Another beautiful morning, just 12C at 5.30am. as we set of on the morning dog walk. There was a very light westerly breeze which was quite pleasant as we made our way through the heavy undergrowth on the Barff. I cannot believe how the nettles and ferns have grown whilst I have been away, some of the nettles are over 6ft tall with a wicked sting especially on back of the legs. The brambles and briars have run wild too and I now have several quite sore cuts and grazes on my legs and forearms from the barbs on the brambles!

After breakfast I packed the camera gear into the car and headed over to Fairburn Ings and spend the morning with the Spoonbills. It has been just over a fortnight since my last visit so was looking forward to seeing what has happened whilst I have been away. It was just after 9.00am as I parked the car in the car park and headed over to the visitors centre. The morning sun had broken through the lingering early morning mist and the cars temperature gauge was now showing 20C, phew. After a quick coffee and a catch up with the wardens I headed through the gate and followed the parched path through the ‘Pick up fields’ to the view point. 

I set up the tripod and clamped the 500m lens securely before attaching the camera. It looked as though both adult birds were still on the nest, though one of the birds was busily housekeeping whilst the other stood guard over three possibly four tiny chicks whose little heads could be seen as they occasionally poked their heads into the air hoping for some food from their parents. The chicks were probably born around the time of my last visit which makes them about two weeks old, they looked about the size of a Herring Gull though depending on when they hatched some will be bigger than others. As a result of the surrounding foliage and tree branches around the nest it is quite difficult to get a clear view of them at this stage in their development but I am sure that as they continue to grow we will be able to get a better picture of them.

To the left of the nest and higher up in the tree canopy three Little Egrets were busily stood jabbering to each other over the strange looking chicks in the nest below, needless to say the adult Spoonbills kept them well away of their youngsters.

Several Heron’s flew into the trees during the morning bringing food for their own chicks nestling on the same tree line as the Spoonbills, their chicks being a little more vocal than the younger Spoonbills. Over to the left in the dead tree several Cormorants were patiently standing drying and preening their wings in the warm morning air. Several Cormorant chicks looked to be in the nests on the tree.  

It had been relatively quiet on the Spoonbill nest during the morning, one of the adult birds had flown off towards the ‘Pick up Hide’ at around 11.00am whilst the other adult was sleeping on the edge of the nest with the youngsters. As the morning progressed I was about to start to dismantle the camera gear at 11.30am when the other bird returned to the nest with food. Whilst this bird promptly fed the chicks the sleeping adult bird flew off the nest and perched on a dead tree on the water’s edge. There was quite a commotion as the youngsters jostled for their share of the food. Within twenty minutes the contented chicks were sleeping and both adult bird continued with the housekeeping around the nest.

Brunch time approached and as I headed back to the visitors centre the air temperature had gone up to 27C. It was going to be a warm afternoon.