off the fields and nearly always a bonny sunrise and today was no different. It was nice to hear several Greater Spotted Woodpeckers drumming away high up on the tree trunks on the dog walk first thing this morning, a good sign that Spring is just around the corner.

I cannot believe it was three weeks ago since I last visited the reserve at Fairburn Ings, so much for trying to get there two to three times a week! It was 9.30am when I parked up in the car park at the visitors’ centre. Winter clothing on this morning, the air temperature was only 2C with only a very light westerly wind. I made my way to the Visitors centre for a coffee and chat with the wardens before heading off to the ‘Pick up hide’. It was nice to see the Snowdrops in full flower gently swaying in the morning breeze along the hedge bottoms as I made my way to the hide, it looks as though it will only be a couple of weeks before some of the Daffodils will be flowering too, much to early.

There was nobody else in the hide when I arrived and all quiet, looking through the glassless windows there was only a pair of Greylag geese on the water at the far side of the lake, they had created a little pool as the rest of the lake had a thin layer of ice on it. Nearer to the hide the Green Woodpecker was busily squawking away behind me and out of sight, I am determined to catch a glimpse of one this year! Under the feeding station the Grey Squirrel was busily emptying one of the feeders much to the delight of the one male and three female Pheasants who were busily hoovering up the cast offs from the squirrel.

Looking across the field towards the far lake the Cormorant’s were busily sprucing up their nests in two of their nesting trees, I spotted several carrying sticks and twigs back to the trees to enhance their existing nests. The Grey Heron were doing much the same, some carrying branches nearly the same size as themselves, I wouldn’t like to be on the tree when they arrived back home.

On the feeding station and amongst the bushes close to the hide were several Robins, I counted three in close proximity with each other, Dunnocks were regular visitors, several of them quite content to sit in the branches higher up and sing to their hearts content. The Great Tits were out and about in numbers too, the males especially looking particular colourful at the moment. Reed Buntings, male and female were popping in and out during the morning, the females a slightly lighter colour than their darker partners, but both looking good. I heard the Long Tailed Tits congregating in the bushes behind the hide for several minutes before the first one flew in for a feed on the fatballs, these are lovely looking birds. Suddenly the whole area around the feeders went quiet, all the feeding birds flew into the relative security of the undergrowth as a young Magpie flew onto one of the fence posts in front of the hide window, completely oblivious to me being only ten feet away, the bird fed for several minutes before flying off. I often see Magpies flying over and around the hide and across the lake but this was the first time I have seen one land in such close proximity to me. Normal business quickly resumed once the Magpie flew off, including visits from the Coal Tit and Willow Tit. As lunchtime approached I decided to call it a day and packed the gear away and headed back to the Visitors Centre for another coffee and the journey home. Another lovely day at the ings.